FryUp: Windows going, going, gone at Google?

Seriously, that’s what Steve (Ballmer, not Jobs) says, despite paid analyst support.

Did Google defenestrate itself?

Speaking of the search engine giant, the geek monde is abuzz with news that Google has dumped Windows in favour of… well, that’s not quite clear. Mac OS X? Linux? Can’t be Chrome OS because that’s not ready yet.

The reason for the Windows ban is apparently that Windows, or more specifically, IE6, is not secure enough. The Chinese broke into Google employees’ machines earlier this year apparently, by exploiting a flaw in IE6.

Google hasn’t said anything about the issue, and a few reasons spring to mind as to why that is. The company could for instance be embarrassed to admit that its users are still on IE6, The Ancient Browser That Must Die. There are bloody-minded IT departments around the world that refuse to let go of IE6 still, but luckily, they’re getting fewer each day; Google would not want to be lumped with those, surely?

Second, it could be that Google decided to dump Windows as reported, but found that it wasn’t really possible. Sure, you could run a Linux desktop distribution or a fancy Mac, but how then would you have the same user experience as the vast majority of your target audience? No, don’t say “by dual-booting or using a virtual machine.”

The most likely explanation however is that the story needs some expounding and that Microsoft is still well-entrenched at Google. Not that Google would like this to continue of course, but is there any real choice currently?

- Google's security excuse for dumping Windows is bogus, say analysts
- Brandon LeBlanc of Microsoft defends Windows security

Busting bandits

Being burgled is dreadful under any circumstances but those violations are arguably made worse if your computers are nicked. Electronics and other belongings can be replaced but your data is harder to recover. Plus, you could lose lots if the thieves use your computers to access for instance bank accounts online, or post defamatory material on social media sites under your name.

Be paranoid, encrypt and back up, in other words.

We’re sorry to hear that Matthew Holloway of Creative Freedom Foundation lost two laptops and sundry IT gear in a recent burglary, and hope the Prey tracking software will help him recover the stuff.

While the hunt’s on, we hope Mathew will enjoy the below video, taken from a laptop that was stolen and recovered.