Isnt the casing just a prototype having no bearing on the final product? I thought they were just sending out the demo models for software demos. The physical product will depend on OEM's
Yeah, its just a pilot platform to test the software infrastructure on a small scale. Its not representative of the final products that will be available to consumers.
specs are something like this.. current gen atom (1.66ghz) 2gb ram 4gb ROM SSD wifi single usb port single headphone port. saw that on a forum somewhere.. pretty much based for the cloud user... pretty cool stuff..
The OS is said to require special hardware in order to authenticate fully. During the initial testing phases it will not be open for downloads. I assume GOS will allow you to run on a non-regulation device, without full authentication.
There are 2 versions Google Chrome OS, the laptop one that won't be downloadable and will be installed on all netbooks and laptops. The other is called Chromian or something like that which will be open source and everyone can download or its the other way around, I forget.
I dont see the point of this OS though, You need to be live online for it to do anything. its basically a netbook with less function
Chrome OS will NOT be available to generic PCs. Its a specific solution built by Google for Google and their hardware partners. (The CR-48 was built by Inventec.) Youtube. People with the pilot laptops have put up videos. Chrome OS is the pre-compiled version; that is locked down to Google's specific needs. Chromium OS is the open source project which Chrome OS is based from. Its open source, but you have to compile the code yourself. A guy named Hexxah has made a number of builds from the Chromium OS source code. You can try it there... => http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/ (You may also want to read the FAQ and such.) => http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/wiki/doku.php?id=faq That's the point of a cloud computing appliance. While it will have some uses that will overlap with a regular PC/notebook/netbook; it does not and will not replace the general computer in every single way. It depends on the user's needs. It has an off-line mode. When you reconnect back to the web (done automatically); it will automatically re-sync to your Google account. It pre-caches the online applications you're using. Cloud computing is really nothing more than bringing back the "dumb terminal and server combination" from the 1970s/1980s. Its a current buzzword. (Some over-enthusiastic people will try to sell it to everyone as some new innovation.) Cloud is for a specific audience that doesn't have much in the needs of computing. ie: Those who only need email, chat, social networking, online Office apps, etc. (It also works well in some business scenarios, as it eases management, maintenance, and security. Saves quite a bit of money.) The biggest advantage of this solution is security and maintenance. This is a locked-down system with a hardened Linux-based OS. The current pilot program laptop does have a "developer's switch" or jailbreak mode...But even then, its still somewhat restricted. eg: It'll allow you to have root access, but you can't change/install anything outside of the /home directory. (The user folder.) It has built-in integrity checking. ie: Checks if the firmware has been tampered or compromised, and will automatically replace it with a clean one. (This is disabled in jailbreak mode on the CR-48; but will have a message warning you about it when you boot up.) The end-user doesn't need to worry about "Patch Tuesday" or keeping things up-to-date. They don't need to waste time on finding the "best anti-virus/malware application". And they certainly don't need to learn about an OS's security mechanisms and implement them effectively to prevent infection and compromise. These chores are all nullified. The system is hardened, and the maintenance/update part is handled by Google. (Compared to a regular Linux distro or Windows user, where the burden is placed on them and their knowledge/experience.)...Essentially, this approach allows the user to focus on using the computer. Security-wise, you wouldn't have to worry about non-techie computer users with basic needs. Chrome OS (and the cloud computing idea) makes sense for a specific audience or market. It doesn't make sense for those who need to do other things that a general computer provides.
Thats all fair and good but according to sources in the US the laptop will be even more exspensive then a 10-12" Netbook that has Office or open office, that has internet capable applications, that does email and all the rest of the crap. Why would u spend more to get less, this laptop will fail without a doubt, just like at Cebit last year they have stopped calling netbooks netbooks now they are all reclassed as laptops / notebooks. so even the whole netbook craze has died after what 2 years. Google is to late, to exspensive, and not origanal no 1 will ever buy it and think damn id rather this huge useless POS over a IPAD or netbook anyday
Its like you're not reading what I posted, and simply regurgitate the areas I've already addressed. Its a really weak attempt to form a counter-argument. The last line of my post was... You're also not seeing the whole picture, and presume way too much. Chrome OS is a testing ground. Google is looking at the feasibility of the cloud idea (based on their online services); gaining experience and understanding the issues with the CR-48 trial. It already says something if they are giving the CR-48 netbooks away. (Letting people keep them.) They also have Android...Which is a hit in CES 2011; with all those Android-powered ARM-based tablets/slates/smartphones/etc saturating the electronics show. The popularity is enough for Microsoft to suddenly announce the ARM port of Windows 8 and Office is being worked on. Some aspects or features of Chrome OS is likely to merge with Android in future releases. (Chrome OS will likely to be shut down in the long term; while its Chromium OS base will stay as an open source project to allow people to tinker/modify it. Chrome browser will remain.) Why is it so hard for people to understand that companies are allowed to explore, play around, and experiment with ideas and conduct trials? Not all ideas will eventuate into retail/consumer products. This is no different to the automotive or aircraft industries. Just because an idea is stupid to you, doesn't mean its not useful to someone else.
I am happy to pay more for a netbook that is (by corvette's definition) less capable and hand it to my family members; everything is done online and there is no way to fuck up the OS or worry about the machine getting loaded with trojans (my sister has a particular skill in this regard).
