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Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

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Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#21

Post by Xylakant »

habnds wrote: post #3

>> GitLab approves the use of Linux, and Apple's macOS. Microsoft Windows is prohibited for the following reasons: Due to Microsoft Windows' dominance in desktop operating systems, Windows is the platform most targetted by spyware, viruses, and ransomware. macOS is preinstalled on Apple computers and Linux is available free of charge. To approve the use of Windows, GitLab would have to purchase Windows Professional l…

I‘m a bit surprised that they care about the cost so much - the Dell laptops and the Apple Laptops come in at a price point of 2000 - 3000 USD and the Dell they specifically recommend for Linux use comes with Windows Pro preinstalled. The price difference to the equivalent Linux version is around 70USD. That‘s a negligible difference, especially when you start comparing to the employees wage (It‘s probably about 1 hour of their time, one-time cost)

If they‘d make the point based on lack of internal support capacity, I‘d understand, but caring about the one-time cost of the license is a very weak point.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#23

Post by salzig »

horsawlarway wrote: post #9

I'm no fan of Windows myself, but I find this a fairly bad policy. If nothing else - what's not used is not tested. And if you expect any real population of users to be using Windows machines with your products, you should have developers/PMs/QA/support interacting with your products using Windows machines. I see this as: We're saving a bit of money and making ITs life easier, and in exchange users will get a worse p…

Gitlab is essentially a website, and Microsoft Edge is just Chrome. I think there isn't any reason to test on windows anymore.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#24

Post by gsich »

horsawlarway wrote: post #9

I'm no fan of Windows myself, but I find this a fairly bad policy. If nothing else - what's not used is not tested. And if you expect any real population of users to be using Windows machines with your products, you should have developers/PMs/QA/support interacting with your products using Windows machines. I see this as: We're saving a bit of money and making ITs life easier, and in exchange users will get a worse p…

Why? Gitlab is not a Windows application per se. Either you use a browser or git on the cli.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#25

Post by jchw »

horsawlarway wrote: post #9

I'm no fan of Windows myself, but I find this a fairly bad policy. If nothing else - what's not used is not tested. And if you expect any real population of users to be using Windows machines with your products, you should have developers/PMs/QA/support interacting with your products using Windows machines. I see this as: We're saving a bit of money and making ITs life easier, and in exchange users will get a worse p…

I mean, Gitlab is a web platform. It's pretty easy to test how it's going to work on different platforms without needing full machines. Heck, you can even just get Microsoft Edge binaries on macOS and Linux if you want to test Edge. But failing that, VMs are pretty sufficient.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#26

Post by commandlinefan »

salzig wrote: post #23
horsawlarway wrote: post #9

I'm no fan of Windows myself, but I find this a fairly bad policy. If nothing else - what's not used is not tested. And if you expect any real population of users to be using Windows machines with your products, you should have developers/PMs/QA/support interacting with your products using Windows machines. I see this as: We're saving a bit of money and making ITs life easier, and in exchange users will get a worse p…

Gitlab is essentially a website, and Microsoft Edge is just Chrome. I think there isn't any reason to test on windows anymore.

Famous last words.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#27

Post by mwint »

Halan wrote: post #13

I am curious about the M1 max for the top performing configuration, wonder if there is a business need for it over an M1 pro with the same storage and memory. Especially since they are mentioning the few hundred dollars a windows pro licence would cost as a reason not to get windows laptops.

I bought an M1 Max for the extra displays support, and the 64gb RAM support.

Not that I need 64g, that was more because I found a decent deal on one that happened to be 64g. But I sure don’t complain about it :)

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#28

Post by jhickok »

bzxcvbn wrote: post #10

Seems weird to harp on the cost of a windows license when they're buying Mac OS licenses instead (although hidden in the device's prie).

Although not even hinted at in the doc, I personally find the tedium of buying and provisioning and monitoring licenses worse than the cost of it. I suppose you are also inviting risk in the form of an audit.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#29

Post by Xylakant »

ericbarrett wrote: post #6
PaulHoule wrote: post #2

It's a fairly odd that that IT cultures are segregated into places that have nothing but Macs and other places that have nothing but Windows. I think it's risky because a small computing monoculture can feel complete but commit a software business to failure at the very beginning by rejecting 90% of the potential market.

Device management becomes much more complicated when you have multiple OSes, though. Unless your company is small enough that self-management remains viable, you have to hire for both Windows and Mac administration experience, and/or shell out a pretty penny for cross-platform "enterprise" device management software.

They do allow linux though, and I have yet to find a competent device management software that supports Mac, Windows and Linux at the same time (or even Mac and Linux). I‘d be happy to hear recommendations.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#30

Post by raverbashing »

ironmagma wrote: post #8

This is being posted just a day after this tweet: https://twitter.com/allenholub/status/1555324387087097856 I really wonder what it's like inside Gitlab. The product ticks all the boxes you'd want it to, but the user experience just resonates with sadness and misery.

This self-description seems to be targeted at PHB that need convincing why their team should use Git
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