4 ms·

Is Windows 7 banned too? Otherwise this doesn't make much sense regarding the so called security reason. EOL for Windows 7 is 2020, EOL for Windows 8 is 2023.

Is Windows 7 banned too? Otherwise this doesn't make much sense regarding the so called security reason. EOL for Windows 7 is 2020, EOL for Windows 8 is 2023. If security is the real issue, they should be banning Windows 7 in favor of Windows 8 (or perhaps Windows altogether in favor of some OS that is a lesser target for malware etc., but I don't see any hint of this).

higherpurpose 12y ago
Or maybe it does: http://news.techworld.com/security/3465259/is-windows-8-a-trojan-horse-for-the-nsa-the-german-government-thinks-so/ http://news.techworld.com/security/3465259/is-windows-8-a-tr...
- ntakasaki 12y ago
  That article makes even less sense. It confuses UEFI secure boot with TPM and Bitlocker. Also claims UEFI secure boot makes things less secure by locking out other OSes. What?! Can't find the link right now, but if I remember correctly, they backtracked on those claims about Windows 8 and made them more general about OSes. There is nothing in Windows 7 that makes it more secure or less vulnerable than Windows 8.
  - higherpurpose 12y ago
    UEFI caused a ton of problems for Linux operating systems in the early days, and it took Linux vendors to compromise on getting the keys from Microsoft to make it work for the most part. So that part of the analysis was quite correct.
glasslion 12y ago
No. Actually any Windows 8 computer bought by Chinese government will be downgraded to Windows 7.
- ntakasaki 12y ago
  If that's the case then it's not about security. It's not about saving money. It's not about dependence on MS/US software. That makes it similar to most corporate places where Windows 7 is preferred and Windows 8 is "banned" because of both the big UI changes in Windows 8 that are touch and consumer oriented plus compatibility testing etc. with software.
  - glasslion 12y ago
    Microsoft open source their Windows 7's(and windows server 2008, Office 2003) source code to the China government since June ,2010. But they have not allow China to review their Windows 8 source code yet.
    - schoen 12y ago
      The name of this program is the "Government Security Program". https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2003/jan03/01-14gsprelease.aspx https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2003/jan03/01-14g... I found it odd that Microsoft justified the GSP in terms of the "unique security requirements of governments". I could also refer to the "unique security requirements of civilians": individual bearers of human rights, targets of espionage and surveillance by well-funded sophisticated adversaries, typically don't have large IT budgets... and if one "unique" part is supposed to be that Microsoft would be pressured to include a backdoor in its products to facilitate spying on foreign governments, well, plenty of civilians (including American civilians) fear that Microsoft would be pressured to include a backdoor to facilitate spying on them. (I would not use the term "open source" here, because Microsoft didn't make the code open source, it just allowed particular people to read it!)

higherpurpose 12y ago

Or maybe it does: http://news.techworld.com/security/3465259/is-windows-8-a-trojan-horse-for-the-nsa-the-german-government-thinks-so/ http://news.techworld.com/security/3465259/is-windows-8-a-tr...

ntakasaki 12y ago
That article makes even less sense. It confuses UEFI secure boot with TPM and Bitlocker. Also claims UEFI secure boot makes things less secure by locking out other OSes. What?! Can't find the link right now, but if I remember correctly, they backtracked on those claims about Windows 8 and made them more general about OSes. There is nothing in Windows 7 that makes it more secure or less vulnerable than Windows 8.
- higherpurpose 12y ago
  UEFI caused a ton of problems for Linux operating systems in the early days, and it took Linux vendors to compromise on getting the keys from Microsoft to make it work for the most part. So that part of the analysis was quite correct.

glasslion 12y ago

No. Actually any Windows 8 computer bought by Chinese government will be downgraded to Windows 7.

ntakasaki 12y ago
If that's the case then it's not about security. It's not about saving money. It's not about dependence on MS/US software. That makes it similar to most corporate places where Windows 7 is preferred and Windows 8 is "banned" because of both the big UI changes in Windows 8 that are touch and consumer oriented plus compatibility testing etc. with software.
- glasslion 12y ago
  Microsoft open source their Windows 7's(and windows server 2008, Office 2003) source code to the China government since June ,2010. But they have not allow China to review their Windows 8 source code yet.
  - schoen 12y ago
    The name of this program is the "Government Security Program". https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2003/jan03/01-14gsprelease.aspx https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2003/jan03/01-14g... I found it odd that Microsoft justified the GSP in terms of the "unique security requirements of governments". I could also refer to the "unique security requirements of civilians": individual bearers of human rights, targets of espionage and surveillance by well-funded sophisticated adversaries, typically don't have large IT budgets... and if one "unique" part is supposed to be that Microsoft would be pressured to include a backdoor in its products to facilitate spying on foreign governments, well, plenty of civilians (including American civilians) fear that Microsoft would be pressured to include a backdoor to facilitate spying on them. (I would not use the term "open source" here, because Microsoft didn't make the code open source, it just allowed particular people to read it!)