Google Chrome Operating System

[capriceman]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/168050/will..._chrome_os.html

Will Consumers Take a Shine to Google’s Chrome OS?

Todd R. Weiss

Jul 8, 2009 11:30 am

Will Consumers Take a Shine to Google’s Chrome OS?Americans love chrome on motorcycles and toasters, but will average consumers take a shine to the Google Chrome operating system? Google announced its lightweight Chrome computer operating system today and says consumers can expect it by the end of 2010. Google describes the operating system as lean and mean and perfect for small Internet-friendly devices that are both easy-to-use and transport - such as a Netbook.

True, Netbooks are very popular with consumers right now, but will they be in 2010 and can Google ride the Netbooks' coattails into the heart of consumers?

Google Chrome: A Nerd's Dream Come True

My guess is that though bleeding edge technology lovers and fanatics will think this is "cool" news, the average technology-hungry consumer will have more questions about this option than answers.

Innovation is a great thing, but the question isn't about Google's innovative spirit, it's about what do consumers want and need. After all, consumers don't like too many confusing choices. Ever scratch your head in the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store asking yourself "do we really need 30 different brands?"

Here's what consumers want to know:

*What is Chrome? It's a new operating system -- the code the runs all the programs and hardware on a computer or device. Chrome is being built on top of the code that also runs the alternative Linux operating system. Linux is a free and competitive alternative to Windows.

*Why should I care? It will be another operating system to consider when buying a Netbook. Your other options are buying a Netbook that runs Linux or Microsoft Windows.

*How are operating systems different? Like Fords, Chevrolets and Toyotas, these computer operating systems are built differently, have different features and some are more popular than others.

*So does the OS truly matter for me, the consumer? That is the million dollar question.

So far, as Netbooks have grown in popularity, it appears that consumers do apparently care which operating system powers their Netbooks, but not for the reasons you might think.

They don't care whether it's a Ford or a Honda engine under the hood. Many may not know how to tell a hard drive from a CPU fan or spark plug. But what consumers like is familiarity and comfort.

* So are they buying up Netbooks that run Linux because Linux is cool? No. Instead, consumers bought Linux-powered Netbooks initially because that was what the first wave of Netbooks ran to save money. But as Microsoft worked on a smaller, feature-laden version of its Windows operating system to power Netbooks, manufacturers began buying it cheaply and loading it on to their new Netbooks.

And what happened to the Netbook marketplace after Windows started appearing on Netbooks? Well, that's when consumers saw the Windows label, which is familiar and friendly, and decided to buy the Windows versions because they already know how to use them and are familiar with them.

Since then, the Linux-powered Netbook market has fallen drastically, according to industry analysts, while Windows versions are today's shiny chrome on a fancy Harley-Davidson. It gets consumers in the door and helps make the sale.

What consumers do care about, though, is whether Chrome or any other new operating system will run their favorite programs, like Apple's iTunes or Microsoft Office. Those will be among the measures of success for Chrome or anything that follows it. We'll have to wait to get those answers.

So what's this all mean for Google? Well, wanting to be innovative is a great thing.

But this looks like a hard road that Google is about to enter. That's not to say they shouldn't do it.

The question is, what will you, the consumer, get out of it. Americans love chrome.

But will they love this Chrome? Let the polishing begin.

[capriceman]

I think this guy is absolutely right. do consumers care? and Most people like the Windows badge even though they hate it, its the only thing they know.

[Robert Hall]

I've been using the Chrome browser since it first became public, like it alot, moreso than Firefox or Safari. I'll be looking forward to giving the Chrome OS a spin when it eventually comes out.

I've got a mix of OSes on different machines at home, from XP and Vista to Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS X...each has their positives and negatives. At work, I use XP.

[PurdueGuy]

It's going to be interesting to see, but MS is doing a lot of things right with Win7, so it could be interesting.

[Intrepidation]

I don't have a netbook, but if I did or Google builds an OS for desktops, I'd love to give it a shot. With that said, I've been thoroughly impressed with Windows 7.

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't have a netbook, but if I did or Google builds an OS for desktops, I'd love to give it a shot. With that said, I've been thoroughly impressed with Windows 7.

Windows 7 will need a netbook version. The desktop version is too big.

[PurdueGuy]

Windows 7 will need a netbook version. The desktop version is too big.

Are you certain? Do you mean big as in size on hard drive, or big as in resource intensive? Because I don't see an issue on the resource end of things, considering it's been successfully installed on a P2 machine, and I haven't checked the specs on the hard drives they include with the netbooks, but hard drives keep getting bigger in storage and smaller in size, so I find it hard to believe there would be a catastrophic issue with storage space, since few people are going to try to use a netbook as a desktop replacement.

[Drew Dowdell]

Are you certain? Do you mean big as in size on hard drive, or big as in resource intensive? Because I don't see an issue on the resource end of things, considering it's been successfully installed on a P2 machine, and I haven't checked the specs on the hard drives they include with the netbooks, but hard drives keep getting bigger in storage and smaller in size, so I find it hard to believe there would be a catastrophic issue with storage space, since few people are going to try to use a netbook as a desktop replacement.

Resource intensive. They run well on machines with a lot of ram.

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

Resource intensive. They run well on machines with a lot of ram.

I have a friend running Win 7 RC1 on 2 gigs of ram on his netbook and it runs just fine.

[FAPTurbo]

Win 7 was actually designed with low power netbooks like mine in mind, and from what I've seen, it runs as well, or sometimes faster than XP on the same hardware.

I doubt MS will stand still with this OS coming in the future, but at the same time, I doubt it'll feel too threatened because Google OS will run on Linux, which is not accessible to a lot of people for some obvious reasons.

[aaaantoine]

Google OS will run on Linux, which is not accessible to a lot of people for some obvious reasons.

Google will make it accessible. They are pretty good at doing things like that.

I'll have to check it out via Virtual Machine when it's released. Google's Chrome OS could eclipse Ubuntu simply by use of its household brand name, combined with the exposure they can give it at www.google.com (hint: look how quickly Google Chrome established itself).

[FAPTurbo]

Google will make it accessible. They are pretty good at doing things like that.

I'm talking more in terms of program compatability. Netbooks may be mainly for browsing, but I'll bet plenty of people will try and install iTunes on it, and then bitch to people at Best Buy about how their computer's broken.

[aaaantoine]

I'm talking more in terms of program compatability. Netbooks may be mainly for browsing, but I'll bet plenty of people will try and install iTunes on it, and then bitch to people at Best Buy about how their computer's broken.

Apparently, the draw for Google Chrome OS is going to be the same or similar to what Palm did with the Pre: the development platform is going to be based on web development technologies. Native Win/GTK/Qt/Cocoa(?) application programmers may scoff, but this sort of thing would be right up my alley.

It may not run iTunes at all, unless Google can somehow seamlessly integrate wine, but perhaps Apple -- for their own reasons -- will launch an online edition of iTunes.

I know how hard it's been to crack the Windows monopoly, but the web has been making it easier.

Edit: Wine would be better than nothing, but not quite up to par with Windows in the case of iTunes.

Edited July 9, 2009 by aaaantoine

[Robert Hall]

Apparently, the draw for Google Chrome OS is going to be the same or similar to what Palm did with the Pre: the development platform is going to be based on web development technologies. Native Win/GTK/Qt/Cocoa(?) application programmers may scoff, but this sort of thing would be right up my alley.

It may not run iTunes at all, unless Google can somehow seamlessly integrate wine, but perhaps Apple -- for their own reasons -- will launch an online edition of iTunes.

I know how hard it's been to crack the Windows monopoly, but the web has been making it easier.

Edit: Wine would be better than nothing, but not quite up to par with Windows in the case of iTunes.

Yes, Google's whole software model is web-based, like Docs, Gmail. Different application model from Windows, OSX, Unix, etc.

I've been looking into the GWT and other Google technologies, incl. their API for Phone app development... I've been doing enterprise Java for over a decade, looking into Ruby on Rails or phone software development for my next direction, or for side projects...

Edited July 9, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar