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Google Chrome Operating System
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Author name (Administrator) 2009-07-08, 16:22 #1
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Member since May 2011 · 2173 posts · Location: Brisbane
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Subject: Google Chrome Operating System
In an announcement that came more or less completely out of the blue, Google announced today they're working on their own operating system.  Not only that, but it's expected to be released on netbook-style hardware starting in about a year.  I guess that means it's well underway, as a from-scratch OS is really not a lightweight project.

This excites me, I think.  I was not excited by Google's Chrome browser, 'cause it was - IMO - a direct attack on Opera, a browser that already does pretty much everything Chrome does, and a shit ton more.  Chrome OS tho is aimed squarely at a target that deserves to be taken down a notch or six: Microsoft Windows.  Hey Microsoft, fuck you.  I hate you and your business ethic.  Stop ruining everything I love, and everything that offers to better the world at a pace you don't want to match.

So yeah, Google OS.  I'm gonna go ahead and guess it'll be built on a Linux kernel.  Apple did this, basing their OSX on top of BSD/Unix.  There's just no other way to get an OS off the ground with any kind of driver support (Consider a project I've been watching with interest for a long time, SkyOS, which gave up making their own kernel and is now running trials on top of a Linux kernel instead).

I can't say I'm a huge google fan.  They fly in the face of convention, they do what they feel is right, and if only they didn't getting the glory for things other people have done before, I'd probably love them.  In fact, if they didn't rain on Opera's parade, I definitely would.

Still...

Small, fast, secure.  That'd be a refreshing change, don't you think?
BLEARGH
Author name (Administrator) 2009-07-08, 17:36 #2
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Member since May 2011 · 2173 posts · Location: Brisbane
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Well, my prediction of a Linux kernel was right, but also clearly mentioned in the first link of the above post.  Gold star for reading comprehension, but also a gold fucking star for nailing it, yes?
BLEARGH
Author name (Administrator) 2009-07-10, 11:45 #3
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John C. Dvorak says some interesting things sometimes.  As often as not he gets it wrong, as he's basically a dinosaur in the computer industry, but there may be some gems in his latest article about Chrome OS.

Basically, he thinks it's a ruse, a ploy to anger Microsoft (which, led by Steve Ballmer, famously hates Google).  He has several reasons for thinking this, but the only two that really seem solid to me are these:

This thing is supposed to roll out in the second half of 2010? Since when does Google preannounce things like this so far in advance?

Messing with Microsoft -- First and foremost, this is designed to mess with Microsoft's mind. Microsoft is making a move at Google's core business, which is search. This cannot go unpunished. As far as Google is concerned, this is not a business where Microsoft should be. Google's making it clear that it can impinge on Microsoft's territory, too.

The other points are kind of mushy, all no doubt playing a part in the whole Chrome OS announcement, but none really seeming like reason enough. 

Plugging Chrome -- Part of this PR campaign is to bring up the profile of Chrome, the Google browser.

And finally:

A smokescreen -- Keep Microsoft from prying too much into Android, from which the real OS will emerge.

Hrm...

An Opera employee posted this today:

Fears of too much personal data being at Google's disposal aside, this is definitely yet another step towards making traditional operating systems like Windows and Mac OS obsolete. Now, there will always be a place for local, native applications, but the trend is undeniable: More and more is being done online and over the Web.

This happens to be what Opera has been talking about for many years. There is hardly an interview with our CEO without him mentioning how Web applications are replacing traditional applications.

He also added this, which is very very true, and probably inspires a shit-ton of fear in Microsoft offices:

The way things are going must definitely be a major concern for Microsoft. At some point, non-PC devices will have more users online than the traditional Personal Computer, and that benefits everyone else. Microsoft is really struggling to gain a foothold outside the PC market.
BLEARGH
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