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Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

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Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#321

Post by soup10 »

briandear wrote: post #319
soup10 wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 process…

This isn't about the merits of excel over sheets, it's about employees coming on the board and lying to promote their company. Google makes 1.61 million in revenue per employee. Honestly it's only going to get worse, because if you see the videos of the company meetings, Sundar was always the super loyalist that would say anything to protect Google or run interference for senior leadership. And now that he's CEO they will start aping him.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#322

Post by gnicholas »

ed_balls wrote: post #269
distances wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can join Zoom meetings on your browser without creating an account. It's a bit off the beaten path: 1. Go to zoom.com 2. Click "Join a meeting" 3. Enter meeting id and click Join 4. Ignore the automatic app download 5. Go back 6. Click "Join a meeting" again 7. Enter meeting id and click Join again 8. Ignore the app download again 9. Click at "If nothing prompts, click here" 10. Click "Join from your browser" 11.…

It stopped working if the meeting has over 50 people.

Is that just for new people coming in after the 50th? Or do they boot anyone who's logged in via browser once it hits 50?

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#324

Post by joshuamorton »

soup10 wrote: post #321
briandear wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 process…

This isn't about the merits of excel over sheets, it's about employees coming on the board and lying to promote their company. Google makes 1.61 million in revenue per employee. Honestly it's only going to get worse, because if you see the videos of the company meetings, Sundar was always the super loyalist that would say anything to protect Google or run interference for senior leadership. And now that he's CEO they…

Your reasoning is based on the belief that Google is sacrificing productivity by not giving all employees office. GP is directly contradicting that line of thought, which makes the rest of it fall apart.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#325

Post by bsimpson »

psanford wrote: post #68

Zoom has a not very well published chrome app (intended for chromebook users). You can install it in normal chrome and it gives you a much better experience than the web version without all the issues of the desktop app. I trust zoom a lot more when it is running inside a chrome sandbox than as a native app.

I've found the same. Link is https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/zoom/hmbjbjdpkobdj...

I haven't audited the files yet to see what technology they use (e.g. why is the web experience shit, but the Chrome App is OK), but I certainly trust Zoom a lot more in a sandbox.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#327

Post by Wowfunhappy »

HashThis wrote: post #308
Mvandenbergh wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The threat model for a school is kids/others disrupting sessions and creepers using access to gawp at (or communicate with kids). Since the Chinese government is unlikely to feel the need to compel Zoom to do that, the fact that they have all the keys centrally stored is not a problem. Google's threat model actually does include state level attack (And specifically by China) to steal IP or access confidential user da…

I great worry that China's intelligence service has the zoom traffic of American's routed to the Chinese zoom servers, so they can intercept.

Yes, but why does it matter if China intercepts your American school children? Why would they want to? That's not a reasonable threat model.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#328

Post by Wowfunhappy »

klenwell wrote: post #316
unihb wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> 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.

I'm pretty sure they do that because their web app is garbage, and they know people will get a much better experience in the native app.

Notably, Zoom's native app is truly native; it's not some electron wrapper like Slack or Teams. I don't think it's a coincidence that Zoom is both (A) the only major solution that seem to work consistently with large numbers of participants, and (B) the only one not using WebRTC.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#329

Post by rangibaby »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #327
HashThis wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I great worry that China's intelligence service has the zoom traffic of American's routed to the Chinese zoom servers, so they can intercept.

Yes, but why does it matter if China intercepts your American school children? Why would they want to? That's not a reasonable threat model.

It still leaks information. How many kids you have, their name, some things about their personality, who they are friends with, etc. Think about how someone who wants to hurt or control you could could use that information.

Re: Google bans Zoom from employees' computers

#330

Post by SiVal »

HashThis wrote: post #308
Mvandenbergh wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The threat model for a school is kids/others disrupting sessions and creepers using access to gawp at (or communicate with kids). Since the Chinese government is unlikely to feel the need to compel Zoom to do that, the fact that they have all the keys centrally stored is not a problem. Google's threat model actually does include state level attack (And specifically by China) to steal IP or access confidential user da…

I great worry that China's intelligence service has the zoom traffic of American's routed to the Chinese zoom servers, so they can intercept.

The Chinese gov't spying problem isn't with schoolchildren per se but schoolchildren use their parents' computers. Chinese authorities openly demonstrate their intention to deploy the maximum level of surveillance they can over any adult within their reach. This just increases their reach.
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