“Speed, simplicity and security were the key components of the design, said Pichai. “It takes seven seconds to boot to the login, and three seconds to hit an application. We’re working very hard to make that faster.” All applications are web applications, he said, with the browser running each in an tab isolated from other applications and the system, and there was nothing for users to install or maintain,” Goodwins reports. “‘All Chrome OS data is in the cloud,’ Pichai said.”
“In the demonstration of the operating system, applications ran in tabs along the top of the browser component, could also be opened in panes and minimised. “Any web app is a Chrome OS App”, said Pichai: an Excel spreadsheet was shown running in Windows Live,” Goodwins reports. “Media and games can be played offline, and Chrome OS would support HTML 5’s offline capabilities, he said, but it was primarily designed for online use.”
Goodwins reports, “Chrome OS will run on both x86 and ARM chips, but to be a Chrome OS netbook the device would need to use hardware approved by Google. It will issue reference designs based on components, such as wireless interfaces, that the company knows to have proper driver support… Pichai said that Google was working with ‘all the top partners’ on commercial devices, and that the initial focus was entirely on netbooks with keyboards although there may be other form factors later.”
Full article here.
Google’s Chrome OS UI concept video:
Direct link to video via YouTube here.
MacDailyNews Take: Google’s quest to become “Microsoft, But Better” continues unabated.
Actually, from what I’ve read, they will allow local files to be read from SD cards and external hard drives and such. So in theory it’s possible to access any files you currently have stored on hard drives – Google’s not demanding that you suddenly upload all of your stored files to the cloud.
Google is developing and marketing improvements to the way we interface with information of all kinds. Windows developed software. Apple develops software and hardware. Google appears to have an interest in development of software, hardware and information.
I perceive a threat to Apple, because eventually Google may offer the only device that can interface with information in exceptionally useful ways provided by only Google. We’ll have the ordinary browser view of the Internet, and Google’s enhanced view of the Internet, available only through Google devices. On the face of it, that could be a very shrewd move.
What problem does this OS solve? Smaller IT departments that deal exclusively with connectivity and hardware issues?
I’m not sending Google all my porn.
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——RM
“40 years later and we’re back at time-sharing…”
And just in the last week, I see articles saying that within the next year, the internet will be overloaded.
“shouldn’t be a problem” I shouldn’t even have to comment about that!!!!!!!!!! Whenever I hear it, red lights come on all over the place! You KNOW there will be a problem when someone says that!
“because eventually Google may offer the only device that can interface with information in exceptionally useful ways provided by only Google.”
So maybe its time to get rid of Google!
Stick it where the sun does not shine!
@LordRobin
No, it would be the other way around, they would send you there porn, you just pay them for it.
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I will say Google is smarter than most companies in tech industry. And their credo – everything as fast and simple as possible – appeals to a big segment. The thing that bugs me is that they are just a step above MSFT. Instead of directly copying, they optimize existing work – like using Java syntax but not Java for Android SDK. Taking WebKit and optimize it for Chrome and basically make it the default Linux desktop, which will probably irk some KDE and GNOME lovers, but will make Linux more easily acceptable by mainstream public. They also understand that to become a Microsoft you not only have to be good but be at the right place and right time like MSFT did. Cloud computing wouldn’t work like when Oracle presented it more than 10 years ago, but today with a matured Internet and latest infrastructure it works to Google’s advantage. What I do like about Apple is that they have technology no one has, and can design and develop in ways no one has. They also build better trust and customer service first, so it will always have a loyal customer base that is not influenced simply by the product price. Also I’m sure Clouded Leopard can do anything Chrome OS can, and MUCH more.
Actually, looking at this thing, I can see how it would be useful as a specialized device, maybe a portable panel thingy. I simply can’t see it replacing a standard OS for home use, however. You’re simply too restricted in how you can open apps, arrange them, and so on. It’s either open in the browser-thingy, or with that pop-up thingy. It doesn’t look like you can have two applications on the screen simultaneously, which would be a deal-killer for me.
——RM
eon2010
Paragraphs!
Learn what they are. Use them.
Thank you.
this is very cool, and I have no idea why anyone thinks ‘Mac users’ wouldn’t like it.
The reason we love Apple is because they have great ideas, they’re exciting to follow, they’re prolific, innovative and have great visions of the future.
The same could be said for Chrome. Even the Browser offered some very new , very cool ideas when it first came out. I’m running Chrome for Mac, and I love it.
This OS does look very exciting, and it is a real stretch to say this is time sharing. Look at your Mac. There’s no reason why it can’t be treated like a ‘dumb terminal’.. isn’t that more convenient? Imagine if you never had to take a laptop on a business trip because all your stuff was in your Google ‘profile’.
Whereas today you can load up Google Apps (which are very basic), Google OS would have your entire User Profile saved in the cloud, so really your laptop can stay at home.
How is this not a huge improvement over local storage.
As for those who claim the internet might be down. First of all, that hardly ever happens, and is happening less and less. These new technologies always seed in big cities and then go from there anyway. If you’re in NYC, getting Wifi is not a big deal.
Any offline usage, Google developed Google Gears a while back for that kind of thing.
Very very cool announcements Google. Love the work you guys are doing.
And I’m sure somewhere out there, Linus Torvalds is smiling.
Only an idiot would want all their apps and all their data to live on a server in the clouds.
“The reason we love Apple is because they have great ideas, they’re exciting to follow, they’re prolific, innovative and have great visions of the future.
The same could be said for Chrome.”
Hahahahaha. No.
Chrome is an anachronistic throwback to the 1970’s, when computing revolved around terminals connected to a mainframe. No matter how much Google clicks its heels together and says “there’s no place like antiquity”, people are not to rush to install an operating system that takes their personal computers and makes them crawl back into the primordial ooze. Any more retro and Chrome would be based on punchcards.
“How is this not a huge improvement over local storage.”
How are horse drawn carriages not an improvement over automobiles? The “cloud” is a trendy new name for a musty old concept that was displaced a long, long time ago by the advent of personal computers.
To put it bluntly, Chrome OS is retrograde bullshit. Which is fine if you’re into that kind of thing, but please don’t be surprised when it fails to catch on outside of a very small niche of mainframe enthusiasts who pine for computing circa the 70’s(whether they’re aware of it or not).
MW: over. As in game over, man, game over!
@eon2010 & acid
One word…paragraphs!
twilight, don’t worry. You’re not going to be charged as though this were an SMS message. Anyway, I didn’t realize that I have to write like the journalist that I read. I’m an ordinary citizen.
This product, just like any other, has its place.
The concept its awesome, lets be honest. However, great concepts don’t always make great products.
And I agree with the previous poster, looks like it all runs in a browser, so why not just make it browser based and run on any computer. That way it can run on a lean Linux distro and just run on the Google browser.
Bottom line, this concept works for me if I owb my own data. I think the Dumb terminal idea can work great. But the server and all the data needs to reside on my site and not in a cloud, so that if I lose connection, I am not fish outta water.
I think Apple is gonna move toward my model mentioned above, Mac Mini is possible evidence, where people buy a powerful pc (yes I know mini is not so power but its cheap) and store all there data on the server, run apps on the
I’d rather keep my porn on my hdd instead of the cloud otherwise my bandwidth will skyrocket
I can understand the skepticism of those who do not work in an enterprise environment who balk at the thought of sharing anything that could be considered personal or private. For home computer use this may not be appropriate.
But this is a very powerful concept and it should not be underestimated. Those of us who have worked in large corporations can see the enormous potential of being able to temporarily download to RAM any application instantly from a remote server. With security, accessibility to those who need applications and data, and proper backups, it is highly desirable to have everything stored in a central location. A company could potentially reduce the number of software licenses it needs to have by having a certain number of application licenses available for use on demand instead of having all the applications installed on every single computer. And I’ve seen too many dunderheads lose priceless data because they foolishly kept it on their local drives.
We’ve got to rid ourselves of the illusion that “real” applications reside on the device their run off. The truth is that is doesn’t matter squat where the application is stored as long as you can get the executable code downloaded to your device quickly. This is the future people whether you like it or not. Brace yourselves.
It will be illuminating to see how Apple responds or if they do anything to respond at all. MobileMe offers great potential for expansion in this space. Will Apple permit 3rd party developers to create software for MobileMe? Build an SDK and they will come. Look at the app store.
Some of your apps and data in a cloud for you to access from any computer anywhere? Good.
A whole OS tied to the cloud? Bad.
sounds ideal for a tablet!
Surely if the WiFi is running permanently to get pieces of my apps and data from the cloud (rather than every few minutes only for email) then my battery life will plummet.
I think it’s perfect to netbooks and tablets, and those people that just want to browser, email. a light and free OS? I guess it’s in direct competition with MS and Linux for cheap light devices. Liked it.
They could be taking the iPhone path to apps. At first, Chrome OS will onlty suppor third party web apps, and their own core utilities. After a year of refining their OS to offer the perfect netbook experience, open an API so third party developers can create native apps.
It’s definitely not going to make me give up my Mac any, but I like the idea and where this is headed.