Google's Chrome OS revealed

[+Anarkii Subscriber²]

I can see this as being successful to the older generation (50+) and maybe netbook users, but the average joe, nup, not a chance in hell.

[Elliott]

I can see this as being successful to the older generation (50+) and maybe netbook users, but the average joe, nup, not a chance in hell.

Exactly. My grandfather would lap this up. All he uses is Safari and sometimes Word on his iMac. If he had access to Gmail and Google Docs through this, he'd be set.

[Fred Derf Veteran]

This is a different approach so it doesn't surprise me that there would be opposition. I also chuckle when I see people say that they won't give up Windows 7 or OS/X for this. Well, there is no big surprise there. This isn't a product meant to replace desktop computing. A device like this is more of a competitor to a Blackberry than anything else.

I personally would be very interested in a device like this if 3G internet service were cheaper in this country. Cloud computing is only as good as the size and value of the cloud. I am in no particular hurry to give Rogers any more of my money.

[zagor]

People don't seem to get that this is for people that just want to surf and use web apps. This is purely for the netbook crowd, and it's perfect for them. I'm personally not a netbook person, so I'd never see myself using this, but there are other people that love them. This just takes the extra fluff away from the already pared down netbook OSs and makes it simpler to use, especially with things like single sign on through your Google account.

If that is the case why not stick with Android? Android seems more than adequate for all these tasks.

This is a different approach so it doesn't surprise me that there would be opposition. I also chuckle when I see people say that they won't give up Windows 7 or OS/X for this. Well, there is no big surprise there. This isn't a product meant to replace desktop computing. A device like this is more of a competitor to a Blackberry than anything else.

I personally would be very interested in a device like this if 3G internet service were cheaper in this country. Cloud computing is only as good as the size and value of the cloud. I am in no particular hurry to give Rogers any more of my money.

again, why create a separate OS while you can accomplish all these tasks with Android already?

[Fred Derf Veteran]

If that is the case why not stick with Android? Android seems more than adequate for all these tasks.

again, why create a separate OS while you can accomplish all these tasks with Android already?

Android was designed for a different format and while it cab be kludged to work with a netbook design, it was really designed for something more in the format of a touchscreen smartphone. Google evidently thought that the Chrome browser made for a good laptop/desktop web experience and thus would be good for a netbook.

[Fluxii Media]

Most of you are too harsh on Google I think.

As said, this is SOLELY based on the Cloud, or right now with the current source code it is... you sign in with your Google Account, and bam Browser is up, Gmail is up, everything is SET for browsing pleasure. You can change the theme just as easy as you can on Chrome, you can sync your bookmarks, and extensions will be set.

And I think the EXTENSIONS are the things that will help with more programs, such as skype, etc, a lot API's out there will be able to get on ChromeOS without the need for downloading it on a hard drive. I just see this as very helpful for people who want quick access to the internet. Nothing else.

Again this is why it's for Netbooks... I know a bit of Netbooks with no CD Drive, just the bare essentials to get online-- and this is going to be targeted for those... at a much cheaper price then a Netbook running Windows (or so I would assume).

I think everyone should just wait and see how this develops before just rushing in and saying it's fail. Or give it a try before you make yourself just look like a fool. That's like saying Macs suck before ever using one... or even don't judge a book by it's cover... yeah... just let Google do it's thing, and let the people who like it, like it... and if it's not for you... then continue using Windows or Mac or Ubuntu... whatever you want.

[0nyX]

Even though the main purpose of a netbook is surfing i still want and like to perform different tasks on a netbook.Until now Google Chrome Not OS is just a web browser (how advanced) and a gui for storing docs in Google's servers. So even on netbooks i see a fail.

PS: A multi tabbed web browser is hardly an OS.

[maash]

ChromeOS will be perfect for people with no or little computer know-how - like my folks. They just want a computer for using the net, use some apps like writing a document, managing photos, watching a video and the like. Why would they need a "complete" OS? There's nothing in OSX or Windows that makes it a must-have to them. To me at least, ChromeOS seems like a perfect match for their needs. Not everyone is a computer geek, or know a hard drive from RAM. So my guess is that it will be a success, despite the naysayers.

if you have an ipod, where would you store your music on the Go for instance? SSDs arent cheap. 16 GB SSD netbooks are more than 400$. the same netbooks with HDDs are under 300

[Fred Derf Veteran]

Even though the main purpose of a netbook is surfing i still want and like to perform different tasks on a netbook.

Like what? Some have previously suggested that the inability to edit a video is a feature that they can't live without (on their netbook, no less). Stop and think how often these things are actually done and whether or not they can wait until you get home.

[Rudy]

Even though the main purpose of a netbook is surfing i still want and like to perform different tasks on a netbook.Until now Google Chrome Not OS is just a web browser (how advanced) and a gui for storing docs in Google's servers. So even on netbooks i see a fail.

PS: A multi tabbed web browser is hardly an OS.

Again go back to my reply to your previous post, your "idea" of what an OS is and isn't is wrong. An OS doesn't even have to have a user interface. Here's some examples of what can constitute as an OS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_sys...erating_systems Yes Windows, OSX and Linux are in there but smaller projects are also in there. A common project for CSci majors is usually making a simple OS (usually just a command line interface with basic I/O)

[Robbie.Knox]

if you have an ipod, where would you store your music on the Go for instance? SSDs arent cheap. 16 GB SSD netbooks are more than 400$. the same netbooks with HDDs are under 300

Server side? On the "Cloud".

[ThePitt]

after dealing for awhile with the network issue (the "OS" based on linux is totally useless if you dont have an internet connection) and testing this frontview of what seems to be a big extension of their browser, I have to conclude that internet wasnt made for google. If they think that this cloud os is the future, maybe they are the one who are working to make the internet a lot faster, because with the nowaday technology this is almost impossible to use. I was more than 40 minutes downloading just the vmware image, I dont wanna know how much time you will need to wait to check a video, store your data (in their servers), browsing, etc at the same that 20 millions on your country are doing the same. Probably the worsest ISP nightmare (that might or might not come).

On OS side, as is based on linux, it lacks of hardware support (for now?) and has some security lacks that better dont talk (by now) because seems to be a beta.

If I can recommend something to their developing department (if they have one) is that they better leave this idea of taking a linux distro and make an ugly frontend of a yet another firefox clone, and make the whole "OS" based on google servers. Just use your 'old' OS to log into google and then use their "OS" all the cloud you want. If the OS needs so bad internet, then why waste the time making a whole os when you with a browser could do the same.

[bob_c_b]

This is actually a pretty sharp piece of technology, I think many of you don't grasp the importance of small, low power devices everywhere and the prevasisveness of the cloud. This isn't meant to replace a full powered PC or workstation, it's for access to your stuff everywhere.

[MikeChipshop Member]

I think a lot of people in this thread are just not 'getting it'. this isn't meant to replace your everyday desktop OS

[zagor]

Android was designed for a different format and while it cab be kludged to work with a netbook design, it was really designed for something more in the format of a touchscreen smartphone. Google evidently thought that the Chrome browser made for a good laptop/desktop web experience and thus would be good for a netbook.

I still think that they could have easily adopted Android for the same purpose. It seems to me this is Google pushing for the cloud computing.

It is too early to be excited about it.

I think a lot of people in this thread are just not 'getting it'. this isn't meant to replace your everyday desktop OS

Please enlighten us. Tell us what is ChromeOS really meant for

[moonfleet]

Who needs it? For that matter, who needs a netbook? While they may seem inexpensive compared to a full-fledged laptop computer, they are woefully underpowered compared to a desktop computer that costs less. Getting a netbook is like buying a 10-year old computer at a new computer price. What you really need to do with a smaller than laptop-sized portable computer you can do with a phone. Either way, phone or laptop, you will probably eventually go blind staring at that tiny display.

Who the heck wants to go back to the early days of the home computer in the late 1970's when you could by a Radio Shack TRS-80 model which was really only a terminal to use Compuserve with? Who wants to tie their computing to a corporation, even if it's name is Google? I mean come on! Most of us are already uncomfortable with what MS knows about our computing.

If you want to compute in the buzzword of a "cloud", you can do it just as easily with a real computer and a real operating system. Of course, I wouldn't expect people who think twitter is a useful service to be able to resist any new thing, no matter how useless and idiotic.

[zagor]

Who needs it? For that matter, who needs a netbook? While they may seem inexpensive compared to a full-fledged laptop computer, they are woefully underpowered compared to a desktop computer that costs less. Getting a netbook is like buying a 10-year old computer at a new computer price. What you really need to do with a smaller than laptop-sized portable computer you can do with a phone. Either way, phone or laptop, you will probably eventually go blind staring at that tiny display.

Who the heck wants to go back to the early days of the home computer in the late 1970's when you could by a Radio Shack TRS-80 model which was really only a terminal to use Compuserve with? Who wants to tie their computing to a corporation, even if it's name is Google? I mean come on! Most of us are already uncomfortable with what MS knows about our computing.

If you want to compute in the buzzword of a "cloud", you can do it just as easily with a real computer and a real operating system. Of course, I wouldn't expect people who think twitter is a useful service to be able to resist any new thing, no matter how useless and idiotic.

Most people are assuming that netbooks and similar devices are going to stay underpowered forever. That is simply a wrong assumption. There is a treshold point in terms of performance beyond which one can perform most of the tasks on a netbook. So, I don't find an underpowered, just cloud OS very appealing.

[PGHammer]

I think a lot of people in this thread are just not 'getting it'. this isn't meant to replace your everyday desktop OS

That is precisely the point.

Chrome OS is no more designed to be a replacement for the everyday OS than Android is (or, in fact, Linux itself, for that matter).

Chrome OS, like Android, (and just about *every* Linux distribution), is a special-purpose (or niche) operating system, designed for larger-screen devices than Android (netbooks, notebooks, and possibly legacy laptops used as netbooks). While some flaws (such as the application lack) will be fixed by more development, others (such as support for certain resolutions) may actually be left in by design (one thing I have noticed is that Chrome OS, as it stands, has issues at greater than 800x600).

I'm actually posting this from a Chrome OS VM (Windows 7 Ultimate host running VMware WS 7) with a mere 1.25 GB of RAM dedicated to the VM (in short, a typical netbook or legacy laptop configuration clone), and Chrome OS is flat-out usable (in the same way a live CD of a Linux distriibution is; KNOPPIX, for example, is typically NOT installed) right now. However, the font choices (and other design choices that are apparent) place Chrome OS further down the screen-readability scale than even KNOPPIX (normally, while you can run KNOPPIX as high as 1024x768, KNOPPIX is not designed for widescreen displays common on the desktops, or portables, common in even mainstream use today,, and Chrome OS, despite the Ubuntu underpinnings, is even less capable), and that means 14" and smaller displays (though not as small as a smartphone, which is targeted by Android).

Chrome will likely have a lot in common with Android; however, the biggest commonality will be that neither is aimed at general Linux distributions, let alone OS X or Windows.

[DrunkenBeard]

Hi,

I see a lot of people saying : "You don't get it, this is aimed at netbook users". I think this kind of statements are irrelevant for two main reasons.

First, you make the assumption that netbooks are only capable of surfing the web and using web apps. Of course this is totally wrong as you can now find ION-powered netbooks for less than $400 which are perfectly capable of running games and displaying HD videos.

Second, you make the assumption that netbook users are using them only for web-related activities. Well, I can see two types of netbook users :

- The techies who use them as companions to perform small tasks while being mobile. For instance I use my netbook a lot for quick programming, executing sample code in class or doing some quick mockups on photoshop.

- The non-techies who use them mostly as entertainment/social/web machines. This usually means mail, messaging, etc ... but can also include viewing movies, playing games, and other activities needing local data.

What I mean is that netbooks are now capable of doing a lot more than just surfing the web, so why would I choose to restrict myself to an OS that can't take advantage of that, especially when the said OS needs to run on a special machine. If I want a clean and simple OS with web features I find Moblin to be a lot more interesting than Chrome OS.

[Fred Derf Veteran]

I think a lot of people in this thread are just not 'getting it'. this isn't meant to replace your everyday desktop OS

But I want to edit videos on my netbook!!!

[zagor]

But I want to edit videos on my netbook!!!

you might be able to do that next year. Do not despair!

[svnO.o]

Hi,

I see a lot of people saying : "You don't get it, this is aimed at netbook users". I think this kind of statements are irrelevant for two main reasons.

First, you make the assumption that netbooks are only capable of surfing the web and using web apps. Of course this is totally wrong as you can now find ION-powered netbooks for less than $400 which are perfectly capable of running games and displaying HD videos.

Second, you make the assumption that netbook users are using them only for web-related activities. Well, I can see two types of netbook users :

- The techies who use them as companions to perform small tasks while being mobile. For instance I use my netbook a lot for quick programming, executing sample code in class or doing some quick mockups on photoshop.

- The non-techies who use them mostly as entertainment/social/web machines. This usually means mail, messaging, etc ... but can also include viewing movies, playing games, and other activities needing local data.

What I mean is that netbooks are now capable of doing a lot more than just surfing the web, so why would I choose to restrict myself to an OS that can't take advantage of that, especially when the said OS needs to run on a special machine. If I want a clean and simple OS with web features I find Moblin to be a lot more interesting than Chrome OS.

Well said. I agree that Moblin looks a lot more interesting than Chrome OS as well. Unless Google can find a way to get Chrome OS on extremely low cost devices (say half the cost of other netbooks), I think the cons will continue to outweigh the benefits by quite a large margin.

[PurePhoenix]

Most people are assuming that netbooks and similar devices are going to stay underpowered forever. That is simply a wrong assumption.

No it's not. Laptop technology has been out for what, 2 decades? And it's still stuck with 5200RPM HDD's and slow CPU's due to heat restraints.

It's not a wrong assumption at all. Microtechnology will never improve until we actually get to a stage similar to nanomachines.

Of course this is totally wrong as you can now find ION-powered netbooks for less than $400 which are perfectly capable of running games and displaying HD videos.

No they aren't. Prove this claim. The specs might fit the category of "Serious Gamer", but the actual performance these notebooks get is sub-par for gaming & HD video.

But I want to edit videos on my netbook!!!

And that's what nobody in this thread seems to understand. If we shell out good money for an expensive peice of hardware, we expect it to do the same things our PC does - even if it's at a shorter operational span like battery based laptops.

Buying into Googles' attempts to make you buy a netbook, a laptop AND a tabletop PC with the Cloud GoogleOS system is just setting yourself up for failure in a few years time.

It's the exact same issue today, except if we promote & follow googles' trends the "technological poverty" of the average user will increase.

We might have mp3 players, advanced phones, tablet PC's etc but how much are they actually capable of and how much did you spend on them?

Add them all up together and compare them to a laptop; the laptop wins by far and it's far cheaper than purchasing 3 or 4 mini devices.

Indeed, the only worthwhile investment made by the computing world in the last decade has been MP3 players.

And with this GoogleOS cloud system, you want to further this rediculousness?

I honestly think anyone who supports this idea, needs to get their head checked. You're just trying to look cool for the sake of it and have completely forgotten that all of these things cost money.

[AltecXP]

No they aren't. Prove this claim. The specs might fit the category of "Serious Gamer", but the actual performance these notebooks get is sub-par for gaming & HD video.

Plays many Valve games and World of warcraft just fine as it uses the 9400m video card. Nvidia demo'd the ION platform using gaming and HD video as its 2 main selling points. No one said the specs fit that of a "serious gamer", just that its CAN be gamed on.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/sff_ion.html Video is 1/2 down the page.

Learn your tech before you post.

[PurePhoenix]

Under 60 FPS can NOT be gamed on. That's not even smooth. When you encoutner a smoke grenade, artillery or other sudden effect beleive me, you will suffer.