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Chrome OS Designed To Start Microsoft Death Spiral
Al writes "Technology Review has a feature article that explores the business strategy underlying Google's decision to develop its Linux-based operating system, Chrome OS. Writer G. Pascal Zachary argues that Eric Schmidt has identified a sea-change in the software business, as signaled by Microsoft's recent problems and by the advancement of cloud computing. Zachary notes that Larry Page and Sergey Brin have pushed to develop a slick, open-source alternative to Windows for around six years (with the rationale that improving access to the Web would ultimately benefit Google), but that Schmidt has always refused. While developing Chrome OS is a significant gamble for Google, Zachary believe it will exploit Microsoft's historical weakness in terms of networking and internet functionality, forcing its rival to better serve Google's core business goals, whilst initiating its own steady, slow-motion decline."
I've been using Windows since DOS days in the early 80's.
I'd say I'm moderately skilled with Windows.
Nevertheless, I've tried a few different Linux distros - first Knoppix, then OpenSUSE, then Ubuntu G, then Ubuntu H.
Mainly I've quit bothering trying to use Linux, despite it running much faster than Win on any comparable hardware, and despite my personal PREFERENCE to move away from the ever-hungry machine of MS's licensing dept (oh, so I get to pay you every YEAR now?)...
Why?
1) simple laziness. Not really interested in climbing a learning curve at 41. Got better things to do with my time.
2) mimic Windows ease of use in terms of installs. If I want to install a program that's not on the "add application" list of programs that I get from whatever install server is my default, it should be no more complicated than downloading a file, and running it. If there are dependencies, add them to the damn install file.
3) much better automated hardware detection and support. I want to install a USB device? The OS needs to recognize the device and install drivers, or at least tell me where I need to go to get them. I was sick of DIP switch settings and dicking around with config files in DOS...I don't want to go back to that.
4) here's the killer: build in an invisible WINE-like function. Let me run native apps, and I'm sure they'll be faster. But if I want to run WoW and they don't have a linux client? Let me run it with the performance hit of some sort of shell, but let it RUN.
That said, the main hesitations for me are twofold:
- that installing Stepmania on a linux box for my kids to play on was absolutely AGONY. It wasn't just a matter of downloading, extracting, and double-clicking the Stepmania icon.
- I'm unwilling to adopt an OS that means that I can't play the entire bookshelf of computer games next to me without major screwing around. Yes, I do go back and play a fair number of Win95 games, as well as current cutting-edge ones.
So, I don't think my experience is that odd; if they want me to try ChromeOS, there's what I'd need to see.
-Styopa
In what way do you think MS and Enron are the same? Say what you will about MS, but they do actually have products that they develop and sell. They aren't a ponzi scheme.
Barack Obama is way ahead of you.
Keep up that talk, as the worse it seems, the more secure Obama and the Democratic party will be in 2010 and 2012. The trouble is that you're betting all of the Republican political hay on "the economy is going to fall apart", but it won't, and besides most people still blame the Republicans for getting us into the this trouble in the first place.
In the end, you're betting against the American Worker, good luck with that.
I believe that a fairly quick turn around now that housing and oil have corrected, and it looks like we will have missed the "10% jobless" mark just barely. In typical recessions jobs (re)growth tends to lag, but this recover will have the addition of a the stimulus package which is just starting to create new jobs and the census which will be creating a million more jobs soon. We should be mature in the economic recover by maybe a year from November, just in time for the Republicans to bleed some more senate seats, I don't care to who; maybe someone can restart the old Whig party.
The force that blew the Big Bang continues to accelerate.
GMail was developed as part of the 20% program.
Gmail was a project started by Google developer Paul Buchheit several years before it was announced to the public. Initially the software was available only internally as an email client for Google employees.
The project initially was known by the code name Caribou, a reference to a Dilbert comic strip about Project Caribou.[1]
You may be wrong about others, too. That I don't know about.
Put identity in the browser.
I'm pretty sure it would be 143.5B/(143.5B + 208.15B - some market fluctuation), not 143.5B/208.15B since the new company would be a combination of both.
Put identity in the browser.