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Chromebook

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Re: Chromebook

#191

Post by lftl »

uniclaude wrote: post #32

It's a purely personal point of view, but I sincerely think that the CR-48 looked much better than both of those. If Crunchgear is right and those laptops hit the market at 350+ & 425+, I'll regret not having an address in the States back then, when Google was distributing CR-48s ! On a more serious note, I think a worldwide 3G plan would make those laptops very interesting for me.

It was barely mentioned in the keynote, but they discussed changing the trackpad from the CR-48, and to me that was practically the biggest announcement of the speech. The CR-48 trackpad is crap. Other than that I would agree with you, it has a very nice feel to it.

Re: Chromebook

#192

Post by drivebyacct2 »

fragmede wrote: post #46
wiredfool wrote: post #35

The data service ( http://www.google.com/chromebook/#features-connectivity ) looks nice for people who don't do a ton of streaming. In fact, if chromeos has ssh, it would probably do for my work laptop at something better than a netbook + verizon dongle, and a whole lot cheaper. (well, I think right now it's $60/5gb, and I rarely hit that).

ChromeOS has SSH built in without having to flip the developer switch. (Ctrl-alt-T to get a 'terminal' then 'ssh user@host')

It's not really a qualified SSH client, it is lacking a lot.

Re: Chromebook

#193

Post by [deleted] »

cookiecaper wrote: post #131
Kylekramer wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.…

[deleted]

Re: Chromebook

#194

Post by esmevane »

siglesias wrote: post #141
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…

I personally find the Angry Birds-Facebook-Netflix picture of the future of computing extremely depressing. Where's Google's suite of content creation apps that "non-techy" people can explore to express their creativity?

I don't feel like you've done any research on this.

There is also the possibility that you are faulting Google for not making creation applications, because you don't acknowledge other participants in the venue which work very well on Chromebooks.

Just off the top of my head: http://www.aviary.com/

Re: Chromebook

#195

Post by glhaynes »

siglesias wrote: post #173
runjake wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you looking for, specifically? There are a plethora of web apps for content creation available. There are also a variety of image editing & drawing apps in the Chrome Store (and a basic drawing app in GApps). Edit: If you want iMovie, you want a Mac. My family doesn't use iMovie (though I do personally, but the ChromeBook isnt't for me), they use YouTube video tools & Facebook video crap.

A video editing app, for example.

It's not like video editing apps are going to go away. If "limited" computers become the norm, they'll start to support video editing because users want that functionality.

Re: Chromebook

#196

Post by kenjackson »

cryptoz wrote: post #184
kenjackson wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess our experiences are just fundamentally different. With the plethora of free good antivirus programs that you can download, I find viruses are largely a thing of the past. In the old days you had to pay $50/year for virus protection. And you had to go to a brick and mortar store or order it from Amazon. Cost and effort made it less common for end users to have antivirus. Now, I install it on every box I mainta…

Still, you're saying that when a user buys a computer, it is their responsibility to go searching on the web for a free, reputable and safe anti-virus company to download software from? Why? Why should they care? Why is it still necessary to do that? Can't someone build a computer where you turn it on and it works safely the first time? That's what Google just did. Some people want that. Badly. Edit: Surely you'll se…

Still, you're saying that when a user buys a computer, it is their responsibility to go searching on the web for a free, reputable and safe anti-virus company to download software from?

Yes it is.

Why?

Unfortunately due to antitrust concerns. I'm sure MS would love to bundle MS Security Essentials, but they fear doing so would likely end up in the courts.

Can't someone build a computer where you turn it on and it works safely the first time?

You can, although ironically its not in the best interest of most computer vendors. They get paid by McAfee or Norton to put a trial version on the boxes, which when expires usually results in a vulnerable box. Sure they could put a free version, but then they wouldn't get paid.

MS does directly sell computers, through their retail channel, with free antivirus pre-installed. AFAIK they're the only ones, but I wouldn't surprised if there is a small niche in the world of it.

Why should they care?

The reasons they should care are obvious. But they shouldn't have to care. I completely agree. It sucks. But I do think the visibility and sucktidiness of it is a lot lower than all of the other things that will suck when they unwittingly bring a ChromeBook home from the store.

Re: Chromebook

#198

Post by dkarl »

scott_s wrote: post #150
siglesias wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I personally find the Angry Birds-Facebook-Netflix picture of the future of computing extremely depressing. Where's Google's suite of content creation apps that "non-techy" people can explore to express their creativity?

Most people don't create. You must be depressed by the wasted potential, because we're going from a world where most people don't create to a world where most people don't create.

I don't think you ever saw ordinary people let loose with the power of "Print Shop" in the 1980s or Microsoft Word in the 1990s. People made greeting cards, family newsletters, notices, party decorations....

In the visual arts, a lot of the people who do amusing Photoshop work are not professionals. Also consider MySpace in the 2000s. You might argue that MySpace isn't a good illustration of the value of giving people creative freedom, but you can't deny that a lot of people were eager to take advantage of it.

Then there are the people who get into sound editing or musical arrangement. These days a kid might start with making a ringtone and then escalate. Personally, I'm the least "creative" and least musical person you'll ever meet, but even I spent a whole day trying to arrange a decent-sounding version of "Walk Like an Egyptian" using a digital music program on my Apple IIgs. Why "Walk Like an Egyptian?" I have no idea. When I was thirteen I recorded myself belching, reversed it, dropped the tone an octave or two, added an echo and made it the shutdown sound for Windows 3.1. I told my parents it was the sound of a WWII submarine preparing to submerge. (Eventually, I figured out that code was my preferred way of expressing myself. I had fun writing computer programs that made pretty mathematical patterns on the screen, among other things.)

Putting content creation tools in the hands of everyone is key because you never know who's going to use them. Some kid decides to make something cute or awesome or badass or smartass and the next thing you know s/he's hooked on sound editing or what-not. Unfortunately, the model of commercial software development is to give someone a free taste, then frustrate them with limitations, and then take their credit card and charge them for the pro version. Kids are easily frustrated, may not have access to a credit card, and even if they have a card, may not be able to spend $100 or more for professional-quality software.

However, I think the answer to that concern is that non-professional content creation needs will be served by free web apps.

Re: Chromebook

#199

Post by arihant »

scott_s wrote: post #190
arihant wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Most people don't create" ...and ChromeOS would change that? Availability of tools is not something that needs to immediately follow daily use. Not all my family cooks. We still have a kitchen.

I'm confused by what your point is because I'm not sure if you understand mine. My point was that most people don't use their existing computers for creative purposes, so introducing a computer with limited creative potential won't change much.

It will. Just because most people don't cook, we start selling houses without kitchen, don't you think its a slippery and wrong slope?

Look at ipad running GarageBand, thats the stuff we want. People don't create only when when creating stuff sucks. Just like I only cook when all I have to do is "add hot water".

There is a quote that comes to mind: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein.

Re: Chromebook

#200

Post by spiffworks »

cookiecaper wrote: post #139
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 understan…

It's all the other nonsense that comes along with managing a typical PC that's the problem. System update every so often, upgrade the system every six months, driver problem with graphics, an endless stream of support requests. On the Windows side, its even worse. I shudder every time I see my Mom's Windows install after a gap of a few months - only half the screen is visible in Firefox because of all the malicious toolbars that got installed in the meantime. An iPad would actually be perfect, but its not as affordable(at least for some models). I'm getting the Acer model for my parents when this comes out.
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