Chrome OS- Google strikes back at Microsoft and Apple

[Ichneumon]

So, it seems (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html) google is coming with their new Operating System "Chrome OS". I like how it looks and such, might even fight it more usefull than Windows xp or mac os x on a netbook sized laptop. However, I'm a bit scared of the "cloud"-stuff. Will my laptop turn useless if I have no internet connection? What are your views on the subject of Google's next big thing?

[Dallas-Dakota]

Eh, just another step of Google taking over the world.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Google is Skynet.

[Gullara]

Eh, just another step of Google taking over the world.

You mean google hasnt already taken over the world?:smallamused:

[MCerberus]

Google is Skynet.

Skynet is Google! *chews some gum*
sorry, watched Ace Ventura recently.



Lightweight sounds good to me right now as long as it will have decent compatibility with some older programs. My XP machine is pretty dated and could use it. My 7 machine I'm not even considering it.

[lesser_minion]

Chrome OS isn't exactly that radical. It's just a Linux distro with a focus on using web applications instead of locally-installed ones.

The only thing you're likely to notice is that the Google implementation of PolicyKit will probably be a bit less obnoxious. Oh, and there will be a new and shiny window manager that runs all of the exact same programs in the exact same way.

While Google may be awesomesauce, Chrome OS is really just a way to get publicity out of some Linux contributions.

[valadil]

Chrome OS isn't exactly that radical. It's just a Linux distro with a focus on using web applications instead of locally-installed ones.

The only thing you're likely to notice is that the Google implementation of PolicyKit will probably be a bit less obnoxious. Oh, and there will be a new and shiny window manager that runs all of the exact same programs in the exact same way.

While Google may be awesomesauce, Chrome OS is really just a way to get publicity out of some Linux contributions.

From what I've read, it only lets you use web applications. You can't install applications or even have access to your own hard drive. One of the press releases I read said this was never meant to be a primary OS, but an OS for that secondary computer. Sounds like it'll do well on netbooks though.

[lesser_minion]

From what I've read, it only lets you use web applications. You can't install applications or even have access to your own hard drive. One of the press releases I read said this was never meant to be a primary OS, but an OS for that secondary computer. Sounds like it'll do well on netbooks though.

That does make a difference to my comments about PolicyKit and running all of the same programs in the same way, but I still don't think this is anything more than an attempt to attract publicity to what amounts to little more than a Linux contribution.

[arguskos]

I also heard the other day that Chrome will only be supporting solid state drives, not traditional disk hard drives, which puts me off somewhat. It means I'd have to build my comp from the ground up to support the system, something I'm not crazy amused about. :smallannoyed:

[FinalJustice]

I doubt it will be just 'yet another Linux distro'. It will use Linux kernel, but I expect some new and interesting stuff on top of it from the Google Team. I deemed Chrome as 'yet another browser' on the launch and today I absolutely love it. Learned my lesson to expect Google to surprise me there and then :P

I don't like the whole 'everything on the cloud' shebang either. It reeks of "everything on google", and lock in is never, ever, good. Besides, I've found rather bored with my computer without broadband conection, I don't want this to get any worse. Besides, google shouldn't take package repositories away from us, it's a beautiful thing when done right. If they can make it better in Chrome OS, kudos. If they go on with this 'thin client OS' mentality, maybe Chrome OS will not be for me at all.

[Ichneumon]

As long as you are capable of using the computer in some way without an internet connection AND I can use some kind of vector image editor (like inkscape or illustrator), I'm happy.

[raitalin]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8369611.stm

After this, I'm not nearly excited as I was. I thought it might get me to switch from Ubuntu, but I don't see any reason to here. Definitely seems more suited to netbooks than anything else.

Why are so many people wanting to try this that aren't willing to install Ubuntu? I suppose people are intimidates by the idea of Linux, which is why Google OS isn't marketed as such.

[SMEE]

I doubt it will be just 'yet another Linux distro'. It will use Linux kernel, but I expect some new and interesting stuff on top of it from the Google Team. *snip*

http://apcmag.com/why_i_quit_kernel_developer_con_kolivas.htm

I'd be happy that instead of just using the Linux kernel, they worked on improving it for use on desktops.
The article I posted can be very enlightening regarding this matter.
Linux is a good piece of software... but not very desktop focused.

*sighs*
A good opportunity for improvement missed. :smallfrown:

[FinalJustice]

Wow, very nice arcticle indeed. Very interesting and clarified some misconceptions I had about Linux. Thanks ;)

And I have come to agree with you after reading it. Would be nice if Google decided to bring Linux back to user desktop.

IMHO, it would be also very cool if Google decided to create an OS from scratch. Sometimes, see the wheel be reinvented is fun. >D

Unrelated: After read this article, the whole software oriented evolution versus hardware oriented evolution kolivas mentions in the beggining of the interview stuck in my head. I want so badly to discuss this I will drop this argumentative bomb in the middle of CS geeks I work with as soon as possible.

[SMEE]

That article is very interesting indeed.

We need more people other than Microsoft doing desktop kernel development to spring some innovation in the area.

[Rawhide]

I tried to install Google Chrome once, after three attempts to get it to install properly I got rid of the piece of (very fishy) carp.

Google have used some extremely dodgy practices in Chrome's installation routine. They violated all standards for installation practices, you can't even choose where you install the darned program, it forces itself in your User Data folder, not your Program Files.

Read more about it here (http://gaetandhont.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/google-chromes-installation-on-your-computer-yellow-and-red-cards/).

[Crispy Dave]

I tried to install Google Chrome once, after three attempts to get it to install properly I got rid of the piece of (very fishy) carp.

Google have used some extremely dodgy practices in Chrome's installation routine. They violated all standards for installation practices, you can't even choose where you install the darned program, it forces itself in your User Data folder, not your Program Files.

Read more about it here (http://gaetandhont.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/google-chromes-installation-on-your-computer-yellow-and-red-cards/).

They did that because their world domination plans require the program to be in the data folder.(The programmers were too lazy to write the 8 lines of code to change that)

[Zeb The Troll]

"Underwhelmed by ChromeOS? That's kinda the point." (http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/182820/underwhelmed_by_chrome_os_thats_kinda_the_point.ht ml?tk=nl_dnx_h_crawl)

[Trixie]

From what I've read, it only lets you use web applications. You can't install applications or even have access to your own hard drive. One of the press releases I read said this was never meant to be a primary OS, but an OS for that secondary computer. Sounds like it'll do well on netbooks though.

From what I've seen, it's useless.

Unless you happen to have source of free wifi and don't mind turning your netbook into glorified typewriter.

[Zeb The Troll]

I read another article that suggested that it's purpose is to be used on web appliances, not home computers. Let me see if I can find it...

Here it is. (http://www.pcworld.com/article/182818-2/google_chrome_os_not_for_your_desktop.html)

Okay, so it's not for desktops. It's specifically designed for web only use on low resource systems. That's supposedly why they went the SSD Only route, because SSD's use less power than traditional HD's.

If you think it's useless, it's probably not something you're going to be interested in.

However, it looks like a good idea for developing devices that are small and portable. With a little bit of preplanning, for example, business people can travel with it and do things like correspondence and document creation/management on the free wi-fi in their hotel room or McDonalds while they're away from the office. "They can do that now!" you say. Yes, but this system will cost even less than the cheapo netbooks available now. And the sample system in the article (an Eee PC) booted up in 7 seconds.

[Trixie]

Bussines people in Mac Donalds? :smallconfused:

Does not compute.

Also, did you saw how quickly Win7 boots from SSD?

[Optimystik]

"Underwhelmed by ChromeOS? That's kinda the point." (http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/182820/underwhelmed_by_chrome_os_thats_kinda_the_point.ht ml?tk=nl_dnx_h_crawl)

Read this.

A lot of the people unimpressed with Chrome OS are the people that use their computers for other things besides the internet. That's fine; it just means the OS isn't for you. Stick with whichever ones can run your hardware then.

This is a godsend for a lot of businesses, and that's how Google will make the big bucks. Don't be surprised if your office starts issuing netbooks with this thing on it instead of laptops. I just hope it means we'll all be able to telecommute more.

[Trixie]

So... giving something useless without wifi? :smallconfused:

How is that godsend?

I have experience working on google docs on free, public citywide wifi - it sucks. No document refreshing, partial saving, slow page loading (even if it has barely over five sentences) - and that's on proper laptop, with caching and good browser, not that Chrome abomination. You cannot save anything on hard drive if net fails, you cannot access anything offline, you can nothing.

Also - updates without notice. I bet we'll have huge Chrome zombie network 6 months after launch, bricked netbooks and a few cases of date conveniently changing hands, causing various losses.

[Optimystik]

So... giving something useless without wifi? :smallconfused:

How is that godsend?

Simple: Google is planning for the future. Global or even city-wide Wi-Fi may suck now, but it won't forever. Cloud Computing may be less efficient than running programs locally now, but it won't be forever. For a business - say, a consulting firm, or an accounting firm - having each associate completely mobile with a cost-effective, company-provided netbook pulling all their sensitive or proprietary data from a central location (or even just a node) is a much more attractive prospect than having any of that data stored locally; this is true from both a security and a maintenance aspect.


I have experience working on google docs on free, public citywide wifi - it sucks. No document refreshing, partial saving, slow page loading (even if it has barely over five sentences) - and that's on proper laptop, with caching and good browser, not that Chrome abomination. You cannot save anything on hard drive if net fails, you cannot access anything offline, you can nothing.

Like I said above, just because web-based applications are unfeasible now does not mean they will continue to be. Someone has to break the ground, and it might as well be Google.

[Zeb The Troll]

Simple: Google is planning for the future. Global or even city-wide Wi-Fi may suck now, but it won't forever. Cloud Computing may be less efficient than running programs locally now, but it won't be forever. For a business - say, a consulting firm, or an accounting firm - having each associate completely mobile with a cost-effective, company-provided netbook pulling all their sensitive or proprietary data from a central location (or even just a node) is a much more attractive prospect than having any of that data stored locally; this is true from both a security and a maintenance aspect.



Like I said above, just because web-based applications are unfeasible now does not mean they will continue to be. Someone has to break the ground, and it might as well be Google.Also, from a business and maintenance standpoint, the idea that a borked netbook can be reimaged from the web without loss of settings and data has much promise.

And why are we stuck on this WiFi thing? Nothing anywhere says it only runs on WiFi. I'd be very surprised if most offerings don't also have a 10/100/1000 NIC built in. And it doesn't just have to be used for travel, though many decent hotels these days offer free WiFi in all of their rooms, most homes also have broadband internet access and, with a company provided Chrome'd netbook, teleworking could be a lot more easily justified.

No, Windows 7 does not boot up in 7 seconds with an SSD instead of a standard HD.

You don't have to like it. You don't even have to acknowledge it, but there it is. I'm intrigued by the potential here.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Well, I have a netbook running Windows XP... I'm considering the Ubuntu OS, but of course I don't have a CD drive on the netbook, and don't want to buy an external one.

So, is there anywhere where I can download a netbook ready Ubuntu distro that can go directly to a USB stick, then directly use it to install? And at the same time not overwhelm the underpowered machine that is an Acer One netbook?

Oh, my basic use for the netbook is surfing the web, some writing (Open Office works just fine), .pdf file viewing, and movie watching. Plus .jpg's from my daughter's computer and my cell phone.

[SurlySeraph]

@^: Another Open Office user? Not to derail things, but quick question. Is there any way to make it so that each paragraph has the same indent as the one above it? Or, more humbly, so that lines in a paragraph all have the same indent as the first line? Because I'm used to MS Word doing that automatically, and it's a pain in the ass having to hit Tab at the end of every line when I'm taking notes.

I see Chrome OS as having merit for what it's designed for - running quickly where you have net access - but I wouldn't install it myself. Keeping things in the cloud presumably lets you get at your data from anywhere you have net access, yes, but I'd rather be able to get my data on demand whether or not I have access. And while I know cloud data storage has lots of potential and applications, I'm quite suspicious of it. It's inherently less secure than keeping things on your hard drive, beaming data back and forth whenever you want to open a 3-MB file doesn't strike me as efficient, and there's nothing you personally can do to recover your data if the servers go down. It just strikes me as too unreliable for me to want to do much with.

[Reinboom]

@^: Another Open Office user? Not to derail things, but quick question. Is there any way to make it so that each paragraph has the same indent as the one above it? Or, more humbly, so that lines in a paragraph all have the same indent as the first line? Because I'm used to MS Word doing that automatically, and it's a pain in the ass having to hit Tab at the end of every line when I'm taking notes.

I see Chrome OS as having merit for what it's designed for - running quickly where you have net access - but I wouldn't install it myself. Keeping things in the cloud presumably lets you get at your data from anywhere you have net access, yes, but I'd rather be able to get my data on demand whether or not I have access. And while I know cloud data storage has lots of potential and applications, I'm quite suspicious of it. It's inherently less secure than keeping things on your hard drive, beaming data back and forth whenever you want to open a 3-MB file doesn't strike me as efficient, and there's nothing you personally can do to recover your data if the servers go down. It just strikes me as too unreliable for me to want to do much with.

I see Chrome as more of a business OS now. You run into a library, on to a school computer, anywhere and voilá, your documents are ready for you to print out. No longer did you forget to put your files on your laptop for that long business trip that you needed to work on the spreadsheet over, it's all available to you. I mean, even many planes have wifi enabled on them now.


On open office:
I recommend using styles and formatting for everything you expect to be automatic. Press F11 or click through the format window to find.
Click on the Paragraph tab if its not already active (should be on the far left). The selection should be on 'Text Styles' by default.
Right click default, go to modify. Change the first line indent and everything in here.

I would also recommend using these to apply headers and the sort. Go to your title page, put your cursor in the same line as your title (doesn't have to highlight it), double click 'Header 1'. Modify header 1 to your needs.
The reason to use the default header 1, etc. is also because it allows you to make index pages, outlines, and the sort much easier. (See Insert, Cross Reference).

This is easier to do from a fresh document write.

Also, note that Paragraph styles do not overwrite character styles, such as you applying bold by hand. In order to revert it back to just the paragraph style, highlight what you need to go back to default and press Ctrl + M, or Format > Default Formatting.

[valadil]

Well, I have a netbook running Windows XP... I'm considering the Ubuntu OS, but of course I don't have a CD drive on the netbook, and don't want to buy an external one.

So, is there anywhere where I can download a netbook ready Ubuntu distro that can go directly to a USB stick, then directly use it to install? And at the same time not overwhelm the underpowered machine that is an Acer One netbook?



I believe you can use a normal .iso file. There is some amount of setup involved in getting the files onto your USB stick however.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick