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Chrome OS, Present and Future

Posted by kdawson on from the ooh-shiny dept.

Many readers are submitting stories related to Google Chrome OS. ruphus13 points out a GigaOm opinion piece about how, if users end up rejecting its current cloud-only focus, the nascent OS may succeed as a netbook secondary operating system alongside Windows (in company with secondaries based on other Linux flavors, including Android). Engadget reviews a Chrome OS on a USB key setup that is claimed to offer eye-opening performance compared to running under virtualization. And an anonymous reader notes the 0.1 beta release of ChromeShell, which installs a "Chrome OS-like" environment that boots to the Chrome browser in ~3 seconds; users can switch to Windows later as desired.

5 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. False! by sys.stdout.write · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you read the linked ChromeShell page, it says it goes from standby to the Chrome browser in 3 seconds.

    It actually takes 30 seconds to boot, which isn't much better than Windows. Actually, is that even better?

    1. Re:False! by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

      There ya go again ruining a good story by RTFA.

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      Table-ized A.I.
    2. Re:False! by gotpaint32 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Good point, I have Win 7 on a Dell Mini 10 with 1GB of RAM, it boots to the login screen in about 30 seconds and comes out of standby mode in about 5 seconds. Considering how much more it is actually loading on Windows, it seems Google still has a long way to go until instant on is a reality.

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      Nuclear war would really set back cable. - Ted Turner
  2. Useful by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If 90% of what a user does is web browsing and email, that sounds like a good bet. If you push "on" and have it up and running in a few seconds, who would bother going into Windows? You'd only need to boot to Windows when doing some office work or the like, and that boot option would be a quick-click icon. If you primarily do office work with it, then you'd want a full-blown "regular" laptop anyhow instead of a netbook.

    However, I imagine that Microsoft will find some way to sabotage multi-OS-boot options via screwy licensing and pricing games.
             

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    Table-ized A.I.
    1. Re:Useful by StreetStealth · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't think ChromeOS will catch on as an "early boot" option any more than some of the options the BIOS manufacturers have been pitching for a few years. The benefits of ChromeOS are pretty much mitigated by sticking it on a full laptop -- you're lugging a fully-featured computer around and you don't have access to any of it, and you could get the whole thing just by waiting around another 30 seconds.

      ChromeOS is about having a bare minimum of hardware required to have a smooth internet experience. It's about the proliferation of internet access, always having something nearby that will connect you to whatever you're looking for.

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      Your mind is clear / The things that you fear / Will fade with how much you / Believe what you hear