Security concerns prompt Google to switch from Windows to Mac - Page 2

Really?!?! You are suggesting that Google should base the day to day operations of it's empire on an OS that isn't even out of beta yet?



If it isn't ready for 'the public' then it isn't ready to run a billon dollar corporation with.


No it doesn't say anything like that... ALL it says is Chrome is still in BETA and anyone moving forward the idea that a company can be effectively run using a BETA OS is someone looking to get fired. HECK... Many large corporations wait YEARS after Microsoft release a new OS before they even THINK about migrating to it. In fact Microsoft usually has to put a gun to their head before they make an OS migration. Ever wonder WHY MS makes this grand announcements about them OFFICIALLY dropping support for some OLD version of Windows? Its to FORCE companies to UPGRADE to SOMETHING. While many companies IT groups don't RUSH to upgrade their OS they also don't want to be the people responsible for 'some catastrophic problem' that MS will NOT issue a fix for due to the fact that MS dropped support for that OS 6 months ago so this game of 'upgrade when we HAVE to' rolls on..


Nothing that comes to mind... and ONCE Chrome is a stable and fully field tested OS then Google will likely discuss migration plans THEN. Unfortunately, there LOTS of months before that will happen and short of closing up shop Google MUST have a stable environment to run their business on.

Unlike us geeks and home users... Businesses can't say... Well you know... if we wait 10 months we can probably get all of this stuff cheaper AND Chrome might be ready too! When a business NEEDS computers they have to buy them... no waiting till black friday sales or newegg discount codes.. When they need em they just go out and buy them.. in Googles case A LOT of them.

Also remember unlike us geeks who think of buying a computer as a investment Google just like every other big corporation knows they are nothing more than tools... The tool breaks and the repair is HALF (or less) than the cost of a new tool they fix them... The cost is more than half the cost they throw the sucker out and get a new one.

Chrome and Android are entirely unsuitable for development work. Yes, there will be people running Chrome and Android for testing (just like for Windows) but developers aren't going to be sitting there at the Googleplex coding away on Chrome or Android. They'll be using Linux or Mac OS for development work. Think about it. Would you use an iPad (being generous to Android) or a web browser (Chrome) as your primary coding environment? I certainly would not.

Phasing out means phasing out.

Yeah there's plenty of departments that could run Mac. Everyone from accounting to graphic design could use a mac (and probably would prefer it.)

You've got one of the most popular IT companies in the world using one of the most popular operating systems in the world. It's going to get attacked. It's actually a good security measure to diversify the machines in a company. If a virus got in that affected Windows, and everyone was on a Windows machine, it could spread. If only some are on a Windows machine, the damage is minimized.

In the end though, the most successful attacks are socially engineered, meaning it's the people at the company that pose the biggest threat. If you called everyone in a company directory and said you were from IT and needed their login credentials, chances are high someone who doesn't know better will give it to you. No software can prevent this.

ok, you clarified "rumor" and I appreciate that. Can you now clarify "bigger and better?"

/Because I have a number of apps like Sketchup and such on both my PC and mac, and wherever possible, I use the mac versions, because they run smoother and look sharper.

Yes, it does, but you failed to comprehend what they are phasing out.



Yeah, I don't see the typical company being able to move their employees to Linux and still expect them to be adequately secured. At this point, Google seems to be in an unique position.

Sketchup runs wonderfully on my iMac, not so good on my netbook.

Silly PC

Begin with chrome.
See here for version history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome

Windows 2008 ... mac 2010.

Now google docs? I remember loging into google all they time with my mac and note saying not compatible with mac safari yet. Now I agree it is, but it was out for windows in 2005. I believe (not sure) that it started working on the mac in early 2009.

Google earth, a few years ago i needed to make a video of a google earth segment. I had to do this on windows google earth because feature was not available on mac. I really can go on.

Now that made me laugh!

Article states:
"New hires at Google are given the choice of running a Mac, or a system running Linux."

What am i not comprehending?

If you think that a software developer who is responsible for developing software and making sure it runs on Windows wouldn't be assigned a Windows box as well (or at least a dual booted partition/bootcamp/parallels) then you are sorely mistaken. Phasing out of the general company, getting rid of it where possible. If you need to make sure your software is working on Windows for dev and testing purposes, then that is part where it can't and won't get phased out. I'm not sure what's so difficult about this concept.

Girls, girls. I am sorry to interrupt your little tea party. Please be respectful of each other. Goog is probably concerned SOMEWHAT with Windows appearances. But does every employee ensure Windows compatibility, no. Most likely that has nothing to do with >90% of the headcount's tasking. Sure, a few people will need to run Windows... arguably. Or, it could be replicated in some other way. The main point is, major enterprise may start to break away from Windows. Most companies lack the confidence (and CIO competence) to strike out on their own launching a Mac centric (or even Ubuntu centric) workstation template. But, Google does have that confidence and they have reasons to make a point of doing it.

The fact that there will be some Windows tester units (most likely off-grid and used for testing alone) is not really here nor there. Goog is moving their business off Windows. That, and Apple, makes two.

Right. The China attack was done through email. Everyone would be wise not to use Windows for email. Google is probably trying to move the general purpose office computing off the Windows platform.

No one familiar with programming would assume that Ph.D. computer scientist is stupid enough to click on a suspicious email link. Of course they can have whatever computer they need to get their assignments done. People are taking this 'phase out' thing to literally.

The article does not state that they are phasing out of the general company and getting rid of it where possible. The article states they are phasing out the operating system. it also states new employees just hired do not have the option of choosing windows operating systems. I'm telling you that i think that is bull.

Better late than never with this story I guess.

As I read this on every other blog in the universe yesterday I couldn't help wondering if Google might make developing and supporting the Windows platform take a back seat now. I'd love to see PC marginalization web sites start up soon.

This may be true in the future, but it has not been true up to 2010.

I take the 'phase out thing' as another major sign of the continuing demise of Windows as an OS and Microsoft as a whole.

Then everyone becomes an Apple fanboy

Isn't a copy of Windows running in Parallels pretty much protected by OSX? Or is it?

no because you are actually running windows when you are running parallels. You have to purchase a version of windows to use parallels.

Usually you have the windows vm out on a partitian to reduce the risks of problems, but if you open up the mac harddrive from windows vm, nasty things can happen.

I run virus software on my parallels windows partitian.

you just said the secret word of the day!

You are preaching to the choir. However as we all know 90% of the users out there are completely clueless about computers. The tech savvy users may be moving away from Windows ever so slowly, but for the general population, it will take at least 3-5 more upgrade cycles before Apple will even make a noticeable dent considering the enormity of the Windows install base..

I bet google gets a good corporate volume discount.

What they are putting the closed system, big brother apple on their desktops in google, and then bashing the living daylights out of apple in public? Who would have thought they were the biggest hypocrites on the globe...


Android is not a desktop OS and Chrome is not even out, how are these options to develop on, a mobile os, and an os that's not even stable for release yet? It seems you are the one who can't read.

Great now 30,000 Chinese hackers are gonna be reassigned to write exploits for the mac. Thanks for being evil there google.

From Apple!?!?!?


Sorry but unless things have changed in a major way in the past 5ish years Apple and 'good corporate volume discount' just don't get said in the same sentence all that often.

No, it's sandboxed in Parallels. If the hacker figures out you are running Parallels, and there are flaws in Parallels, they could essentially hack into your OSX box too. Not saying it's been done, and I'm not saying there are flaws in Parallels, but theoretically it's a link to explore/exploit. Same goes for VMware. It's a hypervisor, and if you can hack it, you could have control over the hosts in it. ESX may be more secure than the desktop version (like Fusion), but not immune to bugs and hacks.

http://pcworld.about.com/od/securit1...re-Drops-F.htm

Good move. Windows can be attacked regardless of whether it's running natively or in a VM.

The advantage of the VM is that it's easy to keep a spare Windows drive handy and replace an infected one.

Umm that would be called BIAS. Anything they can do to make Microsoft bad and Apple good would par for the course here.

BS. Windows gets the consumer Google apps first. Even when there are Mac versions they tend to lack all of the features. Picassa took forever to come out on the Mac. Chrome was lagging behind as well. Today Chrome on the Mac still does NOT support Kerberose. Mac users that want to get through the proxy at work must use FireFox (also lagging behind the Windows version) since Safari does not support Kerberose either. However Chrome on Windows has full Kerberose support.

Google is not stupid, Windows still has 91% of the desktop market.

The whole story is missing lots of FACTS. New employees can get Windows if they get permission.

This is not a win for Mac or Apple. Google employees will end up on Linux in the end or Google's version of it. They will have lots of test Windows boxes running in Virtual Box, and less Apple test boxes.

The real story is how the EFF did they get hit?? Running Windows XP with IE6 is flat out stupid. They are both 10 years old. I bet they were missing patches, I bet those users were full Admins on those boxes. The story is Google's IT security or LACK OF IT. So instead of firing the moron that let this happen they blame it on Microsoft? I wonder if they were running Vista or 7 with IE8 fully patched if this would have happened? Doubtful, very doubtful.

It of course makes for good blog headlines at Appleinsider.

Right and you work for Google and know the status of Chrome? At Google the Chrome OS is beta, and it will be that way for 6 years.

Its reasonable to believe that some people at Google run it daily in its current form.

I don't think this is a rumor.

I have many industrial clients still running xp with ie6. I tell them to keep it up because I charge quite a few extra hours of programming css to work on that old ie6 crap.

I agree, this is why i posted that I do not believe the premise of this story. Google will not shoot itself in the foot. Their web apps will be targeted Windows IE primarily and other browser secondarily ... at least until IE marketshare reduces to a point where it is no longer relevant to support it primarily. That will happen sooner than microsoft thinks.

or buy a s**t load of PC's and hackintosh em...

Uh Safari supports kerberos just fine. Many Apple apps can use kerberos. Addressbook, iCal, iChat, Finder, VPN, and Safari all can use kerberos for authentication. You might want to re-investigate Safari.

I hope you were (but fear you weren't) being sarcastic.
I wouldn't want you advising or providing services for my business as you're not doing what's in its best interest. You should at least inform your clients about the security benefits of upgrading from IE6.

There's an opinion expressed before that IT departments and IT technicians tend to do what's in their best interest, i.e. favour tech solutions they understand or have qualifications for rather than what's in their organisation's or client's best interest, i.e. more reliable tech or software which may require new effort from IT techs to understand and embrace.

I find your reaction to this story of Google throwing out Windows rather telling.

Heh. Thanks for the laugh.
Maybe they could plug the oil leak with Android phones? A win-win scenario?

Safari supports NTLM. In a 2008 R2 Active Directory domain Kerberose is required. Apple Support flat out told me Safari wont pass Kerberose properly unless the target can take NTLM. Apple support TOLD ME to use FireFox.