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Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

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Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#311

Post by asdfasgasdgasdg »

HenryBemis wrote: post #307
asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Extremely unlikely Netflix actually has a policy like this. It was probably an example of what could be considered creepy in some circumstances during a training.

Perhaps Netflix had a very unhealthy (aka filthy) environment, like Uber and the likes, and they cracked it "up to eleven".

Perhaps, but almost certainly not. This sounds exactly like things that were said in sexual harassment trainings I've been to at other large companies. These trainings often provide examples of what can be construed which ways, because a non-trivial slice of any given sample of humanity totally lacks social graces. They don't want someone to later complain that, "I was only looking," when they get reprimanded for leering at a colleague.

Examples like this can accidentally or intentionally be misread as policy, but it is not actually policy. It's an example of what can be not OK in some contexts. Of course, I'm happy to be corrected if someone who works there wants to jump on and say otherwise. But I very much doubt that such a policy exists. Doesn't pass the sniff test.

https://qz.com/work/1306193/is-it-sexual-harassment-to-stare...

"A spokeswoman clarified there is no such “rule” at Netflix. However, she confirms that the recommendation was, in fact, discussed in an anti-harassment training session, though it’s not an official guideline."

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#313

Post by mr_toad »

coleifer wrote: post #195

I don't like zoom either, but what exactly made them the HN punching bag of the month? Ad/surveillance giants like Google or FB are typically spoken of with notes of reverence and awe on here. Zoom gets lit-up for sending data to FB, but FB gets a pass? I don't know I just can't get into the mood. extinguishes torch in moat .

Being effectively forced to use a product with security and privacy issues because of network effects. Zoom is pushing all the buttons.

Google, Facebook and others get criticism for exactly the same reasons

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#314

Post by rossjudson »

cameronbrown wrote: post #119
mulmen wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right but it's also astonishing that was allowed before. If it's not needed for work why would it be installed? Why would any non-work software be allowed on corp laptops?

Generally you can install anything, but the responsibility is on you though. It's not uncommon to see people with Steam, Spotify or other personal software too.

I am pretty sure Steam gets uninstalled automatically within a day or two if it shows up on a corp laptop.

I have no idea how I know this. ;)

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#315

Post by jacobsenscott »

neil_s wrote: post #303

(disclaimer: I work at El Goog) A number of companies have rightfully banned Zoom's native apps, given how insecure they are. I had previously uninstalled it when the news about the secret web server they install came out. Google is still allowing use of the web app, but the web app bizarrely doesn't support Grid/Gallery View, which is the main reason my friends/family wanted to use it. Hangouts Meet was optimized fo…

We switched from google hangouts to zoom a while ago because the quality "felt" better. We are a small distributed team where our internet connections run the range of fast to slow. We didn't track numbers or anything, but fewer dropouts, frozen videos, better sound quality, etc. Maybe we all just had better internet days each time we used zoom though. Never know.

The UI is initially confusing, but so is the UI for every video chat app I've used. It seems to be the fad to have "clever" UI in video chats apps (controls that auto-hide, non-standard icons, low contrast, non standard control placement (use the standard toolbar luke!) etc.

On top of that zoom has always "just worked". The "just worked" thing is now resulting in security woes, but still. Start a meeting, send link. Done. Online works, dial in works.

Contrast with hangouts (dropped non-chrome browser support for at least a year). To this day we have users that can't use slack video for unknown reasons (app store slack doesn't work as well as slack installer slack or something). WebEx is some horror show that seems to constantly re-install itself for each meeting. You're lucky if you can get it going before the meeting is over.

Where most apps stop at video chat and maybe poor quality screen sharing, zoom has a pretty deep enterprise feature set. Good webinar support, integration with SIP systems, SSO, recording etc.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#316

Post by klenwell »

unihb wrote: post #274
jefftk wrote: post #117

"Employees who have been using Zoom to stay in touch with family and friends can continue to do so through a web browser or via mobile." (Disclosure: I work for Google, speaking only for myself)

Yeah this should be higher. Also work @ G, and it's just the desktop version of the app that's been disallowed. We can still run the Zoom web app on corp machines.

One thing that puts me off about Zoom is the way it tries to push you into downloading the desktop app when the web app should be fine and is what I prefer.

It uses shitty dark patterns that require two or three clicks and at one point, if I'm not mistaken, waiting for a link to appear after a delay.

In my most recent experience with it, it led to a zip file being automatically downloaded to my computer. This when I already have had plenty of previous experience with the web app and was deliberately trying to reach to the web page for a meeting for which I had been sent a URL.

Slack does similar things but isn't quite so aggressive about it.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#317

Post by mike00632 »

unihb wrote: post #274
jefftk wrote: post #117

"Employees who have been using Zoom to stay in touch with family and friends can continue to do so through a web browser or via mobile." (Disclosure: I work for Google, speaking only for myself)

Yeah this should be higher. Also work @ G, and it's just the desktop version of the app that's been disallowed. We can still run the Zoom web app on corp machines.

I hope we can stop and appreciate for a moment how clear and well-understood this direction is at a tech company. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to explain to a school or other company that they can use the web app but not the desktop app.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#318

Post by [deleted] »

coleifer wrote: post #195

I don't like zoom either, but what exactly made them the HN punching bag of the month? Ad/surveillance giants like Google or FB are typically spoken of with notes of reverence and awe on here. Zoom gets lit-up for sending data to FB, but FB gets a pass? I don't know I just can't get into the mood. extinguishes torch in moat .

[deleted]

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#319

Post by briandear »

soup10 wrote: post #309
arcticfox wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody is dumb enough to believe that Google is saving money by not using office. Maybe I'm dumb, why wouldn't they be saving money by not paying for Office? Obviously they could buy it for every employee, including the majority that don't need it, but why? They could also just light money on fire (but why?)?

Office is business productivity software. You don't buy it for every employee, you negotiate a license for the number of seats in use. It has way more features than google docs and is standard everywhere. It's like saying you could save money by having programmers write code on pencil and paper. You saved the money on the computer but you have a net loss because you lost the power and efficiency of real time editing,…

> It has way more features than google docs and is standard everywhere

I work for another FAANG and we don’t use MS Word. It certainly isn’t “standard” for us. It’s not standard for two of the three FAANG companies, so “everywhere” is inaccurate. Being popular isn’t the same thing as standard. Pages is a far more usable for the vast majority of use cases. Most people aren’t creating extremely complicated word processing documents in their day-to-day. Word is a bloated mess. Keynote is far easier and more elegant than PowerPoint. Excel however certainly shines for big spreadsheet work, but for most spreadsheet work Numbers and the google spreadsheet are perfectly fine.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#320

Post by briandear »

penagwin wrote: post #160
walrus01 wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> God please don't make me use a non-zoom video conferencing tool! I have honestly lost track of the amount of software I've seen in the past 20 years, that people insist they absolutely must continue to use despite its well documented gaping security flaws. Because it has a better UI or makes their life very slightly more convenient in some way. Versions of Microsoft Office from the early 2000s where an entire opera…

On the other hand Microsoft Office is still used today - and is still the #1 office suite, especially with Excel. They've since cleaned up most of their security issues (I'm sure some exist, but it's not nearly as bad as it used to be). The problem with Office and Zoom is that they are _the best_ at what they do right now. And that has a massive impact on what people are willing to give up to use it (money, privacy,…

Other than pivot tables, what makes Office better than iWork?
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