06.01.10
‘Quit Microsoft’ Day and ‘Quit Apple’ Day?
Summary: As Google ditches Microsoft Windows and “Quit Facebook Day” is passed, a suggestion is made that a “Quit Microsoft Day” and/or “Quit Apple Day” should be organised to advocate software freedom
AS MANY people have heard by now (several informed us via IRC), Google is ditching Windows. It’s long overdue.
Just as we learn that Internet Explorer keeps losing users, this news bodes badly for Windows as well. Google got attacked after its customers used Internet Explorer, which Microsoft had not patched properly for five months [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Here are some more of the many reports about Google quitting Windows:
i. Google: We don’t do Windows
Obviously Google would eventually love its employees to use its own Linux-based desktop OS product, ChromeOS, as soon as its is ready for prime time. For now, Apple’s (AAPL) Macs and to a lesser extent, Linux are the answer.
But ChromeOS is the future and it seems pretty apparent that Google is heading in that direction. A few more Googler quotes:
* “Before the security, there was a directive by the company to try to run things on Google products. It was a long time coming.”
* “A lot of it is an effort to run things on Google product,” the employee said. “They want to run things on Chrome.”
ii. Who Needs Windows? Google Starts Putting Their Computers Where Their Mouth Is
A new report tonight in the Financial Times suggests that Google is steering its employees away from using Microsoft’s dominant operating system in the workplace. In fact, the reports says that, “New hires are now given the option of using Apple’s Mac computers or PCs running the Linux operating system.” And it states that getting a computer running Windows may require permission as high up as Google’s CIO.
iii. Google ditches Windows on security concerns
Google is phasing out the internal use of Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows operating system because of security concerns, according to several Google employees.
The directive to move to other operating systems began in earnest in January, after Google’s Chinese operations were hacked, and could effectively end the use of Windows at Google, which employs more than 10,000 workers internationally.
iv. Google ditching Windows: report
That company is Google. And following the intrusions into its innards in January by network crackers allegedly from China, the search giant is reported to have decided to discontinue the use of Windows internally.
A report in the Financial Times online says this is due to security concerns – and for the first time a mainstream news outlet has this line: “Windows is known for being more vulnerable to attacks by hackers and more susceptible to computer viruses than other operating systems.”
Muktware suggests organising a day similar to “Quit Facebook Day” and calling it “Quit Microsoft Day” and/or “Quit Apple Day”. Nice idea. Mozilla used a similar type of campaigns to break Firefox records and gain new users.
It would be interesting to see a Quit Microsoft Day or Quit Apple Day. A day when people chose to break the shackles of restriction, humiliation and monopoly and choose their freedom.
The world will not stop without proprietary technolog, it will infact become a better place to live in. There are alternatives to Microsoft Windows and Apple Macs, iPad and iPhone.
Gnu/Linux based Ubuntu is one of the most powerful secure and user-friendly operating system. Firefox and Google Chrome are the best alternatives to Microsoft Internet Explorer and Safari. Android based Google phones are the best alternatives to the iPhone. All you need to do is look around.
Microsoft understands that Windows has problems (Vista 7 included) and there are new risks of layoffs*, so it needs to pretend to be doing something (better to appear to react rather than to sit idly). “Microsoft projects aim to rival Chrome OS,” says The Register, which links to a vapourware article we mentioned the other day.
It is worth emphasising that Microsoft’s most used desktop operating system is being phased out and reality suggests that more people will explore other operating systems and watch Google’s judgment from afar. They can now decide whether they want freedom (BSD, GNU/Linux, and other such platforms), or simply an alternate tyranny, which is what Apple offers them. █
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* There is new activity in Microsoft Global Outsourcing (MGO), which is a ‘nice’ catchphrase for sending jobs overseas to pay workers minimally.
Needs Sunlight said,
June 1, 2010 at 11:15 am
We should also see a burst of productivity from Google. Thought it might be a small burst: the number of Windows users there may be quite low and Windows is usually a staffing problem. You can get rid of Windows, but the Windows mentality won’t go without some staffing changes.
What’s Google’s policy on Mono? Are they really leaving Windows behind or are they planning on allowing the bad design and security problems follow to other platforms?
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 11:46 am
Yes, I didn’t cover that point. In IRC, Oiaohm says “I think you missed the biggest thing about the Google statements. Remember 20 percent of all Google developers’ time go into their own projects outside Google. Now that they have to use OS X or Linux I expect itch scratching by Google developers to go up.”
Needs Sunlight Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 12:17 pm
That’s a good point and a very different 20%.
I would expect that most of the productive people are already using Linux, OS X or anything else not Windows. The 20% I refer to is the general loss in productivity that comes with
I hope they stop wasting resources developing Windows-only services and can cull the individuals behind projects like that. Picassa is one example.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 12:25 pm
They merely bought Picasa (a Windows application), possibly to serve as a desktop front end to their Web service for photos (surveillance, ads, storage). unless it was an afterthought.
In the process of bringing it to GNU/Linux, Google improved Wine with patches.
People should use Gwenview, DigiKam, etc.
http://www.digikam.org/
Needs Sunlight Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 5:21 am
Yes, with that purchase came a passle of Microsofters who are now inside Google. It’s great that WINE has been improved, but that does not mitigate the fact that toxic staff enter Google and that Google is being used to spread DirectX.
Google could have just hired a small team of skilled people (as opposed to ‘softers) and had them pimp out Digikam. Probably would have gotten faster, more visible results more cheaply and at the same time preventing incursion of DirectX into OpenGL territory.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:28 am
I wonder why Google went with a proprietary package rather than foster one of the many Free/libre options (which it still helps sponsor in SoC).
I mailed DiBona about it ~5 years ago when Picasa was a Windows-only Google application (one among many, including Desktop and Earth). At least they sorted out the cross-platform aspects.
The Mad Hatter said,
June 1, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Hum, I think you both missed the most important point, I’ll send you the link when I finish the article (and after I’ve had a chance to recheck my conclusions).
Needs Sunlight Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 5:28 am
Please post it. I see that where Microsoft products are used, there is a big hit in productivity. Some of that loss might be permanent if the real staff never recover or if they are replaced by real Microsoft users.
It’s pathetic to chat with formerly productive, real staff that folded and allowed Windows along side their work computer or to replace their work computer. They complain about the loss, but then after a year or two start doing their best Pod Person imitation about how “it’s not so bad once you get used to it”. Best as I can figure, “It” does not refer to Windows as much as the loss of usefulness that it brings. They simply over time become resigned to the fact that they get as much done over three or four days as they used to get done in an afternoon. It’s the same effect whether large businesses, small businesses, hospitals, colleges or universities.
And people wonder why the US is no longer competitive academically or industrially…
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:24 am
Windows is probably not the cause of that.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:28 am
Is that the Google vs Microsoft post?
The Mad Hatter Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 8:48 am
I thought of it as the Google abandoning Microsoft post myself :]