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Introducing the Google Chrome OS

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Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#161

Post by huherto »

gojomo wrote: post #47

Some may remember the Forbes ASAP article, excerpted from Gilder's book, touted with the cover, "George Gilder Thinks This Kid Can Topple Bill Gates": http://www.gilder.com/public/telecosm_series/software.html It's taken 14 long years -- and it's Google-Chrome-plus-Javascript rather than Netscape-Navigator-plus-HotJava -- but the browser has finally become a complete alternative to a desktop OS. The article's final s…

It didn't happen before because MS was able to defend its position. (e.g. Positioning IE, crippling java, etc)

Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#162

Post by blasdel »

trezor wrote: post #84
cdibona wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you haven't tried out the chromium nightly desktop builds, they're actually quite nice. The team is still nailing down the plugins, but the browser itself is wicked fast and pretty stable (given its alpha nature)

Even for a minimalistic web-browser Chromium is still rather lacking. While what used to be butt ugly font-rendering has gotten better, at least to the point of readable, as far as I can tell there is still no plugin support. The only way you can fully configure the browser is still trough running gconf-editor for some parts, and configuring Firefox and then importing settings from there. That being said, my biggest…

I had problems where after a few seconds it would completely crash X, drawing garbage all over the framebuffer, but it turned out that it was just triggering some bug in Compiz+Nvidia on Ubuntu.

Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#163

Post by shimi »

I don't see the point, Android is using a Chrome version, so if you'll take Android remove Dalvik then you're getting a new OS?

By that definition I can remove all my apps from my Vista laptop except the browser and what do I get, an IE OS?

That's silly!!!

Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#164

Post by modeless »

tc wrote: post #9
mcav wrote: post #2

Key Data Point: > The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel.

If their approach to Android is any guide, much of the work will consist of eliminating any GNU or GPL components from the (userspace) runtime environment.

Webkit is LGPL, Chrome is based on Webkit, and the entire OS is built around Chrome. It's also speculated that their "new window system" is built on DirectFB which is LGPL.

Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#165

Post by access_denied »

yumraj wrote: post #152
sahaj wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i agree with you. the comment with the large number of votes is a fearmongering comment, while the comment that you are referring to is actually a technical comment (the kind that i think is more relevant at HN).

I'll rather have some fearmongering (if you really want to call it that, there's another better term though "devil's advocate") from people to have a certain balance of opinion rather than just have people who go gaga over every google/apple announcement. I dislike MS as much as the next guy but those are genuine concerns. Note, his comment is not like "sky is falling" but more like "beware, the sky may fall if we're…

But Micand didn't go gaga over this Google announcement.

Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#166

Post by blacktastic »

calcnerd256 wrote: post #146
koepked wrote: post #66

I'm not sure if I like implications of a web-centric OS, especially when its producer is as rich and powerful as Google. I see the market for it, and I think it will be a huge benefit for the average user. However, I see the transition from desktop-based software to web-based as a loss of user control. Today, when governments decide that mp3 sharing, porn, articles of political dissent, or news from non-national sour…

The FUD is strong with this one. If you want to run your own apps, run your own server. Those who don't care will use the public cloud. Nobody controls the whole Web, and as long as your ISP is reasonable (which none are), hosting your own private app is still possible.

When we create new software that benefits from lots of networked users, we will be forced to make that software compatible with the people who do not have their own private servers. So users can run their own servers, but there will be those who cannot afford to do so or do not have the expertise. If there are enough of those kinds of users we will then have to bend to the needs of those users who in turn bend to the rules of the companies hosting their software.

Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#167

Post by mattn »

sfphotoarts wrote: post #151

Is this any different than someone else taking Ubuntu/Firefox and calling that the Firefox OS? Chrome isn't an operating system, linux is. This is a distribution and pre-installed browser. How is this anything different that what we currently have in the netbook market. The real player in the future of netbooks is very likely Apple, not Google, because any netbook running OSX will also be able to not only run all the…

2 years ago I made cl33n, a Linux live CD that boots Linux, connects to the net, runs the Matchbox window manager and launches Firefox- that's all it does. ChromeOS is "Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel." cl33n is "Mozilla Firefox running within a little-used windowing system on top of a Linux kernel". cl33n isn't unique, Webconverger and other great live CDs do a similar "make it easy for anyone to browse safely" job.

Google cancelled cl33n's AdSense account 8 days ago, right before they were due to make their first payment. The site and its small traffic & AdSense revenue hasn't changed for 2 years (am working on an update now, I got kinda busy with a startup ;)). If cl33n did Bad Things then it's been doing them for 2 years now. I wonder if Google will refund the money to the advertisers?

I've appealed but have not received a response from Google. I still don't know what cl33n did to incur Google's wrath.

Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#168

Post by access_denied »

access_denied wrote: post #72
Micand wrote: post #67

If ARM and x86 are targeted, this means no Flash (not surprising, given how poorly it runs on Linux), which presumably means YouTube will be operating in full-on HTML 5 video mode by the time these devices launch. If netbooks continue their meteoric ascent, and if Chrome OS grabs a significant share of the market, we may finally see the realization of the mythical Year of Linux On the Desktop. The ironic aspect, of c…

I enjoyed your narrative.

My above comment "I enjoyed your narrative." is meant in a sinceren and non-cynical, non-subtext-whatsoever, non-ironic way. I wrote it to express a bit of appreciation towards Micand for crafting his imho good summary on the topic.

Can anyone explain to me, what is worth downvoting about it? Thanks.

Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#169

Post by _cbsz »

10ren wrote: post #52
_cbsz wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RAD = rapid application development, the business term for "drag-n-drop GUI builders" that we all know and hate. Not having one for the Web is a valid criticism, but if GWT can handle Swing API input then we DO have one.

That sounds cool, but I don't know exactly what you mean... I think you might mean that you could create a Java applet front-end (using "Swing API"), and drive something in GWT with that, if "GWT can handle Swing API input". But how would you create the Swing front-end? What would driving GWT do you? Please join the dots - doing this often reveals gaps that weren't clear before, so it's a good exercise. Taking anothe…

GWT compiles Java to JavaScript, right? So compile the Swing calls into calls to equivalent JavaScript UI library calls. Barf if they try to do stuff you can't do in JavaScript (filesystem), as GWT surely has to do already. (disclaimer: never coded GWT in my life)

Re: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

#170

Post by tlrobinson »

blinks wrote: post #155
dryicerx wrote: post #19

So effectively your PC becomes a Google ThinClient. Got all the Office Applications with Google Apps. Email/Communication with Gmail. The rest of the web. Multimedia with YouTube/Hulu/etc. Sounds like what majority of the people need. Even for work environments, would be pretty good (you can offer your proprietary application in the form of a web application).

It goes beyond even that, with some sweet tech coming out: http://vimeo.com/5404358

Interesting, I had seen OnLive (http://www.onlive.com/) but not this one (http://www.gaikai.com/).

So who copied who?

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