Somehow I managed to delete my last blog post on netbooks. LAME. Whatever. Moving on.
As some of you may know, Google is due to release a beta version of their upcoming operating system, Google Chrome OS. Now Chrome isn't going to be your typical operating system, but rather its going to be focused more on cloud computing and thus pointed more in the direction of netbooks. Also to favor the netbook market, the OS will not only be more lightweight on the storage sense but in the processor load as well, by giving it a more minimalistic feel to it much as Chrome the web-browser has done.
Now onto some of the geeky stuff.
It's supposedly going to be completely open source and based off of the linux kernel though it will have a brand spanking new windowing system just for chrome (which I have a feeling will bear resemblance towards the Chrome browser).
So, do you think this is aimed to be a Windows killer? Personally, I think not. I do however think that this is going to give some of the more popular Linux distributions aimed towards the more causal Linux users like the ever-popular Ubuntu. It might also have an effect on some of the more technically advanced distro's of Linux such as Suse or Xandros and more than likely DSL (Damn Small Linux). But what I know for a fact is that it is going to give these netbook oriented distributions a run for their money. For example, Easy Peasy, the Ubuntu Netbook Remix, Eeebuntu, and many others. One of the most promising in the field being Jolicloud, a product in
The one thing that leaves me rather worried about the whole ordeal is the fact that Intel is not listed as a development partner. They are however paired up with all the makers of ARM processors as well as Texas Instruments. Now what does this mean? Possibly absolutely nothing, but it could also mean that it could be completely incompatible with any netbook with an Atom processor (which is the vast majority of the netbook market). Now Google has said that there are quite a few other companies that are being considered for new development partners.
tl;dr- Google Chrome OS
- Open source
- Lightweight
- Heavily internet based
- Aimed at the Netbook market
- The first real plunge into cloud computing
- Marks Google's entrance to the OS market (because Android doesn't really count)
- Probably not a Microsoft killer (not yet at least)
- Will provide competition in the netbook OS market
- Possibly NOT Intel Atom compatible
If you can't wait, I would recommend trying to get into the Jolicloud beta.
Anyway, feel free to leave comments if you've got anything to add to it. It doesn't require an account or anything.
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I'm very excited about Chrome OS. It symbolizes a lot for the open source community, and is marking the move towards web-based desktops.
ReplyDeleteCloud computing sounds great....in theory. But history shows us that dummy terminals and mainframes don't hold a candle to full desktops (and laptops). We've also seen performance issues with Remote Desktop and software like it, and furthermore, a lot of people still have trouble streaming video properly. I think that until bandwidth improves, cloud computing is just a pipe dream, and even when bandwidth gets there, there'll be too many features, more data to handle, and more powerful, cheaper desktops. More reasons to keep computers local, and seldom-needed/small data on remote servers. Don't get me wrong, the Cloud sounds great. But from a logistical point of view, it's inefficient, and for a lot of people, it'll be insufficient. That, and there's security, which will be even more of a nightmare on the Cloud.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. While I think that for storage purposes, the Cloud could prove to be highly useful and convenient but as far as for operating systems and resource intensive programs, I don't see Cloud computing being very practical. Not yet at least.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but why not invest in a web server? Why move your OS off-site? It's impractical. Load times would be attrocious.
ReplyDeleteWhat we need isn't a Hive. It's reduced prices, smaller packages, and higher bandwidth. If we could get everything to run at gigabit, or at least 100mb/s, I think we'd see a higher level of satisfaction. We need to get everyone online first.
The Cloud is like Communism vs. Democracy. We don't need a central computer, but we also don't need a complete decentralization. We need a balance, where we can access and share resources from a central location, but still have the ability to serve and use data on our own machines. This is best for order/security, without compromising freedom. With the cloud, everyone is too close together, to easy to watch, too confined to too few standards. Without the Cloud in some implementation - Say, Facebook - and without a little standardization, we're unsafe, and will find it hard to collaborate.
Agreed. And concerning the connection speeds, I would be satisfied if I could get mine to transfer at 1 MB/s... /sigh
ReplyDelete