China has issued a ban on using Microsoft's latest Windows 8 operating system on government computers, citing vague reasons of computer security and usage of energy-saving products.
The demise of Windows XP was saddening enough, especially in China where it accounts for an estimated 70 percent of the OS market share, and now it appears the country is replying to Microsoft's move in its own way. The Central Government Procurement Center in China issued a ban on using Windows 8 as a base operating system for the computers running on the country's government network.
China said the ban is to ensure computer security and promote the use of energy-saving products, according to the central government's news channel, Xinhua News Agency, Tuesday. The report adds that the computers purchased by the government bodies must be installed with OS other than Windows 8, but the ban does not apply to personal computers.
While the ban was imposed with vague reasoning, the government did not elaborate on how using Windows 8 OS affected the security of the computers and how it promoted energy-saving products.
Both ways the final word is in place and gives a massive blow to the Redmond-based software giant, which has for years struggled with sales in the country. In 2011, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer identified the cause of less sales of the OS was due to piracy. China's PC sales almost match those of the United States and piracy of the operating systems results in revenues lesser than in Netherlands, Reuters reports.
Xinhua News says the ban on Windows 8 comes with the fear of support withdrawal by the software giant, same as Microsoft did with Windows XP in April. China wants to be in control by not depending on foreign OS. According to the report, China will focus on developing its own desktop operating system based on Linux.