What do you think about the Google Chrome OS announcement?
Do you think it will be a major competitor with Windows 7? OS X?
Also, any advice for a Mahalo page on Google Chrome OS?
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M$14 Answers
Now, Google will be able to ensure that netbooks and other similar "low power" computing devices (of which I'm sure there will be more of in the future) have an operating system well suited to the device and accessing the web through it.
So far, there is no strong competition in this area (at least when you consider the typical large os companies: Microsoft and Apple). Linux has always had a presence in this area, but it has never had the backing of a company like Google. Just like how Google has been able to drive Android forward, gaining support from hardware manufactures, I think the same will happen with Chrome OS.
I think it is important not to underestimate the value of having alliances with hardware manufacturers. These partnerships will allow consumers to buy products with Chrome OS already installed.
From what I can tell, all of the browser based netbook oses (like Jolicloud) are not installed by any of the manufacturers of netbooks. This means that only hobbyists and tech geeks end up using them, keeping them far from mainstream. However, I think Google has a good shot at driving Chrome OS to become mainstream, allowing it to gain a portion of the market that will be significant.
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M$Generally, a custom Linux windowing system sounds like a good idea. However, users can already customize Linux and Linux is quite fast on Netbooks.
I'm a little confused why they're not at least branding this as "Android Netbook". Android was initially released (in part) as a Netbook OS and not extending development of their cross-device OS seems negative.
See where it goes I guess but I think that Ubuntu and Microsoft are in a much better position for this. It will all come down to functionality and features though.
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M$
Here's some backup to my argument:
http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/software/soa/No-thanks-Google-we-ve-got-Ubuntu/0,139023769,339297306,00.htm
Nope, haven't tried gOS... but it's exactly what I'm talking about.
It's pretty easy to customize a Linux install to load a bare bones "kiosk" desktop and add some gadgets. I'm sure that Google has more up it's sleeve, but to excel in this arena, a product really has to define itself.
I think the key difference here is that with Google backing the project, the Chrome OS will be installed on consumer devices. While there are many projects similar in nature to what Google is attempting, I don't think any of those will ever go beyond "hobby" status since the user is required to install the operating system.
Since it seems that you will be able to buy devices with Chrome OS installed, I think this could be the first light-weight Linux/Browser OS to gain a decent market presence.
Has any one tried gOS?
http://www.thinkgos.com/index.html
When it was first launched, thought it was from Google. It has all the bells & whistles of Google apps. I still think they named it so to attract Google to buy and rebrand it.
We could be seeing a major shift to lighter, more web oriented operating systems, keeping all major software on the cloud and giving you a faster, more responsive UI - specially when doing most of our work on the browser.
If they make it free and open source it will be great. Although there is always the problem with software compatibility, specially when it comes to the millions of programs (freeware, shareware, etc) that only run on Windows, and that most users like.
One more question that I see is that it could impact negatively the way Google is increasingly beeing seen as a monopoly... still it will be interesting to see what happens.
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M$
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M$In a word: Meh.
Does the world need another OS? I don't think so.
Is there any reason why Google would be especially good at building OSes? Not as far as I know.
Do I care if an OS is a little bit faster or slower? No.
Do I want to learn a new OS? You must be kidding.
Do I want to run different apps on a netbook than I am used to on a desktop? Not if I can possibly help it.
Will developers jump for joy that they have yet another platform to develop for? I'm sure they'll be as wildly excited (not) as they were for Android.
Does this smack of a successful company getting carried away and over-reaching into areas it doesn't really understand? Mmm... now that you mention it...
Maybe I'll change my mind when I see it, but at the moment, it's one big "Meh". :)
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M$
Good articles on Chrome OS:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2009/07/google_chrome_one_day_on.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2009/07/its_a_few_hours_since.html
-- Quote
The first, an executive from a netbook manufacturer who did not want to be named, said early hopes that customers for new small web-centred computers would embrace Linux had been dashed. "The market is now about 96% Windows," he told me. "Every manufacturer will admit that demand for Windows-based notebooks has far outstripped that for Linux."
-- /Quote
Maybe Linux with Google brand added can do better. On the other hand the Linux community appears to be strongly anti-Chrome OS.
With time, Chrome could develop into a competitor against Windows. Apple is not even a competitor against Windows for a couple of reasons (and yes I know they are gaining market share on Windows). OS X is made to run on Apple computers only and they have sued companies that sold 'PCs' that ran OS X. Windows can run on either a 'PC' or an Apple. Apple will eventually hit its market cap as there are only a limited amount of individuals that can afford their computers, and still to this day, they are not very prevalent in industry/businesses (I know they are useful in art/image/video related industries). Apple's market share gain is a hardware sales increase with OS X going along for the ride.
Chrome OS's biggest hurdle in becoming a threat to Windows will be to get hardware/software/vendor support. There will need to be software written for their OS and drivers for hardware will have to be re-worked to run on Chrome OS.
Light weight computers that do just basic functions (internet, email, word processing, spreadsheets, watch video, etc) seem to make more and more sense everyday. These aforementioned computers are slowly being (partially) incorporated into cell phones and other small hand held devices. If Chrome OS can be the OS of choice for the market of computers from cell phones all the way through to netbooks, they will have a formidable market in years to come. (And again, Apple will not be a huge factor as its iPhone OS is made for its hardware only and, like everything else, there is no guarantee that the iPhone will be as popular in a few years as it is now is still only a small fraction on total cell phone sales.)
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M$
What Google doesn't have a lack of is engineers. Armed 20% paid time free to work on with "any" projects (not limited or exclusive to Google). A lot of the Google Labs project we enjoy today like Gmail was created that way.
Another advantage is netbooks are designed for used online. So a lot of cloud computing stuff like. Gmail, GoogleDocs and Picasa are just a click away. Yes they are also free so you don't have to buy MS Office.
It was rumored for a very long time that Google was developing an OS in secret. Some people thought it might be the Andriod OS ported into netbooks After discovering how easy it was to port from a Smartphone to a PC.
The Google Chrome OS however has a disadvantage for non-technical users since it Linux based. But if all you ever do revolves around the web browser. You are pretty much safe and would care less about its complexity.
Microsoft is probably running scared today. Since its hard to compete with FREE. MS might probably now have to re-think their Win7 pricing strategy
On a netbook MS is just earning $15 for an XP license. For Win7 they want to earn more and expand their monopoly. But the strategy to achieve that puzzles me. They want to restrict features on the Netbook Starter edition. Forcing you to upgrade and pay more. Without going to specifics. They initially plan to limit 3 apps to run simultaneously. Due to public outcry they have since retracted. But silly things like you wont be able to change your wallpaper on a netbook could happen. You just have to wait and see until its release.
To sum it all up. The big winner of all this is us consumers. Increased competition results into better products. Cheaper netbooks too.
WSJ: Microsoft makes $15 per Windows XP netbook licensehttp://techreport.com/discussions.x/16784
Report: Windows 7 Netbook price tied to size
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10249250-64.html
Microsoft kills Windows 7 Starter's 3-app limit
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9133694/Microsoft_kills_Windows_7_St...
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M$
Anyway, I think that Google needs to be careful about the whole "don't be evil" motto, when it has tentacles in everything. Disclaimer, I have not yet used Chrome (browser).Even newer computers bundled with different OS have not made huge inroads into Windows domination of the market, so I expect this OS will take another little % but I don't expect an instant upset.
I saw someone else comment that this may be a good OS for netbooks, which seems like a smart move.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
"their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files. Even more importantly, they don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates."
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
