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Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

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Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#51

Post by horsawlarway »

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.

Developing "essentially a website" is my full time job - if you genuinely don't think there are differences between platforms, you aren't paying attention.

The browser is wired into the OS in real ways, and they matter. Everything from "How does the os manage passwords" or "how are system notifications presented" or "How much screen real estate do I have have on a given window size (scrollbars...)" to subtle differences in how the network stack behaves, or how windows are rendered.

Hell, I can list about 20 differences just off the top of my head - and a damn good part of that is because I've been forced to pay attention to each of those platforms. Which clearly you have not...

I read your comment as "I only use a mac, and I don't understand".

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#52

Post by leeter »

seydor wrote: post #14

> Due to MacOs' dominance in GitLab, it is now most targetted by MacOs spyware, viruses, and ransomware who wish to steal corporate secrets.

This is why I find this policy ironic and silly. MacOS is the largest target of choice for bad actors as late because the ratio of high value/low chance of rejection users have migrated to Mac over the past few years because of the whole "Macs are safer" myth. To the point that an exploit for MacOS goes for a lot more money not because they are all that rare but because the value of the targets is greater.

MacOS CVE details as late: https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-49/p...

Windows: https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/p...

Note how the windows ones are more up to date and patched faster? That's because Mac only does major updates on a cycle and doesn't patch out of band ever if they can avoid it. So yeah I think this is all theater and people's own biases being silly. But if it works for them then that's fine.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#53

Post by ptilt »

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.

Give a try to add a drag listener mix with a double click listener on the child element, you end up with a bug only with windows laptop trackpad.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#54

Post by politelemon »

> Due to Microsoft Windows' dominance in desktop operating systems, Windows is the platform most targetted by spyware, viruses, and ransomware.

This is poor reasoning and a misunderstanding of how security works. Any org should be happy with any OS, as long as sufficient security controls for it exist. Anyone who oversees Windows estates, or works in desktop security, can tell you that they exist and are extensive, and are effective.

I suspect this is a policy that's been pushed out by a C-level who simply hates Windows but is being justified with >15 year old reasonings.

> 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 licenses, as Windows Home Edition does not satisfy GitLab's security guidelines.

More tenuous reasoning - macOS is not 'free'. By their logic they should _only_ be allowing Linux. But I think that just tells us it isn't driven by logic.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#55

Post by rlv-dan »

dsr_ wrote: post #12

This is pretty similar to the policy at my company: you get a Mac, unless you specifically request a Linux laptop. If you need Windows for testing, Microsoft makes VM images available with a browser pre-installed at https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/v...

As a long time Windows user, it would take me a considerable amount of time to get used to the operating system and all applications and utilities that I need to be productive. Not saying Windows is great, but it works for me. And I'm pretty sure they don't hire people to learn an operating system.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#56

Post by mikeryan »

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).

I had to look again and might have missed it, but I didn’t see where Gitlab expressed concerns about the cost of Windows Professional version. They had concerns with team members sourcing they’re own Windows laptops which would traditionally come with Home Edition and need to be upgraded adding to the IT overhead.

Where were the cost concerns on buying windows licenses?

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#57

Post by Xylakant »

eminence32 wrote: post #32

I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that gitlab is fully remote. In an office where you have on-site IT staff, and a local corporate LAN, you can require every windows machine to be part of AD, have group security policies pushed out, and generally have tools available for central management. But with gitlab, everyone is working in their own networks around the world. That sounds like a very hard enviro…

Mobile device management is the topic. You can manage windows devices remotely, just as you can manage MacOS devices. No need for them to check in. It „just“ takes some effort, and if you have multiple operating systems to support, the effort is multiplied. But a company of their market cap and size probably should have the funds for a team dedicated to this.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#58

Post by ansible »

From the Gitlab approved hardware list, today I learned that Dell has some 15.6in screen laptops that don't have a numeric keypad:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/laptops/new-15-5560-wor...

Also supports ECC, nice!

I strongly dislike numeric keypads in general, and especially on a laptop. I want to be centered on the display, not shoved to the side. I only rarely use the numeric keypad.

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#59

Post by sylens »

gsich wrote: post #24
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.

Isn’t the glab cli offered on Windows? Wouldn’t you want them dogfooding that?

Re: Microsoft Windows is prohibited at Gitlab

#60

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]
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