Windows 10 can thus be adopted by Chinese govt

Mar 28, 2016 07:18 GMT  ·  By

China remains one of the largest markets for Microsoft, but the company has faced strong opposition from the local government, who has acted against it several times and even banned its products on computers used by state officials.

On the other hand, the Redmond-based software giant has always tried to find a way to work together with Chinese officials on addressing all claims, trying to propose a resolution that would fit both sides.

And today, it turns out that this resolution has been developed in the form of a new Windows 10 version specifically tweaked to meet the requirements of the Chinese government and comply with all their security and privacy demands.

Reports coming from local media reveal that Microsoft’s new Windows 10 version is called Zhuangongban, which stands for “Specially-Provided Edition,” which perfectly underlines the purpose of this new Windows 10 SKU.

Microsoft has reportedly confirmed that it worked with China’s Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) on complying with all government requirements with this version of Windows 10, so it appears that the new operating system is finally ready to be installed on official computers in the country.

An upgrade from Windows XP?

Back in 2014, Microsoft was thrown in an impromptu investigation after the company allegedly broke Chinese competition laws, but people close to the matter said it was the government’s revenge after the company forced them to update from Windows XP.

Support for Windows XP ended in April 2014, but only several months before, the Chinese government actually completed the migration to genuine copies of this operating system as part of a project put together with Microsoft. With EOS approaching, China requested Microsoft to provide extended support for their Windows XP computers, but the company refused to do so and required the government to either upgrade to Windows 7/8.1 or pay for extended support.

China instead reacted aggressively and banned Windows 8 on government computers while also starting an investigation against Microsoft. This new version of Windows 10, however, seems to solve all these problems, so China is finally ready to upgrade its computers to the new OS.