Filed under: OS Updates, Google, Op-Ed
Is Google Chrome OS a Windows killer? Or just a Jolicloud killer?
And that makes sense, because most of Google's applications are web-based. Think Gmail, Google Docs, Google Talk, Google Reader, and so on. Heck, even Google's desktop applications like Picasa and Google Desktop have online components.
In the official blog post announcing Google Chrome Operating System, Google also mentions that all development for the platform will be web-based. So if you want to create a new office suite or a farting application, you'll write it for the web, and the apps will be available for Chrome, Windows, Mac, or Linux.
What remains to be seen is whether Google Chrome will run any desktop applications at all. The operating system will be based on the Linux kernel, but that doesn't mean it will be able to run Linux applications like OpenOffice.org, or Pidgin.
The web-app approach makes a lot of sense for netbooks, cheap portable computers that are generally considered secondary PCs instead of primary machines. Because if your email, office documents, and other data are stored on the web, there's no need to continually synchronize your data between a netbook and your primary machine. And in fact, Google says that netbooks will be some of the first devices to run the operating system, with Chrome-powered netbooks due out in the second half of 2010.
But would you be happy running web apps as your only applications on your primary computer? Or even on a secondary machine. What happens when you're on an airplane without WiFi? Does your computer become useless?
While some folks will inevitably call Google Chrome a Windows-killer, because everything that's ever introduced clearly has to kill something else for its survival (/end sarcasm), it looks to me more like a Jolicloud killer. Jolicloud is a Linux-based, netbook-specific operating system founded by Tariq Krim, the guy behind the Netvibes personal start page.
Netvibes brings a whole slew of web and social networking-based elements to a desktop operating system. Users can install "applications" that are web-based including Meebo, Google Docs, or Twitter to their desktop. Once installed, you can launch a Mozilla Prism-based browser that will open those web apps by clicking on a desktop icon. You can add contacts to your Jolicloud profile and track what apps your friends are using.
But Jolicloud, which is based on Ubuntu, also lets you install full Linux desktop applications. You can install media players, office suites, or image editing software and use your netbook even when there's no internet connection around. Of course, by eliminating these options, Google Chrome Operating System may be able to be lighter weight, taking up less space, fewer system resources, and booting faster. But I kind of wonder whether Chrome has what it takes to best Jolicloud, let alone Windows or OS X. How far will the Google name alone take this operating system?
As The Business Insider points out, there's another challenge facing Google Chrome Operating System as well: Google's history of introducing really cool products and then kind of forgetting about them a few months down the road. Think Jaiku, Google Notebook, Google Browser Sync, Lively, Dodgeball, and the other Google services that have died in recent years.
Netvibes brings a whole slew of web and social networking-based elements to a desktop operating system. Users can install "applications" that are web-based including Meebo, Google Docs, or Twitter to their desktop. Once installed, you can launch a Mozilla Prism-based browser that will open those web apps by clicking on a desktop icon. You can add contacts to your Jolicloud profile and track what apps your friends are using.
But Jolicloud, which is based on Ubuntu, also lets you install full Linux desktop applications. You can install media players, office suites, or image editing software and use your netbook even when there's no internet connection around. Of course, by eliminating these options, Google Chrome Operating System may be able to be lighter weight, taking up less space, fewer system resources, and booting faster. But I kind of wonder whether Chrome has what it takes to best Jolicloud, let alone Windows or OS X. How far will the Google name alone take this operating system?
As The Business Insider points out, there's another challenge facing Google Chrome Operating System as well: Google's history of introducing really cool products and then kind of forgetting about them a few months down the road. Think Jaiku, Google Notebook, Google Browser Sync, Lively, Dodgeball, and the other Google services that have died in recent years.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Justin said 10:22AM on 7-08-2009
Every site ive read today has the same "google is gonna eat M$'s babies!" headline but quickly forgets to back that up in the article.
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whookid said 10:34AM on 7-08-2009
I think this OS has already beaten itself by making everything it has available every else.
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Erik said 10:58AM on 7-08-2009
While I do think this idea is a tricky sell, Google Gears could at least enable you to use basic apps (docs, email, etc...) offline. Also, a lightweight embedded web server could enable you to install local apps while maintaining the "in browser" continuity.
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AndrewNoNumbers said 8:50PM on 7-08-2009
Yes Google Gears is the most important point here. Without it the OS would be useless, especially on netbooks since most of them rely on WiFi which isn't as widespread as it should be.
Steve Cloke said 12:08PM on 7-08-2009
It'll kill Jolicloud 'cause you may actually be able to get hold of Google's Chrome OS before Jolicloud.
I've been waiting for my Jolicloud invite for months now. They keep teasing us with new info and all the wonderful stuff the keep adding, they just don't seem to send out the invites!!!
I think I'll go with which ever I can get first..
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Eric H. said 11:30AM on 7-08-2009
As you said, this would be great on a supplement light weight computer, but not for the main PC for most people. However, I could easily see my grandparents being quite happy with having something like this as their only computer as they can barely figure out how to use the mouse, but they like to email and such.
By no means could this possibly be a MS killer. There are simply too many people who do not want to give up regular desktop functionality even in their netbooks. I however, may be inclined to get a Chrome OS netbook over an XP/win 7 netbook.
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Robert H said 11:35AM on 7-08-2009
This should all work fine offline - several of Google's current applications (gmail, reader, etc) work offline with Gears, so I imagine that future ones will also.
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FNG said 11:45AM on 7-08-2009
so will this Google OS allow me to use browsers other than chrome? Like oh I don't know, IE? You know what I'm saying here...
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Spex said 12:40PM on 7-08-2009
Of course you can't run IE on it. But that's because Microsoft doesn't want to make it cross-platform, not because Google wouldn't let you. The same can be said about Chrome the browser, which asks which search engine you want to use rather then assuming you'll always want to use Google.
Dach said 12:29PM on 7-08-2009
Hardly a M$ killer, or even a Linux killer. Reason? no x64. x64 isn't even the future anymore; it's the present. Sadly, ChromeOS will be a brief footnote in netbook history. Eventually, even netbooks will be able to support x64 computing across the board, and Chrome won't be able to keep up.
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wine.curmudgeon said 3:43PM on 7-08-2009
The interesting question is why, since Google has a possible netbook OS in Android, they're doing this.
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AndrewNoNumbers said 8:50PM on 7-08-2009
Because Android doesn't work well as a netbook OS. It was never meant to be used on a full-on computer (yes even netbooks are full-on computers).
Tony Montana said 8:50PM on 7-08-2009
I think Windows is dead.
I mean here we are sitting talking about things like Apps, x64, Google Gears, syncing etc etc
Stop a person in the street and ask them what any of those are and maybe 1 in 50 people can tell you.
I read during the past year desktop sales have plummeted and netbook sales have gone through the roof.
Now for me personally I need my quad core Intel processor and my shiny ATI graphics cards with my 24 + 19 inch monitor set up.
For the average person a simple netbook that allows them to get online and check their emails is enough.
Thing about most people is they don't have any idea what an operating system is, what it does or how it works.
They only want something that will allow them to get onto the internet, check their twitter feeds, let them write emails and check out some youtube videos.
The internet is constantly becoming the common denominator when it comes to computer use for your average user.
If you were to offer your average user an ARM Chrome OS netbook for 200 dollars that let them check their mail and use facebook and twitter that is what they would opt for.
Not everybody wants big fancy set ups like us and not everybody has the same user requirements we do.
This operating system would eat away at the majority of the market.
Imagine 50 dollars off your next Dell for running an OS just designed to give you access to your internet features.
There are few things you cannot access over the internet already and as the internet is spreading everywhere from netbooks to cellphones its really a matter of time before we live in a syncing web connected world and this is the first step.
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Quikboy said 8:50PM on 7-08-2009
Windows is dead? What a rather bold statement.
There are many people that want an OS that can do it all, and also Internet connectivity may not always be available 24/7. There's also still some trust issues with Google being involved.
Skeljian said 10:12PM on 7-08-2009
Yeah, not gonna happen. If people can't handle going from XP to Vista (basic usability is practically identical) without freaking out there's no way we're all gonna migrate to the cloud anytime soon. People don't know they are on the internet if their homepage is something other than MSN (about:blank, for example). Believe me, I used to do tech support and if their homepage wasn't there or it timed out or something they call you up and say, "My internet is broken!!!" I'd tell them to type an address into that one thing caled the address bar and next thing you know, "Oh, it looks like it's working now. I can't believe you fixed it already!"
Now imagine an entire OS based on the internet...
ryaninc said 6:40AM on 7-10-2009
@Skeljian
You're bringing back some nasty tech support memories for me. Those phone calls where I would ask, "who's your Internet service provider?" and they'd answer, "um, I click on the blue E."
*shudder*
Justin said 9:13PM on 7-08-2009
@tony
I like alot of what you have to say, and no doubt id like to see improvements in M$ and googles offering. First, what google will create wont be x64 since itll be on netbooks. If im mistaken, drop me a line. Also, look at all the other google projects that have become neglected. Why would a consumer want this when they can apparently get the same operation and connectivity via smart mobiles?
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VitaminCM said 7:26AM on 7-09-2009
It's probably not going to be that valuable to very many people. Here is why I'm not that psyched about the Google Operating System
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Dave Forster said 7:26AM on 7-09-2009
The trouble with web based apps is that they need to be hosted... which generally costs money... which would probably means fewer free apps unless its from google, ms or other companies who can afford to give it away. Forget about your nice free portable apps collections on a stick etc
The Google Os will end up being another niche product just like the many flavours of linux. Windows is here to stay.
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Matt said 11:22AM on 7-09-2009
Just because the Chrome OS will be web based doesn't mean that the apps for it will all be hosted in the cloud. It is entirely possible that the development model will ape that of Palm's WebOS/Mojo SDK with native functionality exposed through JavaScript APIs (nixysa lets you do this) with UIs for those apps built in HTML/CSS.
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