Windows 8 banned from government PCs
Print Edition
CHINA has announced a ban on Microsoft Corp’s Windows 8 operating system in government computers.
All desktops, laptops and tablet PCs purchased by central state organs must be installed with OS other than Windows 8, according to an online statement by the Central Government Procurement Center.
And as Windows 8 is excluded from procurement bidding, bureaus cannot choose it for upgrades on existing computers.
The center did not provide detailed reasons for the ban.
This only targets computers used by government offices, with the personal computer market expected to stay unaffected.
Last month, Microsoft stopped providing regular anti-malware updates for its 13-year-old Windows XP system — which is used by most Chinese government computers — raising concerns about online security.
But Windows 8 has security problems for government bureaus, industry figures said. They expect bureaus to upgrade from XP to Windows 7 or home-grown operating systems.
“We were surprised to learn about the reference to Windows 8 in this notice. We have been and will continue to provide Windows 7 to government customers,” Microsoft said.
As recently as January, Windows XP was being used by 49 percent of China’s 400 million computer users, according to research firm StatCounter.
The withdrawal of support has forced some 200 million Chinese Windows XP users to upgrade their system or continue using XP amid fears of system crashes, computer viruses and Internet fraud.
“The Windows XP update shutdown is an information security incident in China,” said Ni Guangnan, a computer scientist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. “It will create serious loopholes for computers.”
Some industry insiders had been urging the government and industry leaders not to adopt Windows 8, and instead encourage the country to develop its own system.
Qi Xiangdong, president of Qihoo 360 Technology, said this is a great opportunity for Chinese IT companies to nurture their own OS.
There are already several Linux-based OS developed by Chinese companies, such as KylinOS and StartOS, but they have not proved popular.
Qihoo 360 security expert An Yang said the first step is to promote Chinese-designed OS among official users.
For domestic consumers, Microsoft has worked with China’s biggest PC maker, Lenovo Group Ltd, and Internet companies Tencent Inc, Baidu.com Inc and Qihoo 360 to continue offering technical support for XP.
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