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This discussion relates to Technology Review's article An Operating System for the Cloud.

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  chrisjmiller
  

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  08/10/2009 04:34 AM

  An interesting article

  But with a couple of flaws. First, Google are not developing a new OS (unless you count KDE or Gnome as separate operating systems). This is a very sensible move - unless we ever reach the stage where everything runs 'in the cloud', people choose an OS in order to run applications, so using an existing platform allows access to a wide range of existing apps.
  
  Second, Novell did launch a challenge to Microsoft during 1991-96 when they bought (and then sold) the Digital Research OS as well as several desktop applications including WordPerfect and QuattroPro. Schmidt took over the reins following the resulting debacle, which may have influenced his earlier reluctance that Google should become involved in this area.

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  nishant kumar
  

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  08/10/2009 06:27 AM

  RE:INTERSETING ARTICLE

  For your information, Google is on the virge of launching an operating system of their own. It is known as Google Chrome OS. Like all operating systems Google Chrome OS will be able to run all the desired applications. It is dynamic because it will be online based (since today's PC users are mostly on the internet)and will have a completely new interface that is suited for people of the Internet era. I personally think that this will be revolutionary and will appeal to many contemporary PC users. However, as the article states no matter how good the Chrome OS will be, it will be a tedious job to contend against Microsoft's Windows, who currently hold 90% of the OS market.

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  • 
    chrisjmiller
    

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    08/10/2009 10:56 AM

    Re: RE:INTERESTING ARTICLE

    But Chrome OS will run on top of a Linux kernel, though it will have a new and different windowing system (so presumably not KDE or Gnome, just what the world needs).  Google can call it a new OS if they like, but that doesn't necessarily make it so.  And it surely won't be able to run 'all' applications.

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    • 
      trevorp
      

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      08/10/2009 12:03 PM

      Re: RE:INTERESTING ARTICLE

      Chrome doesn't use Linux the way you seem to think.  The window manager is a stripped down system that only provides what's necessary to run the browser, there are no applications that run outside of the browser, it's not a Desktop Linux OS in any real sense.  Think of it like the embedded Linux inside of a Linksys router rather than a Linux distro like Ubuntu.  When Google says the browser is the OS, they're being very literal.

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      • 
        crazybilly
        

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        08/10/2009 01:20 PM

        Re: RE:INTERESTING ARTICLE

        On the contrary, I don't think you understand how Linux is built.
        
        Linux IS the kernel. The tools you put on top of that kernel don't make the operating system you're using any less Linux. Quite the contrary--Linux is designed (unlike Windows, and to some extent Mac, although the question there is substantially more complicated) to keep the kernel seperate from the userspace tools.
        
        Google has been quite specific that they're using a Linux kernel and building their own user space tools on top of it (the windowing, etc).
        
        There's no question that Chrome OS will be not be a "new" OS--it will simply be another Linux distro with, perhaps, its own, unique, UI.
        
        Not unlike the people you're trying to disagree with have already said.

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          riccardo.s
          

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          08/12/2009 04:40 PM

          Re: RE:INTERESTING ARTICLE

          I agree, linux is the kernel and there are not many possible interpretations.
          
          Anyway i think it might be interesting to stop for a moment and re-think what we bealive an OS is. The kernel, the OS, essentially manage the execution of some programs and let those to communicate with the hardware.
          
          Now, i know the UI is on an upper level, but probably we are in front of a new paradigm. In the cloud-vision the code is runned inside a software, the browser, and this handles the execution of the code and let it communicate with the devices, the net at first and the specific hardware the browser is running on (i know, still trought the kernel :) ).
          
          This in essence is what an OS does, just at an upper level (level meant as the old OSI levels ;) ). That is, i think, what the other guy meant (i hope ...) and it's a reasonable point of view.

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  Gaetano Marano
  

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  08/10/2009 08:13 AM

  >>> next year will be the right time for a Google's Online Game Console Platform >>>

  .
  
  I've predicted the release of a Google OS in 2009 over TEN months ago in this post:
  
  http://newgoos.blogspot.com/2008/09/goos-screenshot-on-sony-vaio.html
  
  now, I believe, that, in 2010, Google will be ready to launch its own "Online Game Console Platform" as explained in this post:
  
  http://newgoos.blogspot.com/2009/08/new.html
  
  and, there is NO doubt, that, the Google GooStation (or ChromeStation) will be SOON the PlayStation/Wii/Xbox killer!
  
  .

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  • 
    aka steve
    

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    08/10/2009 08:50 AM

    Re: >>> next year will be the right time for a Google's Online Game Console Platform >>>

       Google does not need it's own console "free download"and some file converters,the internet dominance does the rest.Dollars have to be made somewhere and a games console with full Google capabilities should work,once decent games are made for it.

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  amigosito
  

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  08/10/2009 12:44 PM

  just another browser appliance

  So far, Chrome OS sounds like just another web browser appliance, not much different than the "just enough OS" (JeOS) concept pioneered by Ubuntu. In fact you can already get Ubuntu with Firefox as a "virtual appliance" that runs inside a virtual machine.
  
  However Chrome OS is part of a growing trend towards purpose-built operating systems, which poses a serious threat to Microsoft's monolithic Windows OS, especially in the datacenter where the "one app, one OS" model predominates.
  
  The real story is that Google will be building the Chrome browser into a more fully functional platform. People should be wondering what that will do to performance as Google adds more lines of code to what is currently a svelte application.

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  dmmiller2k
  

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  08/10/2009 01:39 PM

  Chrome will be more Desktop than OS

  It actually appears, from what I've been able to glean, that Chrome "OS" might more accurately be referred to as Chrome "Desktop"; that is, a desktop hosted in a web browser, like cmyos.com or astranos.org or eyeos.org. 
  
  The actual OS on the client side is rendered irrelevant, since the whole thing merely requires the ability to run a browser. 
  
  Not so much an actual operating system as a remotely accessible shell, more in the spirit of X Windows than anything else.
  
  The same effect might be achieved (in a needlessly expensive way) if say, the Windows "shell" were changed from explorer.exe to say, chrome.exe (or firefox.exe or opera.exe or -gasp- iexplore.exe), with the home page appropriately set to point to a webhost running a service similar to one of the above three.
  
  The user need not ever see a native local desktop, and the browser simply starts up with an appropriate login page.
  
  In fact, the whole idea renders the concept of local OS completely irrelevant as long as a connection to the network is available.  I suppose, depending on how the local components are implemented, and assuming sufficient local caching is available, it might even be made to work in a limited mode without a network connection (for say Word Processing).

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