Comments on: Google plans Chrome-based Web operating system

Watch out Microsoft: Google's browser project is the foundation for a Web-based operating system. Chrome OS Netbooks are due in 2010.

[n25philly]

I stopped reading this as soon as it said it was based on Chrome. Is Google trying to produce the biggest fail in human history?

[University_of_Pi]

no they're producing the ultimate OS that will result in a new version of windows much like it

my suggested name: windows webber

[acarswell]

Assuming it really is fast, free, and less demanding of system resources...what I would do with this OS is load it on an old laptop of mine which I keep downstairs as mainly an Internet appliance (for a quick Wikipedia or Google lookup). I'd already swithed it from WinXP to Ubuntu Linux, which enhanced its performance. Linux is okay, but it doesn't take much for you to have to go to a terminal window and I'm too old to re-learn command line stuff again.

[Mergatroid Mania]

What makes you think it would have the drivers required to run in your old laptop? I guess it might depend on just how old a laptop you are refering to...

[freemarket--2008]

If he already runs Linux, he has the drivers. Duh!

[FF2009]

My only concern with Google ChromeOS is my privacy. Is Google going to log all of our online activities like they do with Google Search? my guess is they probably will do just that, after all, it's a FREE and we all know Google model is based off ads revenue..

Something to think about.

[jessiethe3rd]

Hm... you got a good point there. Revenue streams are revenue streams at the end fo the day. Every ad is for you... every thing we show you is about what you searched about. Everything we push your way is based off the content you put on the web... in a blog... in a document.... in an email. Now buy... buy from our ad partners. Buy and then let us market you more stuff to buy. Buy, buy, buy. We know you, we know what you do, we know what you read, we know how you read it, we know when you read it. This is Google. They are sucking up the information that is available and let me just say nothing is free - everything comes at a cost. Whether you buy a Mac or a PC the lie that is is that you will get something for free. Your privacy is worth something isn't it? Oh I forgot... people don't care about privacy - they forgot about the Patriot Act... oh now it's for the good of us all - to protect us against the "evil doers!" Google's disregard for your right to search with privacy is like the Patriot Acts disregard for your freedoms as protected by the constitution. AT least if I use IE8 I can browse InPrivacy mode and avoid everyone putting a cookie out on everything I do.

Government is not the Big Brother out there folks - the company you think is so good, so bright, so innocent is really submersive, vindictive, and all up EVIL when it comes to getting information and controlling information.

[Vegaman_Dan]

I wonder how long it will be before the government then starts taking an interest in what sites you visit, the sorts of documents you have on your computer, and other content... based on the ads that Google is sending as they datamine your content for advertising purposes.

Well gee... looks like Andy's machine here sure seems to get a lot of ads for fertilizer in bulk, timing devices, and rental truck services. Perhaps it's time we subpeona all of the Google records for our... 'purposes'.

[University_of_Pi]

they will still have the incognitto window option that they do on chrome right now

it doesn't save anything or remember anything but history
as in if you go to go to say gmail.com as you start to type it will bring it up
but it won't remember that you're logged in

[pentest]

Why would people let a spyware company control its hardware too? Then again people are foolish enough to use google docs, gmail, google desktop etc.

Besides search, everything Google has done is not very good. EVERYTHING google produces is nothing more than spyware.

[The_happy_switcher]

"Redmond, we have a problem."

[jessiethe3rd]

F.U.D.
...http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/08/google_microsoft_phony_chrome_war/

[Vegaman_Dan]

"We hear you, Cupertino, over."

[jessiethe3rd]

F.U.D.
...http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/08/google_microsoft_phony_chrome_war/

Good article to read that at the end of the day this is Microsoft and Google going to battle to secure their respective revenue streams.

[Mergatroid Mania]

No, the big problem here is some people seem to think Ghrome is an o/s.

[ahickey]

I expect this to be more a device OS/experience.
If this is in your cable or satellite box, with IPTV services as well as the traditional stuff.

Why have a real computer that you have to go to, to check your email, facebook, myspace pages when a HDTV is good enough for most things.

[Zaunto]

There was no "era of network computing in the 1990's". Sun and Oracle wish there was, but few if any companies of any size took them up on that "java station" network computing nonsense that they attempted to do. This type of thing make work in developing countries, but who is going to replace a full fledged desktop computer or even notebook with a "dumb terminal"? Not me. This isn't serious competition for Microsoft or anyone else. Do you really think HP or Dell will pour money into this joke? Seriously. This is kinda like how Google's Android OS and phone was suppose to kick the iPhone's can. That didn't happen either...

[FANAT1C]

I believe google will have to do more than skin a barebones linux box with a chrome browser that runs the google web apps. Otherwise why wouldnt i load ubuntu and the chrome browser and then access ubuntu's repos?

[Mister C]

IF ONLY!

What we need is REAL competition. The Soviets had some of the brightest minds in the scientific world and still couldn't build a truck that worked. Any non competitive market is a stagnant wasteland. Not only would consumers benefit but so would producers (even M$). Hope-in, hope-in, hope-in!!!!

[ChrisLang]

Two huge things come to mind:

Google Friend Connect just became the first social network integrated with the next OS. All of Google's apps use GFC to create a host of enterprise level web apps that support Google Friend Connect.

Second: I have been running a web OS based on Google and Ubuntu for the last 6 months and I love it. Impressions of a web OS user are here: http://www.googlingsocial.com/?p=315

Simply the fact that it boots in 30 seconds (Ubuntu), took 10 minutes to install, worked perfectly with no config first time out (recognized every piece of hardware including my wifi card) and is FREE, fast and lean does it for me.

Chris Lang

[exactlyy]

so the point is.. you install chrome OS.. and you get the chrome browser icon on the desktop..you double click it to use google docs.. ??
why w'd i want that ?? i'd rather use my OS, and install whatever i want and have so many choices.. to use open office, or MS office , to play my games and design using photoshop or painshop pro, to install firefox or opera.. i have unlimited choices, why w'd i give up all that and put myself in the corner where i cant even stop a service cuz google wants to know what i am doing ?

[blegs385521]

I have (and will again) used Ubuntu as a dual boot with Windows. It was a different computing experience, but not an easier one by any means. While it booted faster than Vista, I can't say that it boots faster than Windows 7 (at least in the RC version). Also, any Linux user will admit that adding a printer, a scanner, or any number of apps (or even getting it to run in a wireless mode) can be challenging, to say the least.

Does Google really expect us to believe that they will be able to solve all of these problems? This will end up to be nothing more than an internet device (similar to my cell phone). I will be curious to see how it works with my digital SLR, my HP All-In-One printer or my Creative MP3 player.

Right now, I will plunk down my $99.00 for the advanced order of Window 7 Professional, and wait to see what Chrome looks like (and add back Ubuntu as I won't need to be running two Windows O/S's anymore.

[queticomn]

Dude, i install SuSE, Yast does the rest. My wifi is recognises my hardware on install. Sheesh.

[dkgshiz100]

meh, no thanks. I will just stick to ubuntu. This sounds like some crappy virutal OS to me. Its just a cloud computing OS that runs with the linux kernel. Nothing to fancy. Why would you want to use this on a netbook? You could just use ubuntu 9.04 netbook remix. Its super speedy and has some nice eye candy.

[dkgshiz100]

google is creating a monopoly. I would rather see google or apple on top instead of microsoft though. I hate microsoft.

[GoogleChromeOS]

Read this article: "The 1st pictures of the Chrome OS Beta for Develpers"

http://chromeosleak.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/the-first-pics-of-the-chrome-os-beta-for-devs/

[DarkHawke]

The disadvantages Shankland states say it all for me. I can't trust what I can't control, and this seems like putting all your eggs into Google's cart and hoping to God they won't run into a wall or sell you out to the highest bidder. And I don't (yet) have any mission-critical data to worry about. Would anyone trust Microsoft if they came out with this? Or even Apple? No thanks, fellas. I trust exactly NO ONE that much.

[HatemElamory]

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[wwweb]

Linux is an kernel; not a complete o/s. It isn't a o/s until it has kernel, user-interface (ui) and (application) programming interface (or api). Google created the ui (Chrome) and app for already existing api (webapps, applications using standars made for the web). Then it took the hardest part: the kernel (Linux) to take care of the 'low-level stuff'. So Google Chrome OS actually is an o/s just as Debian GNU/Linux and Red Hat Linux are.
The great thing about this is that it's possible to run existing webapps on Chrome OS and it's possible to run apps made for Chrome OS on eg Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Prism or Opera. Big plus for cross-platform app developing.

btw: how much confusion just beacuse some call the complete OSes (like Ubuntu) simply 'Linux' instead 'GNU/Linux'. That convinces me that GNU/Linux is a better term.
btow: To avoid further confusion: Webapps are NOT necassarily part of the web! They are named so beacuse the're built using standards for the web, though they're now used out of that context. The WWW is a collection of interlinked hypertext/hypermedia documents on the Internet.

[University_of_Pi]

@ cosuna
it will probably use some flavor of android as the base for chrome os

think about it they will use what they got then make it better than win 7 unlike mac os x

[University_of_Pi]

sorry I didn't see the reply to this comment button

[Dryan93]

really insightful report. i was really intrigued by the Hints of Chrome OS section, I hadn't thought of it that way!

[Fil0403]

Feels more like free advertising than actual "insightful reporting" to me, but anyway. I cannot say I am as intrigued with this news as I am happy about it (it's not exactly news some company developing some supposed Windows-killer that invariably fails in that respect, but comptition is always good for us consumers [puts pressure on other players to improve their products] and for me personally [puts pressure on Microsoft to make that that is alread the best OS -- Windows -- even better], and others before have thought of it that way and failed.