> You need to install some government software
It's open source and on github. Check out any of the ~50 repos https://github.com/orgs/open-eid/repositories --- not sure why this would be less trusted than any other open source software.
> The software UI is really crap.
I won't argue about the subjective taste of design, but at least the UI is Qt and not Electron.
> You get error messages in Russian
When you have it configured in English? Maybe. I can say that when configured to Estonian I've never seen any other language.
> You need to dump your cookies
Never heard of anyone having to do this. Sounds like a website specific issue anyway.
> Why do I need [my e-id] just to check my internet provider account?
Because you can sign binding legal agreements without leaving your home. It's convenient.
> A friend got a tax inspection because his supermarket card was linked to his e-id and he was seemingly spending more than what he was getting paid for his job.
This sounds like some grade A conspiracy. There is no government agency whose job is to collect supermarket purchase data. Are you claiming there is some sort of shadow organization hidden somewhere that goes through this data? I would bet that the tax inspection happened for other reasons and this conspiracy theory is made up.
> Estonia has almost no public services
Is this hyperbole? Do you have an example of a public service that is missing?
> Healthcare is a joke here - you need to wait often more than 3 months to see a specialist, even in Tallinn.
Not if your case has a medical reason to be prioritized. You can also always pay and go to a private clinic.
> Kindergartens are very difficult to access without bribing the administration
I'll assume you mean getting your kid into one by access. Some districts do indeed have long waiting lists. However if you register as soon as your kid is born the problem goes away. The problem usually surfaces when young parents are unaware of the registration waiting list and then later expect to be immediately admitted. That is only possible with 3+ year olds. The waiting lists are real for younger ones.
The part about bribing is laughably false. Kindergarten administration doesn't have digital authorization to reorder the database, which is ran by different organizations. I guess maybe some kindergarten could take your kid "extra on the side" unofficially, but that's more like a special favor. There is no way to influence the actual registration list.
> There's a very opaque "elite school" system
Elite schools are like that in every country. Do you think an elite school would remain elite if it had general admission?
> most shops don't have an online presence
Are you talking about mom & pop stores? Because the biggest stores like Selver, Prisma, Rimi, Coop, Stockmann not only have an online presence but even do delivery. I think only Maxima doesn't do delivery, but still has an online listing of items.
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To summarize, you listed so many things that to me feel clearly false that its rather weird. You're either one of the unluckiest people in Estonia or have an axe to grind. Either way I hope you'll do better in the future, because me and everyone else I know has a much happier life in Estonia than what you described. Cheers!