Google Phases Out Microsoft Windows Use

Web search group Google Inc is phasing out internal use of rival Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system because of security concerns following a Chinese hacking incident, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Reuters Report

Citing several Google employees, the FT said the decision to move to other operating systems including Apple Inc's Mac OS and open-source Linux began in earnest in January after Google's Chinese operations were hacked.

Internet security firm McAfee Inc said at the time the cyber attacks on Google and other businesses had exploited a previously unknown flaw in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, which was vulnerable on all recent versions of Windows.

The FT quoted one Google employee as saying: "We're not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort." Another said: "Getting a new Windows machine now requires CIO (chief information officer) approval."

Google said in a statement: "We're always working to improve the efficiency of our business, but we do not comment on specific operational matters."

Google, which already offers e-mail, Web and other software products that compete with Microsoft's offerings, is developing its own operating system based on its Chrome browser. It will initially target netbooks, or inexpensive, pared-down notebook PCs.

Microsoft Windows runs about nine out of 10 of the world's personal computers.

Clash of the Titans!! Pretty soon we'll all have to use Mac OS's. Google will control the World eventually


[edit on 6/1/2010 by UberL33t]

This is yesterdays news, sorry.

sixth word

Originally posted by UberL33t
Clash of the Titans!! We'll all be using Macs before you know it.

Windows does not = PC.

Mac is just another O/S which I will never use. It's hardware is the same as PC hardware, and in many cases it is now inferior.

If for some strange reason Mac O/S ends up being the primary OS of choice I will stop using computers.

reply to post by exinterp

the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

However if you meant figuratively, of course it is.

I Call HOAX HOAX HOAX !!!

Routers may have picked this up.. But I call HOAX or Extreme BS at the very least.

I do not know of any major company with the money Google has that does not use a real state of the art Hardware Firewall. Exploits simply do not get past these things - unless it is hacked manually.

Certainly not as many or bad enough exploits to cause so much problems they stop using an Operating System.

Plus I am sure they had other security measures in place.

I think this is propaganda designed to undermine Microsoft.

reply to post by UberL33t


Did you miss the part directly after mentioning Mac OS where they said they are also switching to linux?


Linux is free to use, no specialized proprietary hardware is necessary to run it, and with Distributions like Ubuntu; is easier to install and use than ANY other operating system.

Originally posted by Conqueror of Seth
reply to post by UberL33t

 

Did you miss the part directly after mentioning Mac OS where they said they are also switching to linux?


Linux is free to use, no specialized proprietary hardware is necessary to run it, and with Distributions like Ubuntu; is easier to install and use than ANY other operating system.

Not easier to use. If your coming from windows you still have to relearn everything about the system.. I know... I have owned both for years. Yes, they have made some strides to make it easier than it used to be.. but to say " easiest to use.." I would Not.

It's not often something on here really makes me laugh.

For someone that isn't much of a computer user, I do actually find Linux (Xubuntu) much easier to use and much less frustrating than Windows.

Read about this earlier at
www.pcmag.com...

Rueter's and other sites are over blowing out of proportion and understating what really is happening.

All that was really stated from google was that employee's who wanted to bring in a window's box would have to have it ok'd by their CIO because of what happened earlier from the chineese attack on them.

The issue being that the attack that had occured had happend on an XP install still running of all things IE6, which is what was exploited. Because of this they are making sure employees windows installs are updated and using IE7 or IE8. This does not mean they are banning windows and attacking microsoft.

Must be a slow news day.

[edit on 6/1/2010 by dethduck]

Source

IE6 exposed as Google China malware unpicked
Why search engine giant was using IE6 remains a mystery
....

... attack targeted systems running IE6, which begs the question of why Google and the other affected concerns were running a version of Microsoft's browser software first released in 2001 and not Chrome.

That last sentence is curious- why were their employees using IE6 and not their "better", "in house developed" Chrome browser? Or at least IE8 which although technically vulnerable to the attack, its "Protected Mode" would've mitigated the extent of the attack.
Sounds like they weren't taking security that serious themselves.

*edit spelling/grammar

[edit on 6/1/2010 by abecedarian]

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
I Call HOAX HOAX HOAX !!!
...

I do not know of any major company with the money Google has that does not use a real state of the art Hardware Firewall. Exploits simply do not get past these things - unless it is hacked manually.

Certainly not as many or bad enough exploits to cause so much problems they stop using an Operating System.

Plus I am sure they had other security measures in place.

I think this is propaganda designed to undermine Microsoft.

The attacks used HTTP port 443, which is typically for HTTPS/SSL traffic, as a vector. Most every firewall would have that port open as it's considered a "secure" port; the best firewall wouldn't have stopped it.

reply to post by Conqueror of Seth

Did you miss the part directly after mentioning Mac OS where they said they are also switching to linux?

No, I was being facetious with my reply.

I would be inclined to agree w/ JohnPhoenix's statement that one would have to learn the in's and out's of Linux. I have Fedora Core, it took some tutorial reading before I was comfortable with its functions.

Yes, its true that Windows is garbage.

You have to get a firewall.
You have to get an Antivirus.
You need a program to cleanup your PC.

Don't forget to defrag.


OSX Doesn't need any of that. It simply works all the time. No costly subscriptions to any antivirus software - there aren't viruses for mac OSX.

I think that google moving to Linux and OSX is a smart business move. PC's crash all too often.

I'm not an apple fanboy either.

I have a PC. I have a Mac.

Actually, I have had 4 PC's. 1 mac.
I won't spend another penny on Windows.


Google will save a lot of money by switching to more stable systems.


[edit on 1-6-2010 by The_Zomar]