China bans Windows 8 on new government computers

The Chinese government has banned the use of Windows 8 on new government computers purchased to replace old XP systems. No clear reason is given.

The state news agency Xinhua reports that the decision to ban Windows 8 was taken for security reasons without further details. However, according to Reuters, a government agency would have argued that the ban on Microsoft’s most recent operating system was taken because of energy consumption policies.

The Chinese government says the ban only applies to computers purchased by government agencies; the consumer market and the business market remain unaffected. Microsoft has not yet responded to the announcement, but the communist party is working with the Chinese business community on its ‘own’ operating systems based on Linux. Ubuntu Kylin, among others, is being promoted, although the success is still limited.