Google’s ChromeOS

Google's Chrome Browser the first sign of the end of days? (Image borrowed from Ars Technica)

(Approx. Reading Time: 5 minutes)

And so Google enters the fray with its own operating system, pushing to make the “cloud computing” idea a standard for everyone. A lot of people are weighing in on this – privacy issues, the beauty of ubiquitous computing, etc. Since it’s getting so much press right now, I figured I’d weigh in as well.

That, and I’m still waiting on them to finish Chrome for Mac. This doesn’t bode well.

I’ve found the idea of a Google OS, from both a convenience and full desktop replacement, to be intriguing – a great many people online advocate putting their stuff on Google Docs, GMail, etc., and no longer worrying about computer crashes. I’m guilty of this – I store my email and photos in varying places online, and have long eschewed using a desktop equivalent.

But there are a couple of issues that stick out more than others, I think, in perhaps good and bad lights.

Application Features

Leo Babauta, over at Zen Habits, brings up a good point about overall computing – we use programs like Facebook, Twitter, and IM programs everyday that don’t offer ways to make things “pretty” anymore. People tend to back up and say they want all the features of something like Word, Powerpoint, etc. – but the reality is that for all the features we want, most people don’t actually use any of them. Perhaps this will force people to focus on the content as opposed to how pretty the content is – or, more likely, the aesthetics of the internet will improve.

However, I’d say it’s pretty realistic that overloaded programs could quickly get a run for their money if Google manages to get people to readily adopt Chrome. Which brings me to…

Adoption

A lot of people are saying this could fundamentally change computing as we know it. I agree – it could – but more likely, unless Google manages to replace Windows as the primary OS manufacturers put on their systems, Chrome will be relegated to the same status Linux and the like are, even if it’s free. This is, in many ways, the same barrier Apple has only recently begun to surmount – the fact that everyone already uses Windows, and that people don’t really like change.

Google’s products are very popular…with the people who actually use them. In the end, though, Google’s nonsearch products are all pretty much relegated to niche markets. While ChromeOS could unite things, more than likely it won’t.

Chances are what will promote adoption is the resulting media attention and flurry of activity, resulting in changes made by Microsoft and by Apple to their browsers. Google will change computing by encouraging, via competition, all the other makers to change as well.

Distributed computing

By Google making an operating system that links computers inexorably to the internet, it gains a vast amount of computing resources that it otherwise wouldn’t – I’m sure the fearful might term this internet socialism – in that all computers with the Chrome OS would be able to assist in large tasks.

This sort of cloud computing has been going on for years through programs like BOINC and SETI@Home, so the idea is nothing new – however, the idea of an operating system where such things are built in is. Google would be creating the most powerful distributed computing network ever, which could be a huge boon to researchers who need supercomputer-type processing power – but only if they leave it on to begin with.

Privacy

Privacy is covered by pretty much everyone – do you want all your data on Google’s servers? – and my personal opinion is that you’re egotistical, doing something illicit, a pervert, or famous if you think you have anything important enough to try to hide from Google employees. But, at the same time, I can understand how you wouldn’t want that novel manuscript and that market research to be available to search bots.

The amount of information on the internet today is likely more than any human could process in their entire lifespan – especially if you factor in videos. While Google’s searchbots may comb through your stuff on occasion to deliver you ads or whatnot, the likelihood a human would ever see your work is about as likely as a website with no advertising, no mention elsewhere, and no SEO, getting traffic.

This is entirely ignoring the numbers of people who use online password-remember softwares to login to websites – and this is the issue I have with cloud computing/netbook arenas.

My problem is not storing all my stuff online, or that somebody at Google is going to look at it – it’s that all of a sudden my entire computer is available to anybody on Earth, and all they have to do is figure out my 8-16 letter/digit password. This can be circumvented with USB keys or hell, even skin implants, but that’s quite a barrier between Google and mainstream adoption.

Regardless, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what comes of this. I don’t foresee changing my computer, but it could definitely supplement many of the things that are already out there – and would definitely be better than the Windows that comes with most mobile platforms today.

What do you all think?

Popularity: 9% [?]