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Google Chrome OS: The Prologue
Google Chrome OS: The Prologue
Posted Friday, November 20, 2009 - 1:03pm
Yesterday, the engineers at Google (GOOG) announced more details for the company's new operating system, dubbed Google Chrome OS. It's like Android, except it's for the personal computer and it's not out yet. But, as Googlers emphasized yesterday, it promises to be "blazingly fast."
In fact, as Wired reported yesterday, the new operating system is designed to load within seven seconds and "boot up like a TV," said vice president of product management Sudar Pichai. Unfortunately, you won't be able to download it off the Intertubes and load it onto your own computer. If you want the chance to test-drive the Chrome OS, you'll have to buy a new computer—typically a cheap netbook—and you won't get the chance to do that until late 2010, when the first generation of Chrome-powered netbooks are released by Google's partners.
Again, this is part of Google's effort to remake the world of information toward a cloud-based orientation. Microsoft (MSFT) has long dominated the present tech world, with software directly installed into the hard drive of your computer, servers to support said software, and periodic updates you must restart your computer to install. But as Inforworld blogger Neil McAllister points out, Chrome's Web-based platform frees up netbooks from having installed hard drives to run so much software. All they need, he says, is a screen, a keypad, and a Web browser. Google will do the rest.
It's an utterly fascinating idea; from now on, hardware will be cheap, and you won't have to contemplate a $2,000 bill when your Web machine finally gives up the ghost. But again, you get what you pay for. If Google is partnering with cheap knockoffs that offer low quality for low prices, consumers may well get irritated at the general shoddiness of the physical product. And they may well transfer that irritation to Google's grand Chrome scheme. We'll just have to wait a year and see what kind of hardware partners Google has chosen to hitch its wagon to.
Comments
Privacy concerns anyone?
".....But, as Googlers emphasized yesterday, it promises to be "blazingly fast...."
This all well and good but is anyone questioning the privacy implications of a company that dominates 65 percent of search, has a huge market share in the email sector with gmail and now wants to enter the OS market? Will data from chrome Os usage be used to seve more targeted Google ads?
"....you'll have to buy a new computer—typically a cheap netbook...."
I concur Chrome is going to take off in a blaze of glory because it will ride the wave of cheap netbook popularity. Be interesting to see the innovations geeks can come up with using the open source code between now and chrome OS official launch.
But you _can_ download Chrome OS
Google's announcement today was more than you think. They actually put up the source code of Chrome OS and instructions as to how to build it. From yesterday onwards, any geek who knows his way around Linux can build a copy of Chrome OS and put it on his netbook. (Or his mom's netbook, or whatever.)
It won't be quite as impressive as the final version of Chrome OS, because it'll be working on existing PC hardware rather than the customized hardware that it's designed for, but it'll work well enough for the purpose.
And just to be clear, it won't technically be Google Chrome OS -- it'll be 'Chromium OS', which just means Chrome OS without the Google stamp of approval. No real difference.