Google Chrome OS - How it Fits in Windows, Mac and Linux.
The good, bad and ugly truth about Google OS.
Adrian Kingsley - Hughes from ZDnet.com had a little time to think about Google's vision for the OS and how it fits in with Windows, Mac and Linux.
The Good
There’s a lot he likes about Chrome OS because it sounds different enough and radical enough to maybe get people thinking a little differently about what an OS is and how it relates, how to secure it, how it interacts with the hardware and how the user interacts with the it. Certainly the way that Google plans to make Chrome OS speedier and more secure shows that there’s been a lot of out of the box thinking going on.
There’s also tight integration with Google’s massive array of online apps. Now, depending on how you view Google this can either be a good thing or a very bad thing. However, it’s hard to deny that a machine where all your data and settings are synced to the cloud for both storage and security is a very interesting way to mitigate data and system loss disasters. The idea that your data isn’t tied to a particular system is interesting, and the idea that all local data is encrypted is also very interesting.
The Bad
First, Chrome OS is basically one big Google vehicle, pushing Google’s online services. If you like Gmail, Docs and so on, great, if you don’t, well, Chrome really isn’t for you. That’s not to say that you can’t use other online services for some things, but overall Chrome OS ties you into Google in many ways.
Another problem is that Google isn’t looking at Chrome OS as software, but as netbooks loaded with Chrome OS as products. Sound familiar? Yeah, sounds an awful lot like Apple. It sounds like getting Chrome OS to run on standard desktops, laptops and notebooks isn’t a priority for Google, so people wanting to take the OS for a spin will need to do some legwork.
The Ugly
Chrome OS sounds like it revolves heavily on having near constant access to the web, which even today with WiFi and 3G networks, isn’t always possible. Google seems to be building in features that allow you to use Chrome OS devices standalone, but this sounds like it caters for rare instances when the device is not hooked up to the web, rather than long periods.
How it Fits
It’s interesting that Chrome OS doesn’t represent a direct threat to Windows, Mac or Linux because the OS can’t be downloaded and installed onto existing systems. However, given that Google is earmarking netbookesque form factor devices to get the Chrome OS treatment, this still means that Google could capture market share from both Windows and Mac, especially those looking for a simple, fuss-free web-based solution.
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