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Chromebook

google.com

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Re: Chromebook

#131

Post by cookiecaper »

Kylekramer wrote: post #100
kenjackson wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And those people don't know what Google Docs are either. And when they get an Excel document where charts don't render correctly, or comments are screwed up, or pivot tables don't work against their datasource, they'll be POed. Or when all their friends are playing WoW and they realize that this device doesn't play it. Or when they want to Skype with their grandkids they realize, they can't do that. Or when they take…

I pretty sure Google knows all of this. And are counting on it. They want them in people's hands, and they know once they are, all of those problems play into their vision. And those people don't know what Google Docs are either. And when they get an Excel document where charts don't render correctly, or comments are screwed up, or pivot tables don't work against their datasource, they'll be POed. Google likes this.…

>Really? Hardcore gamers are the last people who would use this, and the first people to recognize that.

I don't know if you really understand how many people play WoW. Most of the avid WoW players I've known have not been "hardcore gamers" and they've played WoW on really crappy computers, with Intel GMA graphics and everything. There are many normal people that wouldn't drop the cash on a video card that play WoW.

Also, you didn't address things like downloading pictures from a camera, syncing with an MP3 player (not necessarily iTunes/iPod), or any of the other local, non-browser stuff that a normal person does all the time.

Re: Chromebook

#133

Post by cookiecaper »

fragmede wrote: post #109
kenjackson wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And those people don't know what Google Docs are either. And when they get an Excel document where charts don't render correctly, or comments are screwed up, or pivot tables don't work against their datasource, they'll be POed. Or when all their friends are playing WoW and they realize that this device doesn't play it. Or when they want to Skype with their grandkids they realize, they can't do that. Or when they take…

I still have a recurring appointment to clean the crap-ware off my mom's Win7 computer. A system that I don't have to do that on is still a selling point. Google's working on having me do even less as the IT guy for family and friends, and I fully support that.

Install Ubuntu and you won't have to clean up crapware. LibreOffice definitely has better MS Office compatibility than Google Docs.

Re: Chromebook

#135

Post by fragmede »

aj700 wrote: post #105

One big point about this, esp if it takes off. It answers a big question: How do you get J. Random User to use Linux? Don't call it Linux. Don't make it look like Linux. And Chrome for Windows synced over to an identical looking ChromeOS means he's escaped Microsoft lockin without even knowing it.

> How do you get J. Random User to use Linux?

Why do you want them to use Linux? Is it about the linux kernel? Is it about the GNU userland tools? Is it about Gnome/KDE, the configurability?

Android is 'Linux', but it's missing most of the Linux bits that I want. (ChromeOS is also missing most of the bits I want too.)

Re: Chromebook

#136

Post by kenjackson »

koeselitz wrote: post #120
kenjackson wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Big difference with iPad is that it has a great user experience. It's obvious on first use of the iPad. The iPad is this device that you show anyone and drool forms from the lips. It's sexy as hell. Then you list the limitations and lots of people still say, "I don't care" while others will care. With the ChromeBooks there's no drooling. The limitations hit you like sack of steel. And then you have to explain the ups…

That's a lot of words for an argument that assumes what it's trying to prove.

How about this. Read reviews of the cr48 and then read them for the iPad. If you don't sense a difference in how they're perceived at a base level then just consider me a bozo.

Re: Chromebook

#137

Post by georgieporgie »

watty wrote: post #75
kenjackson wrote: post #45

I can't imagine anyone buying this and being happy unless they are already intimately familiar with the device ahead of time. Too many limitations, with virtually no big upside functionality or user experience (unlike the iPad that makes up for limitations with some huge upside). As I'd mentioned before I can buy an ASUS Eee PC with an AMD C30 processor for $289 and be able to use the browser of my choice, sync my iP…

I kinda thought the same way before I received a pilot CR48. This machine is perfect for couch surfing and emailing. It's super light, doesn't get hot, instant on, and I rarely plug in the charger. It fails miserably when I want to do any development though.

It fails miserably when I want to do any development though.

Can you expand on this? I've read that they're 'great' for portable web development, for some value of 'great'.

Re: Chromebook

#138

Post by rryan »

aj700 wrote: post #105

One big point about this, esp if it takes off. It answers a big question: How do you get J. Random User to use Linux? Don't call it Linux. Don't make it look like Linux. And Chrome for Windows synced over to an identical looking ChromeOS means he's escaped Microsoft lockin without even knowing it.

Richard Stallman wins again -- the question usually refers to GNU/Linux not Linux. Chrome/Linux and Android/Linux already have hundreds of millions of users. GNU/Linux is still in the millions and it's still an unanswered question of how to increase its growth rate.

Re: Chromebook

#139

Post by cookiecaper »

runjake wrote: post #123

- browses web? check. - runs the latest fad games, like Angry Birds (and more soon thanks to WebGL)? check. - can connect digital camera and upload photos? check. - can browse facebook, twitter, youtube, gmail, hotmail, etc? check - can play flash games & netflix, hulu, & other crap? check. This will satisfy the needs of all my immediate non-techy family members. And I won't get the monthly calls about malware anymor…

Can this put music on an MP3 player? Just how is the real filesystem abstracted away in Chrome OS? If you buy music from Amazon MP3, can you run their downloader? (If you buy music from iTunes, I am pretty sure you are SOL already. ;) )

There's a lot of uses that still require a real, local desktop, and I think once you give this to all of your non-techy family members you'll start to run into them.

I don't understand why those complaining about maintaining Windows don't just put on Ubuntu. LibreOffice is certainly more familiar to Office users and more compatible with existing Office documents than Google Docs.

If you haven't considered Ubuntu yet, why do you consider Chrome OS? It's not very hard to teach even the least technically literate person that they just need to click the big multi-colored circle to get to the internet, so it seems weird that abstracting that one step away makes everyone go wild about giving their mom a Chromebook.

Re: Chromebook

#140

Post by aj700 »

cryptoz wrote: post #126
aj700 wrote: post #105

One big point about this, esp if it takes off. It answers a big question: How do you get J. Random User to use Linux? Don't call it Linux. Don't make it look like Linux. And Chrome for Windows synced over to an identical looking ChromeOS means he's escaped Microsoft lockin without even knowing it.

> Don't call it Linux. That happened a long time ago. Google is already activating 400,000 Linux computers every single day for people all around the world. They call it Android.

Yes. I meant get them to use it on a desktop computer. A computer that goes in your pocket is not, to my generation, "a computer", it's "a mobile device". If it's not a fullsize or laptop x86 machine (or sparc or whatever, not ARM) it's not "a computer".
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