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Zero Day Hole In Google Desktop
40by40 writes "A Web application security specialist has figured out a way to launch man-in-the-middle attacks against a computer with a fully patched Google Desktop installed. With knowledge of the Google Desktop security model (a combination of one-time tokens, iFrames and JavaScript), hacker Robert Hansen figured out a way to sit between a target launching a Google search query and manipulate the search results to take control of other programs on the desktop. From the article: 'This should drive home the point that deep integration between the desktop and the web is not a good idea, without tremendous thought put into the security model. As Google's site is unencrypted, and they place their content that can run executables on their site, it can be subverted by an attacker," Hansen warns. Hansen's advisory comes just days after a Chris Soghoian's exposé of a similar man-in-the-middle attack scenario against a remote vulnerability in the upgrade mechanism used by a number of commercial Firefox extensions.'"
No offense to Linux, but I think that would offend Google's sense of style. Unix-style OSes are great when you need low-level access to the hardware (e.g. GoogleFS), but don't infer any sort of inherent advantage in the desktop arena. In fact, the classic Unix design is very desktop unfriendly, which is why all kinds of user-friendly packages like automounter have been created.
Given the number of Ph.D. brainiacs Google has their hands on, I would expect them to create a new OS from the ground up that is more focused on the issues of dealing with the web and network in general. e.g. If it can be coded to avoid buffer overflow situations, that would be a great start. Greater focus on caching services and integrated URL handling might also be things you would see more of. Unicode everything rather than dealing with different text formats. (Incoming formats would need to be converted before they could be used.) Overall minimalist design. i.e. Don't include anything that isn't absolutely necessary to getting the job done. (Compare: The number of features on Google homepage to the number of features on the average Linux desktop.)
I will happily eat crow if Google ever produces a Linux desktop, but gut instinct says that they won't. So don't get your hopes up.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
In fact, the classic Unix design is very desktop unfriendly, which is why all kinds of user-friendly packages like automounter have been created.
Your point is pretty vacuous. The user-friendly packages already exist, and as OS X and Ubuntu (as a Linux example) show, can be used to great effect.
But you're right. Google won't produce a Linux desktop. They'll probably use a BSD variant, should they ever produce a desktop at all.
After all, I am strangely colored.