Comments on: PC makers mum about Chrome OS

None of the major PC vendors is ready to publicly commit to Google's newly announced operating system.

[jtcronin]

Many years ago when I first joined IT, I ran into the industry trend of announcing products and companies planning to use those products -- when the products don't exist and may not exist for months or years. Being from Missouri, I embraced our states slogan "Show Me" and used it when vendors tried to sell me something that did not exist. "Show Me" has served me well for decades.

I was excited about the Chrome OS announcement. I visited Google's website and read the blogs. It won't be a real product until 2010. Given that, how can anyone make any determination if it will be a good product, or upset Microsoft, or not upset Microsoft, or what? You can't. It is a year away. A lot can happen in a year.

In a pure web-based environment, the needs of an operating system are very different than that of a traditional PC loaded with office applications. Is there a trend towards a lighter OS on a more special purpose platform, like a netbook? If the OS needs to support only a browser and some user disk space, it can be made leaner and meaner.

Intel bought Wind River, presumably to get a netbook OS. Google is creating a Chrome OS. You can bet Microsoft is making a Windows-lite OS. A Linux-lite may find its way into the market. What Google has started is a netbook OS war. Competition!!! This could be good for the consumer.

Go look at Google's Blog. They explain their perception of the market and what they want to try to accomplish. There intentions are clear. The bar has been set for Microsoft, Intel, and others. May the best operating system win!!!

[monkeyfun14]

"Of course they do. But a Google OS could completely change the long-established process of putting together a consumer PC and would totally change how it is priced. Yet neither of the two giants of the industry have a comment. Acer, which is the fastest-growing PC maker right now, said it "had no answer" yet."

Change how its priced I honestly don't see how you would think a PC maker would make the systems any cheaper because of less OS cost if anything they would keep it the same to increase the profit margin the user doesn't know how much Windows cost.

[ivorycruncher]

This new wannabe OS is nothing more than yet another rehash of Linux. If Google had developed its own OS 100% from scratch as totally something new, then I would be EXTREMELY interested in seeing what it's like. Ubuntu has enough competition as it is. I have no interest in YALD operating systems (Yet Another Linux Distro) at this point.

I watched another documentary on the company Motoczyzs, which just recently completed development of a brand new 100%-built-from-scratch racing motorcycle. They took nothing from existing designs, instead going back to square one and designing a new monster using state of the art technology, and what they've come up with is blowing people's minds. It's like no other bike out there, using (among other things) a unique engine design that's completely different from anything ever designed. THAT is what I want to see happen to the OS market. I want to see somebody challenge the Big 3 of the OS world (Windows, Linux, Mac) with something totally new and fresh. As much as every new version of the Big 3 OS's is touted as all new, one way or another they're largely based on previous designs. There hasn't been a truly new operating system in years. I'm beginning to wonder if we'll ever see somebody do to the OS what Google did to web search - start in a garage, and conquer the world.

[forever4now]

The web browser IS the new OS, and Chrome (the browser) WAS written from scratch. It is incidental that the Linux kernel was used, but the Linux kernel is fast, scalable, secure & stable, so why not? It essentially manages the hardware & does a good job at that.

Could a new kernel be developed? Sure
Is it worth the effort, at this point? I doubt it.

As browser-based OSes begin to take hold in the market, perhaps someone will take a stab at writing a new kernel. For now, why bother? It would just force hardware vendors to write yet another driver.

[forever4now]

I think a "light" OS, like Chrome, would be great, for people whose needs are met with web apps (email, IM, web browsing, Google/Zoho apps, etc.). A "heavy" OS, like Windows, is more complex, requires more maintenance and uses more system resources (CPU, memory, disk, battery, etc.).

Would a "light" OS be suitable for everyone? No
Would a "light" OS be suitable for a lot of people? Yes

It would be great, to have both on the market. Choice is good!

[Splashes]

Yes, choice is good, unless you're Microsoft. You can bet Ballmer and the rest of the MS used-card salesmen are on the phone today with hardware vendors, blathering about their various vapor-y plans, and hinting that it might not be good for the vendors' bottom line to be thinking seriously about the Google OS.

And of course when Google's OS finally sees the light of day, that's when the real fun begins. I've reserved a whole case of Orville Redenbacher's finest.

[jessiethe3rd]

@ Splashes
Haha that was fun... now back to reality... Google sells your information to its ad partners - would you mind having every piece of information on your PC open to be sold to the open market to the highest bidder? Oh that's right - they'll give it away - spend $$$ developing a product and just give it away to well... unsurp Microsoft right? Riiighttttt... because it's Google people will say yeah... we want that... it's Google! No it doesn't run 80-90% of the applications that are standard... but it's Google! Google OS? Not really - it's a Linux distribution with a Google's banner on it.

[Splashes]

You obviously think I'm rooting for Google, and I'm not. My comments were only about Microsoft, and how they will react to Google's actions. I'm looking forward to fireworks, that's all.

I actually think the Google OS doesn't have a chance -- it's about 5 years too late, and MS has too much leverage. But I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

[jtjt145]

At last competition - for the constricting software python from Redmond! Wonderful!

Advantages that come to mind - spur of the moment:
1st advantage: the world will be allowed again to call a small notebook computer a netbook. Micro$oft has tried for some time to quell this new term out of common language, as it does not fit into the current marketing ploys.
2nd advantage: Micro$oft dictates the upper limits for OEM manufacturers of how to configure a small notebook pc, aka netbook. The current Micro$oft dictated configuration limitations:
- max screen size: 10.5 inch
- max RAM 1 GB
-max hard disk 160 GB

I would imagine, this will all go!
Wonderful! Wonderful! The boa constrictor from Redmond is getting hammered with a mallet!

Great times ahead!
Go Google go!

[monkeyfun14]

Once you hit the 10.5 inch range you get awfully close to it being a laptop.
160gb HDD thats quite a bit especially for a machine thats not supposed to be doing much.
and it wasn't 1gb it was 2gb's of RAM you don't need more then that on a netbook once again a machine not meant to do much.


They were selling heavily reduced priced copies of XP they damn well have the right to decided what machines these are going on if they are designed for small machines.

[nm5lj]

Seems like a rehash to me. I seem to recall an "almost" instant on OS a little over 10 years ago. Although it beat the almost lethargic win95 boot-up time, it didn't go over very well....maybe it was due to h/w manufacturers not getting on board. Does anyone else recall? HOW SOON WE FORGET!!

[monkeyfun14]

Microsoft is toast.
Google is the new Microsoft.
I'll be all Google all the time.
Meh. I'm happy with Mac OS.
Linux under the hood. Hurrah!

What kind of poll is this?
Does CBS know that you guys are publishing this garbage?

[JasonCe]

Exactly.

A very opinionated poll. All choices are the same. Looks like the author wants Google to succeed no matter what the reality is.

You should add the missing choice that most people will vote for: This is just another Linux distro with Chrome as the user interface. It will have its niche market, but in the end it will just hurt other Linux distros. It can't even come near Windows.

And more importantly, it does not even exist yet. You can call me old but somehow I feel you need to see a product get to market and use it before declaring it as the winner.

[jessiethe3rd]

Garbage and makes me question why I even come here for any information... SOUNDS like bias to me.

[Seaspray0]

I agree. The poll is very biased. After seeing that, my answer was easily none of the above.

[paulej]

Clearly a screwed-up poll. My answer was also "none of the above". Just because a company announces a product does mean it will be a hit. In fact, it would be utterly useless to me in 2010, as I could not use it to get my job done. Just how many people today can sit at their computer, open a browser, and not open one single other application and get work done? I doubt there are very many. Perhaps it might change with time, but I am not holding my breath.

[retroboy77]

Uh.. that poll is missing anything positive to say about MS. Interesting. I'm eagerly awaiting the results.

[Seaspray0]

The results of a biased poll are meaningless.

[bananaphonerules]

Wow; voting biased or what?
Where is the choice "Microsoft don't give a crap?"

[jessiethe3rd]

Agreed - where's the choice, "Google will sell your information to all it's add partners - that's okay by me! Privacy sucks!"

[monkeyfun14]

I can see it now private document about "getting it up"

Google chimes in with a AD.

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[lazycat202]

good competition. I'll have a better Microsoft OS and better Ubuntu. I like Ubuntu/OpenSUSE, but it turns me down because its hardware drivers, ability to join to my Windows Servers, and all Linux commands. gosh!! hard to remember!

[DarkHawke]

I wish they'd added a "Who gives a damn" option to the poll, 'cause then I'd have a choice that matches my reaction. Got a good usable OS over here that in about 3 1/2 months will get even better and I sure won't need an active net connection to use it. It's called "Windows." Ever hear of it?

Oh, by the way, I'm a PC, and Google can bite me!

[sav1981]

It will be a long time before any company can dethrone Microsoft in it's Operating System. Mac OS is a great alternative but even it with all it's features nothing is more widely used than a PC with Windows on it. So until companies like Google can get all your favorite software and hardware to work on it, it's just another Linux.