Google Unveils Chrome OS
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 19th Nov 2009 20:01 UTC
Google Google has just unveiled its Chrome OS operating system during a press event at the company's headquarters, and it's pretty much exactly what we expected it to be: a streamlined Linux kernel booting straight into the Chrome web browser. The code is available starting today.
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I hate to be a nitpick but...
by galvanash on Thu 19th Nov 2009 20:35 UTC
galvanash
Member since:
2006-01-25

There is nothing wrong with making educated guesses on stuff like this Thom, but it is somewhat dishonest to guess wrong and than claim to have guessed correctly. Yesterday Kroc posted it would basically be a web browser and that developers would already be prepared for it. You replied:

It won't. It will be a lot more like a traditional operating system than people think.


That was yesterday. Today you post this:

Google has just unveiled its Chrome OS operating system during a press event at the company's headquarters, and it's pretty much exactly what we expected it to be: a streamlined Linux kernel booting straight into the Chrome web browser


So which is it?

Reply Score: 17

RE: I hate to be a nitpick but...
by Kroc on Thu 19th Nov 2009 20:47 in reply to "I hate to be a nitpick but..."
Kroc Member since:
2005-11-10

For me, it was _exactly_ what I expected and imagined it would be. Down to the small details.

*Finally*, some damn innovation in the user space.

Ditch the multiple splash screens, the multi-stage logins, the incompetent BIOS manufacturers (Google have supplied a custom firmware)

Version numbers are gone. Security is re engineered. Safe, silent updates and no more irrelevant nagging.

This is a bold, unflinching statement of the future, and a breath of fresh air. Microsoft and the OEMs could never have done this in a million years.

Reply Parent Score: 4

cycoj Member since:
2007-11-04

For me, it was _exactly_ what I expected and imagined it would be. Down to the small details.

*Finally*, some damn innovation in the user space.


Come on?! You call this innovation? We had this > 10 years ago, it's a bloody thin client, except instead of the X protocol it uses http. That's pretty much it.


Ditch the multiple splash screens, the multi-stage logins, the incompetent BIOS manufacturers (Google have supplied a custom firmware)


How does this ditch the multiple logins? You still have to lock into every webservice you are going to use. I agree that getting rid of incompetent BIOS manufactures is a good thing. But multiple splash screens?


Version numbers are gone. Security is re engineered. Safe, silent updates and no more irrelevant nagging.


Security is not re-engineered, safe silent updates? You can do that already with most package managers just turn automatic updates on, it's just not always a good thing, a lot of people actually like to have control over what gets updated.


This is a bold, unflinching statement of the future, and a breath of fresh air. Microsoft and the OEMs could never have done this in a million years.


If this is the future of computing I'd rather not be part of it. I'd like to have control over my information, I'd like to decide which applications I install (and I like to use native applications, they are and always will run a lot more responsive on my computer). This isn't bold, it's what was to be expected from google, and I'm completely underwhelmed.

Reply Parent Score: 12

Read more of this thread... >
r_a_trip Member since:
2005-07-06

*Finally*, some damn innovation in the user space.

Ahem, sorry... Client/Server computing is old. It is a return to the Mainframe model. Cloud Computing is a centrally controlled behemoth of computing power and the end user gets a dumb terminal (Chrome OS device).

I see no innovation.It's technology spanning from the 60's to the 90's, with merely a fresh lick of paint. We even lose the control again we gained with fat client desktop computing.

Reply Parent Score: 6

Thom_Holwerda Member since:
2005-06-29

Clue: everyone. The common thought was that it would be like what it is now. My personal expectation was that it would be more traditional.

Reply Parent Score: 1

galvanash Member since:
2006-01-25

Clue: everyone. The common thought was that it would be like what it is now. My personal expectation was that it would be more traditional.


Well you did say we, which traditionally includes the speaker, but I'm not going to harp on it. I'm actually genuinely curious as to what you think of it now that we do know what it is. I think a lot of people were expecting it to be a bit more than "just a browser" for no other reason than they couldn't see the point of it all otherwise.

Reply Parent Score: 2

jibadeeha Member since:
2009-08-10

There is nothing wrong with making educated guesses on stuff like this Thom, but it is somewhat dishonest to guess wrong and than claim to have guessed correctly. Yesterday Kroc posted it would basically be a web browser and that developers would already be prepared for it. You replied:

"It won't. It will be a lot more like a traditional operating system than people think.


That was yesterday. Today you post this:

Google has just unveiled its Chrome OS operating system during a press event at the company's headquarters, and it's pretty much exactly what we expected it to be: a streamlined Linux kernel booting straight into the Chrome web browser


So which is it? "

I think Thom is referring to the royal "we".

Reply Parent Score: 2

drcoldfoot Member since:
2006-08-25

I believe Thom was spot on. What is a traditional OS? A kernel, booting then presenting a user interface and presented with user tools ie: the Browser.

Reply Parent Score: 1