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Google Chrome OS
enc0re
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This needs a thread, either here or in G&T.
Intro reading:
Googleblog announcement.
Economist Article:
NYT Article (hopefully bypassing sign-in wall):
If you post a nice link to other high quality articles, I'll throw them into the OP.
Credits:
mr_ekim - Googleblog post.
Intro reading:
Googleblog announcement.
Economist Article:
Clash of the titans
Jul 8th 2009
From Economist.com
Google launches a direct assault on Microsoft with the promise of a new PC operating system
THE announcement came as a humble blog post on Google’s corporate website late on Tuesday July 7th, but it delivers what is likely to be a dramatic shake-up for the information-technology (IT) industry. By promising to release, at some point later this year, an operating system for personal computers the online giant is launching a direct attack on Microsoft, the world’s biggest software firm.
The confrontation is likely to be momentous. Microsoft’s PC operating system, Windows, boasts a market share of nearly 90%. Although the firm’s empire has been showing signs of decline, it remains a dominant power. Yet industry watchers see a huge threat as the mighty internet company moves into new territory. TechCrunch, a leading technology blog, made it clear how vulnerable it believes Microsoft to be, reporting the news as “Google Drops A Nuclear Bomb On Microsoft”.
In reality it will be more of a slow explosion. At first Google’s Chrome OS, as the new software is called, will be targeted only at netbooks, the cheap and smallish laptops that are proving popular. The idea is to provide a compact operating system with a simple user interface that boots up in a few seconds and allows users to work securely and easily with web-based applications, such as e-mail and social networks. This is why the software is based on a stripped-down version of Linux, the popular open-source operating system, and comes with Chrome, the browser that Google released late last year.
And it will take a while for the program to be ready for prime time. “We have a lot of work to do, and we’re definitely going to need a lot of help from the open-source community”, writes Sundar Pichai, the Google executive in charge of the project, in the blog post announcing the new product. The first netbooks running Chrome OS, he explains, will not be available for consumers before the second half of next year.
Yet Google’s intention is clear. It is plans to do what the now-defunct Netscape attempted when it launched its first browser in the mid-1990s: to make Windows obsolete and turn the browser into the dominant computing platform. Eventually Chrome OS will be used to power full-fledged PCs. All applications written for the software will be web-based and will work with other browsers that are compliant with the latest web standards (even those running on Windows). Chrome OS would also allow users to work offline and synchronise changes later.
Microsoft has not offered an official reaction yet. But the firm must have anticipated such a move. Google’s assault comes when the once almighty software giant is vulnerable. Windows Vista, the latest version of its operating system, has not been a success. Its forays into Google’s main territory, web search and online advertising, have not brought big gains. European antitrust authorities are also still pursuing Microsoft, which limits its ability to strike back at Google.
Yet it is much too early to count Microsoft out. It recently launched Bing, a new search service, which has taken some market share from Google. In October, roughly when Google will make Chrome OS available, Microsoft will release the next iteration of its operating system, Windows 7, a version of which is supposed to run well on netbooks. And the firm is spending billions on a “cloud”, a global network of huge data centres, which will rival Google’s infrastructure and allow Microsoft to offer all kinds of web-based applications.
Will there be a clear winner? Probably not in the foreseeable future. The pockets of both firms are simply too deep. And that is a good thing: the epic fight between the two giants promises to speed up innovation. And that is what the IT industry needs to overcome the recession.
Jul 8th 2009
From Economist.com
Google launches a direct assault on Microsoft with the promise of a new PC operating system
THE announcement came as a humble blog post on Google’s corporate website late on Tuesday July 7th, but it delivers what is likely to be a dramatic shake-up for the information-technology (IT) industry. By promising to release, at some point later this year, an operating system for personal computers the online giant is launching a direct attack on Microsoft, the world’s biggest software firm.
The confrontation is likely to be momentous. Microsoft’s PC operating system, Windows, boasts a market share of nearly 90%. Although the firm’s empire has been showing signs of decline, it remains a dominant power. Yet industry watchers see a huge threat as the mighty internet company moves into new territory. TechCrunch, a leading technology blog, made it clear how vulnerable it believes Microsoft to be, reporting the news as “Google Drops A Nuclear Bomb On Microsoft”.
In reality it will be more of a slow explosion. At first Google’s Chrome OS, as the new software is called, will be targeted only at netbooks, the cheap and smallish laptops that are proving popular. The idea is to provide a compact operating system with a simple user interface that boots up in a few seconds and allows users to work securely and easily with web-based applications, such as e-mail and social networks. This is why the software is based on a stripped-down version of Linux, the popular open-source operating system, and comes with Chrome, the browser that Google released late last year.
And it will take a while for the program to be ready for prime time. “We have a lot of work to do, and we’re definitely going to need a lot of help from the open-source community”, writes Sundar Pichai, the Google executive in charge of the project, in the blog post announcing the new product. The first netbooks running Chrome OS, he explains, will not be available for consumers before the second half of next year.
Yet Google’s intention is clear. It is plans to do what the now-defunct Netscape attempted when it launched its first browser in the mid-1990s: to make Windows obsolete and turn the browser into the dominant computing platform. Eventually Chrome OS will be used to power full-fledged PCs. All applications written for the software will be web-based and will work with other browsers that are compliant with the latest web standards (even those running on Windows). Chrome OS would also allow users to work offline and synchronise changes later.
Microsoft has not offered an official reaction yet. But the firm must have anticipated such a move. Google’s assault comes when the once almighty software giant is vulnerable. Windows Vista, the latest version of its operating system, has not been a success. Its forays into Google’s main territory, web search and online advertising, have not brought big gains. European antitrust authorities are also still pursuing Microsoft, which limits its ability to strike back at Google.
Yet it is much too early to count Microsoft out. It recently launched Bing, a new search service, which has taken some market share from Google. In October, roughly when Google will make Chrome OS available, Microsoft will release the next iteration of its operating system, Windows 7, a version of which is supposed to run well on netbooks. And the firm is spending billions on a “cloud”, a global network of huge data centres, which will rival Google’s infrastructure and allow Microsoft to offer all kinds of web-based applications.
Will there be a clear winner? Probably not in the foreseeable future. The pockets of both firms are simply too deep. And that is a good thing: the epic fight between the two giants promises to speed up innovation. And that is what the IT industry needs to overcome the recession.
NYT Article (hopefully bypassing sign-in wall):
July 8, 2009
Google Plans a PC Operating System
By MIGUEL HELFT and ASHLEE VANCE
SAN FRANCISCO — In a direct challenge to Microsoft, Google announced late Tuesday that it is developing an operating system for PCs that is tied to its Chrome Web browser.
The software, called the Google Chrome Operating System, is initially intended for use in the tiny, low-cost portable computers known as netbooks, which have been selling quickly even as demand for other PCs has plummeted. Google said it believed the software would also be able to power full-size PCs.
The move is likely to sharpen the already intense competition between Google and Microsoft, whose Windows operating system controls the basic functions of the vast majority of personal computers.
“Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS,” said Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, engineering director, in a post on a company blog. “We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the Web in a few seconds.”
Mr. Pichai and Mr. Upson said that the software would be released online later this year under an open-source license, which would allow outside programmers to modify it. Netbooks running the software will go on sale in the second half of 2010.
The company likely saw netbooks as a unique opportunity to challenge Microsoft, said Larry Augustin, a prominent Silicon Valley investor who serves on the board of a number of open-source software companies.
“Market changes happen at points of discontinuity,” Mr. Augustin said. “And that’s what you have with netbooks and a market that has moved to mobile devices.”
But while Google has deep pockets and a vast reach, it is in for a difficult battle when it comes to challenging Microsoft in the operating system market. Many companies have tried this over the years, with little success.
Google’s plans for the new operating system fit its Internet-centric vision of computing. Google believes that software delivered over the Web will play an increasingly central role, replacing software programs that run on the desktop. In that world, applications run directly inside an Internet browser, rather than atop an operating system, the standard software that controls most of the operations of a PC.
That vision challenges not only Microsoft’s lucrative Windows business but also its applications business, which is built largely on selling software than runs on PCs.
Google said Chrome OS will have a minimalist user interface, leaving most space on the screen to applications.
“All Web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite Web technologies,” the company said.
Google has already developed an open-source operating system called Android that is used in mobile phones. The software is also being built into netbooks by several manufacturers.
But Google has not encouraged netbook makers to use Android. The company appears to be positioning Chrome OS as its preferred operating system for netbooks, though it said competition between the two systems would likely drive innovation.
“It makes total sense,” Mr. Augustin said. “Android wasn’t really meant for netbooks.”
Google had planned to unveil the project on Wednesday but moved up the announcement after receiving inquiries from The New York Times, which reported the company’s plans on its Web site late Tuesday. Ars Technica, a technology news site, also reported the outlines of Google’s plan late Tuesday.
Google released Chrome last year, describing it as not only a Web browser but also a tool to let users interact with powerful Web programs like Gmail, Google Docs and online applications created by other companies. Since then, Google has been adding features to Chrome, like the ability to run such applications even when a user is not connected to the Internet.
Google said Tuesday night that it still had work to do to develop a full-fledged operating system. In a recent interview, Marc Andreessen, who created the first commercial Web browser and co-founded Netscape, said Chrome itself was already well along that path.
“Chrome is basically a modern operating system,” Mr. Andreessen said.
The first wave of netbooks relied on various versions of the open-source Linux operating system, and major PC makers like Hewlett-Packard and Dell have backed the Linux software. Intel, the world’s largest chip maker, has worked on developing a Linux-based operating system called Moblin as well. The company has aimed the software at netbooks and smartphones in a bid to spur demand for its Atom mobile device chip.
To combat these efforts, Microsoft began offering its older Windows XP operating system for use on netbooks at a low price. In addition, the company has vowed that its upcoming Windows 7 software, due out this fall, will run well on the tiny laptops, which have stood out as the brightest part of the PC market during the global economic downturn. Microsoft’s current Vista operating system is designed for more powerful machines.
Google Plans a PC Operating System
By MIGUEL HELFT and ASHLEE VANCE
SAN FRANCISCO — In a direct challenge to Microsoft, Google announced late Tuesday that it is developing an operating system for PCs that is tied to its Chrome Web browser.
The software, called the Google Chrome Operating System, is initially intended for use in the tiny, low-cost portable computers known as netbooks, which have been selling quickly even as demand for other PCs has plummeted. Google said it believed the software would also be able to power full-size PCs.
The move is likely to sharpen the already intense competition between Google and Microsoft, whose Windows operating system controls the basic functions of the vast majority of personal computers.
“Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS,” said Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, engineering director, in a post on a company blog. “We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the Web in a few seconds.”
Mr. Pichai and Mr. Upson said that the software would be released online later this year under an open-source license, which would allow outside programmers to modify it. Netbooks running the software will go on sale in the second half of 2010.
The company likely saw netbooks as a unique opportunity to challenge Microsoft, said Larry Augustin, a prominent Silicon Valley investor who serves on the board of a number of open-source software companies.
“Market changes happen at points of discontinuity,” Mr. Augustin said. “And that’s what you have with netbooks and a market that has moved to mobile devices.”
But while Google has deep pockets and a vast reach, it is in for a difficult battle when it comes to challenging Microsoft in the operating system market. Many companies have tried this over the years, with little success.
Google’s plans for the new operating system fit its Internet-centric vision of computing. Google believes that software delivered over the Web will play an increasingly central role, replacing software programs that run on the desktop. In that world, applications run directly inside an Internet browser, rather than atop an operating system, the standard software that controls most of the operations of a PC.
That vision challenges not only Microsoft’s lucrative Windows business but also its applications business, which is built largely on selling software than runs on PCs.
Google said Chrome OS will have a minimalist user interface, leaving most space on the screen to applications.
“All Web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite Web technologies,” the company said.
Google has already developed an open-source operating system called Android that is used in mobile phones. The software is also being built into netbooks by several manufacturers.
But Google has not encouraged netbook makers to use Android. The company appears to be positioning Chrome OS as its preferred operating system for netbooks, though it said competition between the two systems would likely drive innovation.
“It makes total sense,” Mr. Augustin said. “Android wasn’t really meant for netbooks.”
Google had planned to unveil the project on Wednesday but moved up the announcement after receiving inquiries from The New York Times, which reported the company’s plans on its Web site late Tuesday. Ars Technica, a technology news site, also reported the outlines of Google’s plan late Tuesday.
Google released Chrome last year, describing it as not only a Web browser but also a tool to let users interact with powerful Web programs like Gmail, Google Docs and online applications created by other companies. Since then, Google has been adding features to Chrome, like the ability to run such applications even when a user is not connected to the Internet.
Google said Tuesday night that it still had work to do to develop a full-fledged operating system. In a recent interview, Marc Andreessen, who created the first commercial Web browser and co-founded Netscape, said Chrome itself was already well along that path.
“Chrome is basically a modern operating system,” Mr. Andreessen said.
The first wave of netbooks relied on various versions of the open-source Linux operating system, and major PC makers like Hewlett-Packard and Dell have backed the Linux software. Intel, the world’s largest chip maker, has worked on developing a Linux-based operating system called Moblin as well. The company has aimed the software at netbooks and smartphones in a bid to spur demand for its Atom mobile device chip.
To combat these efforts, Microsoft began offering its older Windows XP operating system for use on netbooks at a low price. In addition, the company has vowed that its upcoming Windows 7 software, due out this fall, will run well on the tiny laptops, which have stood out as the brightest part of the PC market during the global economic downturn. Microsoft’s current Vista operating system is designed for more powerful machines.
If you post a nice link to other high quality articles, I'll throw them into the OP.
Credits:
mr_ekim - Googleblog post.
enc0re on
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At this point, I'm awaiting an announcement detailing how MS will strong arm PC vendors into not preinstalling Chrome OS. Strangely, I think it's us that Google will have the hardest time winning over. After all, I have heard of no plans to compete with MS' DirectX and XBOX/Games for Windows technologies.
Easier because they won't have to specifically deal with gaming issues, harder because Windows is ubiquitous and easy to get, and the average PC owner really doesn't have the urge to stick it to the man like a lot of gamers do.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
As long as I can dual-boot -- which I'm sure will be possible -- Chrome OS is going to be a first-day download for me. No question.
They may not be targeting us as users, yet. But since breaking into the OEM channels beyond ASUS et al. will be hard as hell, they'll have to target us as "installers."
Because when casual web user Aunt Emma wants "the Google on her CPU," who's she gonna call?
Most likely Aunt Emma won't know what the hell a CPU is and will only care about what's already installed on her computer. She probably wouldn't even realize there was a Google version of Microsoft.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Starting with netbooks seems to be a good strategy, though.
If they're following their typical designs, the attraction is ease of use and speed. Essentially they don't add slow crap 0.1% of the users may enjoy, and instead focus on making everyone's experience relatively enjoyable and responsive.
So on an OS level, trying to simplify application installation/removal/updating, simplify basic troubleshooting and device management, and break down the concept of a structured filesystem into a well indexed pile of "your shit"
That's just off the top of my head as to what google has been trying to do with all of their apps.
Our first game is now available for free on Google Play: Frontier: Isle of the Seven Gods
Marketing? Word of mouth. I bet that by week's end half your non-tech friends will know all about Chrome OS.
And they are smart and not starting on the desktop. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they combined Android and Chrome OS to hook us as follows:
smartphone -> netbook -> desktop/laptop
But the general public still sees OSX as the easy/artsy/hip OS and Windows as the professional OS.
And it will be in Beta until Microsoft has released Windows 8.
It's not likely that any non tech friend I have will mention this in the least. And these are friends who actively use Chrome now because I sat them down and pointed it out.
There's word of mouth on a lot of things, but new niche operating systems? That's a techie thing. Especially when they're just casually announced and no details are available.
My non techie friends have about a 10% chance of knowing that Windows 7 is incoming soon, or that there's even a new windows coming out.
This is a testable hypothesis. Let's report back with our experiences on Monday. I bet you 10 Dollars* that I'm right.
That's pretty much me. I do all of my surfing and networking on my netbook, and if it makes it faster and removes the BS, I'm all about that.
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It's that big box that the keyboard is plugged into.
Actually one of the observations that often pops up when people discuss OSS alternatives to things like Microsoft Office is that most people only use 10%* of the features. But people use a different 10%, so in the end OO.org has to run around reimplementing everything.
When I think of 'web surfing' I initially think of web browsers - and, well, Chrome does that pretty well.
But I also want Flash and an inbuilt PDF reader (and exactly those and little else). Some other people want extensions, like adblock. Some other people want inbuilt *.doc readers too. Podcasts. Streaming media players. Torrent clients. Messenging clients. etc. etc.
I wonder how Google will deal with that; Linux support varies in quality for things like Flash.
*bullshit number
Every so often I see an announcement for a new Asus/Dell/whatever netbook with mobile broadband built-in but then I read a little closer and the broadband is only available in the UK.
If I have to purchase it through a cellular carrier on a contract, that = fail.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Other than the hubbub that Google is trying their hand at OS development, I really fail to see what exactly is so revolutionary about this. Based on the blogpost and by the very name of the product itself, this is essentially a web desktop embeded into a tiny linux OS.
Personally, I wish Google the best, but I'm not sure how they will succeed as others have tried and failed to make significant headway into this concept with large VC funding. Perhaps the convergence of cheap computing and ubiquitous internet connectivity may put Google in a "right place at the right time" situation, provided they can gather enough developer interest for killer-apps.
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I have a spare computer laying around here somewhere and would gladly throw a new OS onto it to try it out some.
If I like it a lot then.. I might make a partition on my current back up drive and just use that and use both on the same computer.
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edit: also a UI that is easy for Windows users to migrate to, also pretty cool