Google Chrome OS

[PG]

Google announces an Operating System to 'rival' Microsoft's Windows 7.
It's apparently a complete rethink on what an operating system is and how it should run. Rather than being designed solely to process data, as DOS was, Chrome will be designed to efficiently present information to the user.

From the looks of it Microsoft doesn't really have that much to worry about...yet. Chrome looks to be an internet OS, without support for APIs such as DirectX, which they'd need to license from Microsoft. Don't see that happening.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8139711.stm

[Jack]

I dont think it would be much use for people like us but its google and everything they seem to do is awesome^^! like google earth sketchup chrome browser gmail so simple its how it should be

Im glad microsoft are getting a little competition

[neuspadrin]

will be interesting to see what they deliver. they already got android, and their own internal "goobutnu". 

[Henry Blewer]

Long live Amiga DOS!

[PG]

I am quite surprised no one's done it before. Operating systems aren't incredibly difficult provided you know Assembler and C. They just take a lot of time and effort. It'll be interesting to see if it takes off though, remember that Linux is an open source operating system but it accounts for about 2% of users. It's not very complete after installation so mainstream users find it difficult. These little netbooks usually come with Fedora or OpenSUSE and people find them difficult to use which is why a lot of manufacturers are putting Windows XP on them.
I have high hopes for it but only if they give us similar functionality to Windows out of the box.

[Cyber-Angel]

I think that this could be the wave [sic] of the future cloud be computing as far as I can see (That is software run off the internet rather than the end users hard drive) is the way forward: if you combine a virtual OS with the trend in virtual hard drives, you could see an exponential growth in the the available computing resources available for use be individuals.

This move by Google is I feel the beginning of a new age in personal computation; that when combined with the development of full body augmented reality systems and latter combine these with direct neural interface (Keyboards and Mice replaced with brain to computer interfaces) this will enable users in the future maybe by say the end of this century or the middle of the next, if we follow current technological advance rates as a trend and More's Law; and project that into the future to experience the computer environment in their head (Think the Matrix but without the jack at the base of the skull).

The advances in nanotechnology particularly nano devices are most likely to have advance to a state beyond the limited small scale use/ experimental stage by then which should scientific studies prove them safe for human use; should make such interfaces possible: the current state of the art in computer to mind interfaces are rather crude devices in comparison.

All of the above will come with latter virtual OS not Google Chrome OS more then likely if at all: don't shoot the messenger, I am after all a Philosopher not a Genius, can't blame a futurist for trying.       

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel   

[PG]

I dunno about the future of cloud computing, at least not for a LOOONG time. The UK, one of the three most technologically advanced countries on the planet, still barely scrapes 256KB/s average download speeds. You wanna run an entire OS off that? I like the idea of nanotechnology and direct neural interfacing. That might be fun. Maybe TG3 could be in first person "God mode".

[Henry Blewer]

Someday, I would have the money for the internet connection. Then the computer would be useless. I think 'cloud' computing is really a BAD idea.

[PG]

I seem to remember a multiplayer programmer coming up with the idea for Cloud gaming. As I remember the end-users computer would only relay information regarding the player (position, rotation, active weapon, etc.) and the cloud system would do the rest. The problem is, what if that user wants to use mods? The mod would have to be applied to the cloud, which would mean everyone would have the mod as well. But what if it's one of those really annoying mods that makes every road pink? Well then every user would have to send a control tag for every mod that they want to use. It would get bogged down very, very quickly. After the hype wears off and people start realising that internet based processing isn't efficient it'll die out.

[latego]

Great idea... until people realize that web computing means

1) depending totally on ADSL connectivity (last week I was 4 days offline because the ADSL mux of my provider was kaputt) and
2) that you are likely to give full access to Google to all your personal data (all of them, also the ones you would not like to see published on the front page of your local newspaper).

Bye...

[neuspadrin]

Great idea... until people realize that web computing means

1) depending totally on ADSL connectivity (last week I was 4 days offline because the ADSL mux of my provider was kaputt) and
2) that you are likely to give full access to Google to all your personal data (all of them, also the ones you would not like to see published on the front page of your local newspaper).

Bye...

1) i live with the cable internet as my friend also they could make it so you could use their webapps offline by installing the appserver to your computer.  this would keep everything on your computer only using what is technically a web app.
2) they already have more then enough data on me i have 4 gmail accounts, and have used a handful of their products.

[stephengraham]

Hi all....
I think Google is best in whatever they do. For example Search Engine, Google Chrome and Google docs. Now they are going for Google O.S, they surely get good response in that also....

[Henry Blewer]

Will they provide a FREE internet connection? It may be worthwhile if they do. Otherwise, it's a BAD idea. I like having a functional computer, even if the internet goes down.
The way the cost of a connection is rising, many more people will not be able to afford it. There are large segments in America who can not afford the internet now.

[PG]

The operating system just provides the means of viewing content online. It doesn't provide the connection. Google don't have any control of what's sent down your phone line.

[neuspadrin]

Yeh pretty much no way they would give free internet, no one would do that.  Afterall its a free os, why would they be in charge of giving you free internet too?

My guess is they will try to make it interface with quite a few of those 3g cards from phone companies for mobile users, or be used by wireless or wired internet.

But as for being useless without internet because its web based apps, thats not necessarily true. The whole point of one of their programs, google gears, is to allow web apps to be built and accessible without any internet as it creates a locale cache.  And then anything made while offline gets uploaded whenever you get access to the internet again.

http://gears.google.com/

You don't need the internet to view webpages They could also have a lightweight appserver running with the os that would provide apps while offline etc.