Like Tree2Likes

Windows 8 Banned in China

Closed Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
  1. #1

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652

    Windows 8 Banned in China

    Has it been banned because it isn't very good or because the market is large enough for a domestic player to have a go at filling the void as per facebook and twitter bans?


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    15,557

    It hasn't been banned.

    What has happened is government agencies are not allowed to install it. Quite different from being banned for everyone in China.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A4J07Q20140520

    http://www.zycg.cn/article/show/242846

    Last edited by pin; 21-05-2014 at 07:39 AM.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Quote Originally Posted by pin:
    It hasn't been banned.

    What has happened is government agencies are not allowed to install it. Quite different from being banned for everyone in China.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A4J07Q20140520

    http://www.zycg.cn/article/show/242846
    Yes but not as dramatic a headline. It is stilled banned in China (just not all of it).

    It still looks like a business rather than security led decision

  4. #4

    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Sai Kung
    Posts
    215

    Typical anti-China rubbish.

    The true headline:

    Some government departments in China have decided to use operating systems other than Windows 8 because it's too expensive.

    As is the norm. in all companies in all countries, everyone will have to use the operating system chosen by the PTB and will not be able to simply install any old OS they want, including Windows 8.

    In other news, rabbits have long floppy ears, etc, etc.

    Last edited by Prefab Sprout; 21-05-2014 at 08:37 AM.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    2,136
    Quote Originally Posted by East_coast:
    Yes but not as dramatic a headline. It is stilled banned in China (just not all of it).

    It still looks like a business rather than security led decision
    So what made you so sure this is a business rather than a security led decision?

    Hard to make sense of what you just said - considering "banning" windows 8 from government computer is also saying they gave it a go ahead with Windows 7 & XP.

    Which also doesn't make sense, since the Snowden powerpoint reveals Microsoft works with NSA since 07, and Windows 7 launched in 2009 - they didn't announce they will "ban" Windows 7. Seems quite apparent though, that Windows 8 do ask for your email and link your files to skydrive etc.

    I noticed the recent Microsoft Office 2013 also automatically uploads your file to Skydrive during comptuer startup (no options to disable it)- so if they were to ban due to security reason, they will also have to do so for Microsoft Office 2013.

    Last edited by Creative83; 21-05-2014 at 09:45 AM.
    East_coast likes this.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    11,884

    This could just as accurately have been headlined "Windows 8 banned in practically all enterprise environments" with the elaboration that large companies are staying on Windows 7 to avoid upgrade and user retraining hassle for bugger all functional benefit.

    Even Steve Balmer has pretty much come out and admitted that 8 was a flop. I would fully expect most large organisations (including governments) to skip it and wait for the next OS version. Pretty much like how most organisations skipped from XP to Win7, bypassing Vista (which was also roundly derided as an OS release).

    Last edited by jgl; 21-05-2014 at 09:54 AM.
    East_coast likes this.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Quote Originally Posted by Creative83:
    So what made you so sure this is a business rather than a security led decision?

    Hard to make sense of what you just said - considering "banning" windows 8 from government computer is also saying they gave it a go ahead with Windows 7 & XP.

    Which also doesn't make sense, since the Snowden powerpoint reveals Microsoft works with NSA since 07, and Windows 7 launched in 2009 - they didn't announce they will "ban" Windows 7. Seems quite apparent though, that Windows 8 do ask for your email and link your files to skydrive etc.

    I noticed the recent Microsoft Office 2013 also automatically uploads your file to Skydrive during comptuer startup (no options to disable it)- so if they were to ban due to security reason, they will also have to do so for Microsoft Office 2013.

    Windows 8 has a reasonably high switching cost for something that should have a near zero switching cost (training, frustration, hardware, silly MS account creation etc). Not allowing it to run in Government and probably larger SEO's will open a window of opportunity for a domestic player to fill the gap probably based on some Linus variant. If there is sufficient mass in the domestic markets then a 2nd globally viable desktop OS can be launched.

    Saying that Windows 7 is still very good so it could just be a ban to make life simple for themselves whilst scoring some political points until Windows 9 comes out.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    140
    Quote Originally Posted by Prefab Sprout:
    Typical anti-China rubbish.

    The true headline:

    Some government departments in China have decided to use operating systems other than Windows 8 because it's too expensive.

    As is the norm. in all companies in all countries, everyone will have to use the operating system chosen by the PTB and will not be able to simply install any old OS they want, including Windows 8.

    In other news, rabbits have long floppy ears, etc, etc.
    Eh actually it's mostly driven by the lack of technical support for XP. The China government feels that when you buy something you should have technical support for ever. Win 8 is barred from bidding on public sector deals according to xinhuanet.com so it's not anti China rubbish

    Sent from my Q10 using GeoClicks mobile app

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    140
    Quote Originally Posted by East_coast:
    Windows 8 has a reasonably high switching cost for something that should have a near zero switching cost (training, frustration, hardware, silly MS account creation etc). Not allowing it to run in Government and probably larger SEO's will open a window of opportunity for a domestic player to fill the gap probably based on some Linus variant. If there is sufficient mass in the domestic markets then a 2nd globally viable desktop OS can be launched.

    Saying that Windows 7 is still very good so it could just be a ban to make life simple for themselves whilst scoring some political points until Windows 9 comes out.
    To be fair all the OS (except Linux maybe?) require an "account" of sorts and realistically all the OS have a switching cost. I'm sure a local Chinese Linux variant is around so we'll see

    Sent from my Q10 using GeoClicks mobile app

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    11,884
    Quote Originally Posted by cwardnyc:
    To be fair all the OS (except Linux maybe?) require an "account" of sorts and realistically all the OS have a switching cost. I'm sure a local Chinese Linux variant is around so we'll see

    Sent from my Q10 using GeoClicks mobile app
    Have you installed Win8? Standalone versions sometimes (well, the once that I did it) requires the creation of an online account registered to Microsoft (e.g. Windows Live) which is considerably more obnoxious than creating a local user account (i.e. Win 7 and previous).

    Linux only requires a local user account. I think that the same applies to OSX though the last time I owned a Mac was several years ago.
    Last edited by jgl; 21-05-2014 at 01:24 PM.

Closed Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast