The Google Chrome OS, while not really an OS at all is considerably faster, and the methods implemented will help prevent viruses, but the real question will be, are there enough people out there willing to buy a netbook that's just for the internet?
While the bootup time is incredibly fast in comparison to Windows or even Linux (though you could build a barebones OS similar to this based on Linux very easily), the question remains how are the people going to take to this new technology?
Many people may be very accepting of Google Chrome OS simply because the system is a means of foolproof access to the world wide web, and the development of such technology has been in the thoughts of many for a very long time. However, I fear that it may fail for the same reasons people don't use Linux for home computing. --"The games"--
While the Chrome OS will be capable of playing integrated browser based games, the feature design does not allow for download games or implementation of other games. The exception to this is potentially through the use of additional usb cards, similar to a cartridge based gaming system.
Some of the features that the Chrome OS include.
* Easy internet access
* Simple trouble shooting
* Instant internet access
* Access to all your online games and music
* Instant updates
* Hardware security
* Quickly change from user account to another and keep them seperated by using flash sticks.
* Open source means constant content updates and current OS if the firmware checks the internet directly for updates then this furthers the potential for instant updates.
Now what about the the draw backs?
* Open source means everyone knows how it works
* Widely used like Microsoft Windows means that it will become target for viruses spam and more while the hardware level security should prevent this if everyone knows how that security works it's not nearly as hard to find a way to circumvent it.
* No offline games
* No word processors
* No offline media player
* little or no local storage for personal files
The new Google OS is going to blow your mind, if you are the type of person who does nothing but play on the internet, or for that matter work on the internet, but for the rest of us it may not hit the spot.
While there are many advantages to this form of OS, there are also a few disadvantages. A real important question is going to be, how much is Google going to sell this unit for?
Currently you can get a netbook for $200 to $250 brand new at best buy, with a full size hard drive that is capable of all those things above and more. While people may be interested in a browser only system, it is going to have to run on cheaper hardware then the currently available products. Without a cheaper, and more effective marketing strategy, it's going to find itself nothing more then another failed Linux distro.
Don't get me wrong, I love Linux and I really don't like Microsoft. However, it's not our decision so much as the developers, who create the sofware we use daily. If the developers think it's too hard to program for Linux, they won't bother. Likewise, if they think the market is not big enough for Linux ports of our software, they won't bother.
The advantage Googles OS has in this area is simplicity. When running nothing more then a kernel, a single proprietary video driver, a sound driver, Wifi driver, and a browser, your overhead is considerably smaller.
The bulk of Windows is gone, and because of this you need less storage space on the hard drive, and less memory to store all this. This makes the hardware it runs on have the potential to be extremely cheap.
While this is not meant as a replacement for current Windows technology on desktop PCs, it is an attempt at overcoming the netbook market, and to do so Google will have to come up with some pretty cheap hardware, and do it without developer licensing fees to compensate for the cheap sales. Google may find it difficult to meet this demand.
However, the iPad and the iPod are not cheap devices and certainly not full featured. The iPad and the iPod have their own games, and developers consider it a market worthy of their attention. The hardware cost of $499 for an iPad hardly justifies the purpose, and yet people still buy it. There may be room yet for Google in this portable internet market.
