Google OS soon?

[elvis]

http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009...k-near-you.ars

It's been rumoured and speculated about for long enough (since Google hit the big time, really). Is this just another Android development that has been taken out of proportion, or will we see a genuine Google "operating system"?

Normally I'd ignore this sort of thing, but coming from ArsTechnica it has a bit more weight.

[adante]

just posted by Sprocket on irc: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/...chrome-os.html

Not sure if you can call that a real introduction though, considering total lack of linkage or anything.

[CordlezToaster]

Originally Posted by elvis

http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009...k-near-you.ars

It's been rumoured and speculated about for long enough (since Google hit the big time, really). Is this just another Android development that has been taken out of proportion, or will we see a genuine Google "operating system"?

Normally I'd ignore this sort of thing, but coming from ArsTechnica it has a bit more weight.

Interesting cloud computing here we come! *cough* skynet *cough*

[elvis]

Originally Posted by adante

just posted by Sprocket on irc: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/...chrome-os.html

Not sure if you can call that a real introduction though, considering total lack of linkage or anything.

Very low key, that's for sure.

[hippyhippy]

i like it ... windows is too bloaded for netbooks.

[elvis]

http://www.thinkgos.com/company/people.html

gOS has at least two employees who are "ex-Google". Coincidence?

[Elyzion]

OMG.

In bigger news...

Gmail is no longer beta!

As of today...


http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/...es-really.html

[elvis]

Originally Posted by Elyzion

OMG.

In bigger news...

Gmail is no longer beta!

Hahaha! For how long though? Didn't they do a "beta... not beta... beta again!" dance with another product a while back?

[Spanish Onion]

Google plans to enter the operating system game in the second half of next year with a Linux-based operating system that can run on both traditional PC chips as well as the ARM-based ones popular in cell pones.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10281843-56.html

Looking forward to it!

[edit]Just read above - link already been noticed it seems..

[Lei]

a linux kernel + new window system + chrome

nothing new.

[Spanish Onion]

Originally Posted by Lei

a linux kernel + new window system + chrome

nothing new.

Maybe so, however it will bring greater attention to Linux and less attention to Windows - which I'm all in favor of

[RnR]

Google must be big... even the ABC have noticed...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...08/2620626.htm

[Menthu_Rae]

So perhaps 2010 will not be year of the linux desktop - but instead year of the linux nettop and netbook?

Either way, I prefer to get the most out of my devices - so if GoogleOS is just going to be for web-only stuff, it won't be going on my netbook.

I will definitely have a play around with it though.

[elvis]

Originally Posted by Lei

a linux kernel + new window system + chrome

nothing new.

Except that it's Google - the company that made Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer angry enough to throw a chair.

Given that Google are making good revenue from their ad-powered services (something Microsoft have publicly stated they are struggling with), if you combine a netbook, GMail (either the free or pay-for corporate services) and Google docs (not to mention their search tools), you've got an extremely low cost and highly mobile platform. Combine with the upcoming Android mobile platform, and Google will be blurring the lines of mobile computing between the laptop and the phone more than any company prior to them.

Remember too we're 6 months away from ARM powered netbooks hitting the market. These things will debut at US$200-$250. Add $0 GoogleOS, $0 google docs, $0 online storage, $0 email, and that's a hell of a platform for the 80% of the market that doesn't play massively powerful 3D games all day long. And even for those that do - at half the cost of a modern 3D graphics card or games console (or iPhone), these are cheap enough to fall into the "spare cash toy" category. (Hell, I'll buy one just for my wife to be able to use Facebook without tying up a laptop or workstation).

It's quite amusing that most companies you look at who are getting all excited about "cloud computing" started in local applications, operating systems and hardware. Google have done it completely in reverse: for better or worse they pioneered much of what we can consider "the cloud" (in terms of mashing usable apps onto the web in more than just a gimmicky fashion). Now they're joining the OS market as an after thought.

Whether you love them, hate them, or don't care about them, you can't disagree that the next 12 months is going to be extremely interesting. I can see some real shake ups happening in the tech world. And not at the high or even mid range of the market, but at the low-end consumer-focussed range. This is going to be a fight to the bottom that Google are well positioned to win, as unlike Microsoft or Apple they don't make money directly from products, but rather from having more users than anyone else (which they already have both the infrastructure and revenue-raising capabilities to support).

And what's going to put the fear of God into every other company going up against Google is how they are going to reclaim that lost mind-share. Because in this big-business, brand-name world, that's what ultimately makes you your profits.

[Lei]

Originally Posted by Spanish Onion

Maybe so, however it will bring greater attention to Linux and less attention to Windows - which I'm all in favor of

+1. will always be cool if more people can choose linux.

the concern here is google needs to do more to really push for such outcomes. I mean from the above article, I have the feeling that the new os will just be another distribution.

Originally Posted by elvis

Remember too we're 6 months away from ARM powered netbooks hitting the market. These things will debut at US$200-$250. Add $0 GoogleOS, $0 google docs, $0 online storage, $0 email, and that's a hell of a platform for the 80% of the market that doesn't play massively powerful 3D games all day long. And even for those that do - at half the cost of a modern 3D graphics card or games console (or iPhone), these are cheap enough to fall into the "spare cash toy" category. (Hell, I'll buy one just for my wife to be able to use Facebook without tying up a laptop or workstation).

I will be very careful this time, bought a netbook myself, only used about 2 hours. Will be great if mobile companies can provide 3g access plan + netbook bundles.

but again, all these can be done without google OS, the ubuntu mid version + linux chrome should be ok.