Comments on: What is a Chrome OS notebook?

By: ahsan

ahsan — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:45:54 +0000

My phone can do everything that a “netbook” does :S

By: Jimmy Lim

Jimmy Lim — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:05:26 +0000

not bad~ but hope the design can got more choice~

By: fbales

fbales — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 02:07:31 +0000

I’m enjoying my Cr48 and Chrome OS because my browser of choice is the Chrome browser. What I am having a problem with is there being no choice. While the Chrome browser is my browser of choice, I still use Firefox quite a bit, and have available Opera and IE, though I don’t use either anymore. In addition, I’m skeptical that most people even know what you’re talking about when you say “cloud computing.” I myself am not ready to give up my hard drive, but I do think there’s a place for both the cloud, and the PC. I was speaking with co-workers about it today (I work for county government, not IT), and the ones who aren’t technology oriented, it would appear, would be perfectly happy computing on the cloud, whereas those with some tech savvy want their desktop, but are still intrigued by Chrome OS and cloud computing. Proves nothing since the number of people I work with is small, but still interesting. So bottom line, Google has their work cut out for themselves, but I think they’re up for it; they better be.

Frank

By: Ben Bajarin

Ben Bajarin — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:19:00 +0000

A closed web is a concern of mine also. I plan to write a column on it this this week or next.

By: cooksw74

cooksw74 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:10:29 +0000

Old timer –
Difference between this and “thin client” is that google is running the machines, not your companie’s main frame. I agree with others that the main point here is will the public trust Google (and other cloud companies) with their data? I mean, I trust google with my e-mail, but no critical info. I truly hope this isn’t the future of computing. I like keeping my sensitive data local (and lots of other corporations feel the same way)

By: Old timer

Old timer — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:52:27 +0000

Early nineties this kind of devices were called as thin clients. That’s era, when Gorbatshev’s Soviet Union was gone down couple of years ago and when Clinton was nominated as president of US of A, ya know. In 70′s these were called terminals – yup, that’s time of Watergate, oil crisis and yes – time before PC:s. Intel 8086, that enabled PC architecture, was introduced in 1978. So this is definedly not a new kid in the block.

By: Suspicious

Suspicious — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:25:54 +0000

How this kind of (if netbook term can not be used) works without network connection. how suspectible the IT system(s) build around Chrome OS will be for example to DDoS attacks? If “Google” is down, it does not work?

And how protected my data will be in the cloud in the end? Especially, if “my organization” does not administer the server security?

By: UnderDoc

UnderDoc — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:15:22 +0000

Yeah right; if you do actually worry about Windows’ patches you should take a chill pill. How do you even know there’s 19 patches? This is all happening in the background, why should you be bothered about it?

How about putting all your data on some distant server for free to find out one day that you cannot connect for whatever reason you don’t even? You you call that secure then? I’d certainly be a game-changer…

By: UnderDoc

UnderDoc — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:04:37 +0000

Would you define a car or a watch by their price? I wouldn’t…

By: UnderDoc

UnderDoc — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:01:33 +0000

I’d certainly agree that we’ll get more power in parallel with web applications becoming more sophisticated, but I see the two things as opposing events and not organically connected.

As to your remark about whether the web will stay open, it is my major concern and one of the main reasons I am not willing to let go of my stand-alone OS. Over-relying on “free” online services will eventually put us at the mercy of cable providers and the companies owning the “free” servers. I’d take my boring, content-deprived, app-less freedom any day.

By: tom harrison

tom harrison — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:14:33 +0000

Since the launch I have heard and read many experts comment on the Chrome OS. The one thing that nobody seems to focus on is the security feature. The fact that I don’t have to worry about the 19 Windows patches being released this Tuesday is a game changer for consumers and corporations. The client literally doesn’t have to be an administrator of his own client, and the administrator at the corporate site doesn’t have to worry about the client doing something that might bring the whole system down is rather remarkable. Please lets get add to the discussion other aspects to this release. I don’t need experts opining on how this is not an Ipad caliber machine or how this is not a net book etc. Lets look at this is for a moment for it is. I hope I get to beta test this machine for I would like to see first hand what it is.

By: Hans

Hans — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:09:15 +0000

It’s just a dumb terminal. And I don’t like the idea of Google as a super mainframe. And for C**** sake, stop using the ridiculous term ‘cloud’. Shroud computing would be a better term.

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:01:08 +0000

IMHO this is a bit of a throwback to the mainframe/client model of yesteryear

By: Mark Jarzynski

Mark Jarzynski — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:53:26 +0000

nativeclient for Chrome may a the stepping stone in getting desktop applications on the web.

http://code.google.com/p/nativeclient/

Basically, the projects whole goal is to be able to compile c and c++ code that’ll run in the browser. So instead of having to completely rewrite that desktop application in javascript/html you’ll be able to take the code your currently have and “just” compile it to run in the browser. Will it be that easy? I can only hope so.

By: manny

manny — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:47:11 +0000

Chrome OS is the push that web 3.0 desperately needed.

I can already see some of that in the chrome web app store.

Web apps are finally being tailored for the consumer experience.

Google has learned a LOT from their other OS and its app marketplace.

They learned that the web needed something similar, like they talked about in their presentations.

Only google with its philosophy of openness can push and hope for this, while the “other” with their “IE6s” (that am not going to mention here ;) ), just wanted to keep the web a non-standarized, monopolized and non competing with their traditional apps as possible.
But thanks to competitors, html5, linux, google, apple, etc. this has changed for the better.

I know cOS still lack stuff at the beginning, but if they keep integrating the experience and getting more and more companies on board, with nice apps that allow offline modes / syncing (like html5), they will eventually bring web 3.0 and the cloud to the masses.

I expect this to come not in 10 / 15 years like everyone had thought in the beginning, but in less than 5, thanks to their power / influence and persistence.

By: Ben Bajarin

Ben Bajarin — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:25:25 +0000

I agree with your last point. That’s why I pointed out that they would need to be there. Consumers must have a full spectrum of choice of software for this platform to succeed.

Of course it can be done i’m just not sure how long it will be until any application I can run natively I can also run in through the browser. My major point is it won’t be until that happens that I think the platform has legs.

By: Mark Jarzynski

Mark Jarzynski — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:20:28 +0000

ChromeOS is the epitome of netbooks. I have no idea why Google decided to call the Cr-48 a Notebook, but up until now, they’ve always said that ChromeOS is meant for netbooks.

“Those of us who use PCs everyday are still used to relying on a handful of local applications on a regular basis…None of those applications can be accessed or used through the browser only.”

That doesn’t mean that those applications can not be written to run in a browser. This is the major thing that critics of ChromeOS fail to acknowledge.

By: illogicbuster

illogicbuster — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:15:49 +0000

“What do you think the Chrome OS notebook is?”

I guess that depends on the price point. Without more actual specs, it’s impossible to eval.

By: Zoid

Zoid — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:13:17 +0000

I’d have called those a Googledigook or maybe a Chazzwozzer.

I’d agree that the netbook category will change a lot. I’d guess that if I ran a shop/supermarket, the computers running light versions of desktop OSs would be getting the name “netbook” and machines with a pre-installed Office suite will be in the usual Laptop/Desktop category.

By: dealsend

dealsend — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:55:23 +0000

I do think Chrome OS as the future of computing. Low cost, always there computing. Of course everything depends upon the progress internet speed will develop in the future.

By: Ben Bajarin

Ben Bajarin — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:55:22 +0000

Thanks for you comments here as well :) I think I agree with your timeframe. Part of this also comes down to whether the web stays open or gets more closed as companies like Facebook would prefer to own more of the web through their portal.

The increase in performance is a key point and what I find interesting is that many of the latest benchmarks show that the web and web applications etc do actually speed the web up. So presuming more complex programming makes its way to the web and continues to do so as the web standards evolve it seems like even in a web only world we will still need more processing power

Would you agree?

By: jose

jose — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:54:37 +0000

I think that the netbook is not going to be extinguished; on the contrary, it is about to be born.
Up till now we have been calling “netbooks” to low-end computers that could only run basic applications and were cheaper and smaller than a laptop.
Google Chrome “netbooks” (or any other device running cloud operating system) are netbooks in a pure state. They are devices that can connect very quickly to the internet and have basic functionality.
This type of devices will be the secondary computers in a household, or even main computer for some who right now does not have a computer. So it will open the internet to some people, because is cheap, small and they don’t have to worry about software, protection or lost data.
What until now we have been calling “netbooks”, they are the ones who are going to be substituted by cloud operating systems devices and tablets, but cloud operating system is the future of computing.

By: Vijay

Vijay — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:49:47 +0000

We decided it is nothing to do with the O/S whether a machine is called a net or note book.. What are the specs (processor / memory / graphics — none probably) for the one you received apart from 12.1″ screen ? And what is the resolution of the screen?
This could be the real ‘net’book, which means it works only via the net.. nothing local..

By: UnderDoc

UnderDoc — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:49:18 +0000

Technically speaking, the hardware resembles a netbook closely enough, but I understand the motivation to call it something else due to the unique way it functions within the cloud.

In the past decade, we have witnessed web traffic and storage increase in volume and drop in price, which is a major motivation behind cloud computing. At the same time, we have seen equal advancement in the processing power and power efficiency of mobile devices, which is an equally good reason to NOT need network based services. My own view is that the two alternatives — network based versus personal device based computing — will coexist peacefully without any of the two taking over for the next 10 years at least.

Also, the CR-48 is a terminal to Google’s mainframe. See what I did there? I am at times puzzled by all of this talk about cloud computing as if it’s something new, while it is in fact an old pre-PC concept. Surely, there are new aspects, but the personal computer has advantages that I am unwilling to ever give up.