Google Chrome OS
Quite a long time ago - by Internet standards - it was speculated that perhaps one day, all our applications would be more or less "leased," that is to say, we would access a website and use their version of whatever the software was we wanted to use - word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, etc.
Google actually followed through with this with Google Docs, as have many other website that offer proprietary functionality via their website. With Google Docs, of course, you can open a document in a word processor, write it, and share it or actually save it as a Word document and send it or store it on your local drive.
With online applications (or applications downloaded for a set period of time and licensed to the user), the idea of "Software as a Service" (SaaS) has come into its own, and is much-discussed on the internet these days. Wikipedia: "SaaS software vendors may host the application on their own web servers or download the application to the consumer device, disabling it after use or after the on-demand contract expires. The on-demand function may be handled internally to share licenses within a firm or by a third-party application service provider (ASP) sharing licenses between firms."
Google is now upping the ante yet again (how often can they DO that?) with Google's Chrome OS (not to be confused with it's Chrome web browser). Or, maybe it should be confused with Chrome, The Web Browser, as in some ways, what Google is suggesting is there is no need to have your computer be anything but an appliance to hook you up to the web, where all your software and data will reside - sort of along the lines of your television set (in the pre-DVR days). It's a "receiver." You turn it on, and access the software (programming) which is just hanging out there either on your cable, or in the airwaves, and use just what you want, when you want. When you're done, you shut it off, and it all just waits out there patiently on the Internet for you til you access it again. You can take your computer with you if you wish, but you can also just go to any local "terminal," plug in your access codes (jack in, anyone?) and you're on "your" Internet, complete with all your files and personal settings, mail... everything.
Wikipedia: "Google Chrome OS is an open source operating system designed by Google to work exclusively with web applications. Announced on July 7, 2009, Chrome OS is set to have a publicly available stable release during the second half of 2010. The operating system is based on Linux and targets specifically designed hardware. The user interface takes a minimalist approach, resembling that of the Chrome web browser. Because the browser will be the only application residing on the device, Google Chrome OS is aimed at users who spend most of their computer time on the Internet."
Which includes many of us who are not developers, or other folks who work on highly proprietary software and/or data.
Needless to say, security will be a big question in the minds of many, and we have yet to see how that will play out. And the other major downside, as most smart phone users have undoubtedly already shouted at this article, "What about when there's no internet access?"
Google's immediate answer to that is, "Chrome is meant to be used for secondary computers, not the user's main PC."
And that may be a good and sufficient answer. As one who is just starting to use Chrome (the browser) almost exclusively, I have to say that as usual, Google has done a bangup job. So I have high, and slightly nervous expectations for the "Do No Harm" Guys Who Took Over the Universe.
Google actually followed through with this with Google Docs, as have many other website that offer proprietary functionality via their website. With Google Docs, of course, you can open a document in a word processor, write it, and share it or actually save it as a Word document and send it or store it on your local drive.
With online applications (or applications downloaded for a set period of time and licensed to the user), the idea of "Software as a Service" (SaaS) has come into its own, and is much-discussed on the internet these days. Wikipedia: "SaaS software vendors may host the application on their own web servers or download the application to the consumer device, disabling it after use or after the on-demand contract expires. The on-demand function may be handled internally to share licenses within a firm or by a third-party application service provider (ASP) sharing licenses between firms."
Google is now upping the ante yet again (how often can they DO that?) with Google's Chrome OS (not to be confused with it's Chrome web browser). Or, maybe it should be confused with Chrome, The Web Browser, as in some ways, what Google is suggesting is there is no need to have your computer be anything but an appliance to hook you up to the web, where all your software and data will reside - sort of along the lines of your television set (in the pre-DVR days). It's a "receiver." You turn it on, and access the software (programming) which is just hanging out there either on your cable, or in the airwaves, and use just what you want, when you want. When you're done, you shut it off, and it all just waits out there patiently on the Internet for you til you access it again. You can take your computer with you if you wish, but you can also just go to any local "terminal," plug in your access codes (jack in, anyone?) and you're on "your" Internet, complete with all your files and personal settings, mail... everything.
Wikipedia: "Google Chrome OS is an open source operating system designed by Google to work exclusively with web applications. Announced on July 7, 2009, Chrome OS is set to have a publicly available stable release during the second half of 2010. The operating system is based on Linux and targets specifically designed hardware. The user interface takes a minimalist approach, resembling that of the Chrome web browser. Because the browser will be the only application residing on the device, Google Chrome OS is aimed at users who spend most of their computer time on the Internet."
Which includes many of us who are not developers, or other folks who work on highly proprietary software and/or data.
Needless to say, security will be a big question in the minds of many, and we have yet to see how that will play out. And the other major downside, as most smart phone users have undoubtedly already shouted at this article, "What about when there's no internet access?"
Google's immediate answer to that is, "Chrome is meant to be used for secondary computers, not the user's main PC."
And that may be a good and sufficient answer. As one who is just starting to use Chrome (the browser) almost exclusively, I have to say that as usual, Google has done a bangup job. So I have high, and slightly nervous expectations for the "Do No Harm" Guys Who Took Over the Universe.
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