Anybody that values their sanity would turn off Acrobat Reader... Maybe Acrobat Reader was written in Flash? Certainly feels like it. It sucks in Windows too, but they have no alternative.
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Google Switches Away from Windows (Mostly to Mac) Due to Security Concerns
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Anybody that values their sanity would turn off Acrobat Reader... Maybe Acrobat Reader was written in Flash? Certainly feels like it. It sucks in Windows too, but they have no alternative.
Back before Firefox became popular, Network World polled a number of CIOs regarding browsers. The consensus was they'd like to get people off IE for security reasons (and this was three years or so ago!), but so many of them had too much invested in ActiveX intranet apps - which pretty much meant they were stuck with IE for in-house use.
Since Microsoft had this de facto browser monopoly already, they dragged their feet with regard to implementing newer web standards and more complete CSS and DOM support. You can't really blame them for that, IMHO - why would anyone expect them to act against their own corporate best interest?
In spite of this handicap Firefox managed to eventually take off (home use driving work adoption, I'm guessing), and so Microsoft has been much more about web standards with IE 8 and 9. Plus MS is being much more forthright about the fundamental security problems ActiveX introduces. But given how easy it is to make ActiveX apps (it really is a trained monkey sort of thing - and MS provided free or cheap training to a lot of monkeys), I don't think it's surprising that a significant number of companies still resist moving into the 21st century. It's not that hard to make modern web apps, but I've known a number of these ActiveX monkeys and they're just not that good.
I had to chuckle when I read your last sentence. I believe you're right. Too many home computer users are really qualified iPad customers. They need that super simple "it just works" mail and internet browser. Furthermore, the iWorks suite is also totally enough for most home and quasi work use.
I suspect that after June 7th, Microsoft will need to replace more chairs in the executive suite.
Information says otherwise (from the text of the story):
The majority of those moving away from Windows PCs are mostly moving to Mac OS according to another Google employee
You are far over exaggerating on that one.
The average Joe has been doing the above for many years now (but also doing a lot more)...hence why, in reality, a consumer can buy a Mac or a PC or a Linux box and they will all "perform" the same because they all support browsers that generate the same experience. Sure, the iPad may suffice for a large percentage of the computing experience (these days), but there are plenty of people out there (like me) who need a full fledged thick client application (aka, non-web) such as MS Office or Photoshop or Sony Acid or Winrar or cd/dvd burning software or dvd authoring software...or need to do things that my iPhone/iPad can't (print, save/backup/transfer stuff to a USB drive/flash key).
Again, yes, most of my computing experience is on the internet (about 75% I would say). It's hard to find folks out there that will require 0% time on a full-fledged personal computer...PC or Mac...and 100% time on the web or using iPad/iPhone apps. Those people exist, but far from the quantities that would label the group as a majority.
-Eric
If you go to most any Linux conference, you'll see a LOT of Macs. Most of the admins I know don't see the point in OS X Server, but many of them really like OS X on their personal machines.
Wow, ActiveX... Isn't that the thingy that could whipe out your entire Windows Registry by visiting a single malicious site?
I don't think non-standards compliance from Microsoft was intentional. It is hard to accurately implement standards. Firefox and WebKit browsers benefit from contributions. My guess is these are so successful open source projects because web developers want the same behavior on multiple platforms so the ones with application development experience give back. This is one place Open Source excels. Horrible at creating a consistent experience but great at implementing standards.
Microsoft wants ActiveX dead as much as the rest of us. It is old technology for Microsoft. They want everyone on .net or Silverlight instead.
Unrelated, but I feel like ranting. I don't get why there isn't a push to create a new cleaner HTML/CSS/DOM. Especially the DOM. Sure it will take years to gain widespread support, but HTML has changed way too much and has a lot of baggage. It is supposed to represent data and css is supposed to represent display. For some reason accessibility needs to be in HTML even though it contracts the whole information vs presentation thing because accessibility uses special HTML tags that imply meaning instead of stylesheets. Some of the new changes make things easier for rich apps... but it could be so much better. So many contradictions in HTML... Personally I'd like to just dump the whole system. Why can't we have a system based on MVC? Wouldn't that be more logical then the mess we have now? For rich apps, everyone tries some sort of inelegant graft of MVC on top of HTML/Javascript to make the current system usable anyway.
It happens a lot whether you've heard about it or not.
Several years ago the entire U.S. Army switched to Macs for security reasons.
The only large entity that I know of that ever switched from Macs to Windows was NASA, and shortly after that they began to lose satilites headed to Mars, the Moon and Venus, and blew up the Challenger. I'm not saying the Windows computers were at fault there...but it does give one a measure of the lack of smarts at the top.
Not sure what mysticalos was referring to, but i do remember this: "Apples For The Army"
Ah, thanks (i just learned a new term). Previously, i tended to regard that phenomena as some form of cognitive dissonance.
It also makes me wonder about the whole Word/Exel/PowerPoint side of things. Do they migrate to iWork now... or (more likely), some sort of NeoOffice/OpenOffice solution?
http://www.dailytech.com/US+Army+Says+No+to+Windows+7+Yes+to+Vista+Upgrade/article15217.htm
So...you're wrong.
Now that I think of it, there's not a single branch or agency of the US Government that has fully switched over to Macs. Assuming the respective agencies want to keep submitting payroll information to OPM this is going to be the case for a while.
Seriously?! You picked a Mac because it isn't popular? That is a retarded reason to pick just about anything. Pick a Mac because it's safe, because it's awesome. ro any reason other than because it isn't popular.
Hahaha... you need to read the original story to see what was behind the switchover. However your surmising gave me a great visual of Google sacrificing ten thousand Windows computers by throwing them into a flaming volcano while the great God of Jobs angrily looks on.
And my guess is crackers probably build their own PC's too instead of dropping the money down on a Mac.
Their desktop OS might not be ready to hit the big time, but I think Google feels their Docs are the bees knees. I would think they would try to eat their own dogfood in the office productivity area, at least...
However your surmising gave me a great visual of Google sacrificing ten thousand Windows computers by throwing them into a flaming volcano while the great God of Jobs angrily looks on.
...in Iceland.
Well I'm not sure if this counts as a company, but in 2000 the US ARMY switched all of it's web servers over to OS X Server.
Whoa whoa whoa......
I'm confused. Let's see:
What gives?
I guess you can't believe ALL that is said and done.
The "Bizzarro World" has moved into our dimension. Maybe.... Dick Cheney isn't 'Dracula' incarnate...
Upt! Nope ... still Dracula.
I'm confused. Let's see:
- Google is battling Apple at just about every aspect of their market - phones, Ads, Flash preferrence, etc... just short of computers.
- Made combative remarks against the company the once had an intellectual investment in.
- Now they want to change their enterprise PC systems to Mac?
What gives?
I guess you can't believe ALL that is said and done.
The "Bizzarro World" has moved into our dimension.
Maybe.... Dick Cheney isn't 'Dracula' incarnate... Upt! Nope ... still Dracula.
It's exaggerated. The Army is growing the number of their Mac installs, that's all... it's cool, but it's not what Google did.
https://www.macrumors.com/2007/12/21/u-s-army-acquires-more-macs-to-enhance-cybersecurity/
http://www.mactropolis.com/apple-news/us-army-making-the-switch-to-apple-computers/
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/01/us_army_install.html
http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/20/apple-army-hackers-tech-security-cx_ag_1221army.html
My error, it was not U.S. Army wide as I incorrectly remembered. However it was to enhance security and that was long before Google got the memo.