【英语科技】谷歌出于安全考虑逐步在内部停用Windows系统

Google is phasing out use of Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows operating system because of security concerns, according to several Google employees.

The internal directive to move to other operating systems began in earnest in January, after Google's Chinese operations were hacked into, and could in effect end the use of Windows at Google, which employs more than 10,000 workers internationally.

“We're not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort,” said one Google employee.

“Many people have been moved away from [Windows] PCs mostly towards Mac OS following the China hacking attacks,” said another.

New staff are given the option of using Apple's Mac computers or PCs running the Linux operating system. “Linux is open source and we feel good about it,” said one employee. “Microsoft we don't feel so good about.”

In early January, some new staff at Google were still allowed to install Windows on their laptops but not on desktop computers. Google would not comment on its current policy.

Windows is known for being more vulnerable to attacks by hackers and more susceptible to computer viruses than other operating systems. Employees wanting to stay on Windows required clearance from “quite senior levels”, one employee said. “Getting a new Windows machine now requires [chief information officer] approval,” said another.

In addition to the move being a semi-formal policy, employees themselves have grown more concerned about security since the China attacks. “Particularly since the China scare, a lot of people here are using Macs for security,” said one employee.

Employees said it was also an effort to run the company on Google's own products, including its forthcoming Chrome OS, which will compete with -Windows.

The change created mild discontent among some Google employees, appreciative of the choice in operating systems granted to them – an unusual feature in large companies. But many employees were relieved they could still use Macs and Linux. “It would have made more people upset if they banned Macs rather than Windows,” one said.

多名谷歌(Google)员工表示，出于安全方面的担忧，谷歌正在逐步停用微软(Microsoft)应用极为普遍的Windows操作系统。

谷歌在今年1月正式下达了改用其它操作系统的内部指令。此前，谷歌的中国业务曾遭黑客侵入。对全球员工总数逾1万人的谷歌来说，这项指令可能在实质上终结Windows系统在该公司的使用。

一位谷歌员工说：“我们不再使用Windows。这是一项安全努力。”

另一位员工则表示：“在谷歌中国遭黑客攻击后，许多人已经从[运行Windows系统]的PC迁移到苹果Mac OS。”

谷歌的新员工可选用苹果公司(Apple)的Mac或运行Linux操作系统的PC。一位员工表示：“Linux是开源的，我们很满意。微软则不那么让人放心。”

1月初，谷歌的部分新员工仍获准在他们的笔记本电脑上安装Windows系统，但不得在桌面电脑上安装。谷歌不愿就其现行政策置评。

众所周知，相比其它操作系统，Windows更容易受到黑客攻击和电脑病毒侵扰。谷歌的一位员工表示，那些希望继续使用Windows的员工，必须得到公司“相当高层人士”的批准。另一位员工则表示：“领取一台运行Windows系统的新电脑，现在必须得到[首席信息官]的批准。”

除了这项带有半官方政策色彩的举措，员工自身在谷歌中国遭攻击后也日益关心起安全问题。一位员工表示：“出于安全考虑，公司里有许多人都在使用Mac——尤其是在谷歌中国遭攻击引起恐慌之后。”

员工们表示，这一举措还旨在让谷歌靠自有产品运营，包括即将推出的、将与Windows竞争的Chrome操作系统。

上述改变在部分谷歌员工中引起了些许不满，尽管他们对公司给予他们选择操作系统的权利表示赞赏——对大公司来说，能做到这点可谓不同寻常。不过，让许多员工感到宽慰的是，他们仍可以使用Mac和Linux。一位员工表示：“如果他们禁用的是Mac而不是Windows，那会引起更多人的不满。”

译者/汪洋