Do Not Want

Google's Chrome OS a direct shot across Microsoft's bow

Analysts said a key part of Google's strategy is to persuade software developers to start writing applications that run in Web browsers, rather than customizing them for a specific operating system such as Windows. "All Web-based applications will automatically work" on the new operating system, Pichai and Upson wrote.

I don’t want to sound like a luddite here, but nothing sounds more shite to me than playing games and using complex apps in a browser. I work in the field of websites so I understand how good they are getting with time. If it turns out to be good then I will happily eat crow but this doesn’t strike me as something that will take off anytime soon.

Think about it, is there a modern game that installs in less than a gigabyte of space? How about downloading that?

I will say, that one of the most important things to do is to separate the layers under which applications run. What is great about the web is that WebPages are written in open languages which browser writers support on the various OS’s, this can work with languages like Java and .NET which work under a virtual machine, but that has not taken off too much. Running from a browser will make apps that can run on Google Chrome OS also work on Windows, but the huge library of Windows apps will not work on Chrome. Let’s see how this one plays out.

The best thing about this is:

Chrome could attract computer users who want more speed and security than Windows currently provides. Google promised the software, which will be free, would boot up quickly and "get you onto the Web in a few seconds."

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And the move could prove to be good news for consumers, since more competition in the operating system market, long dominated by Microsoft, could lead to lower prices and increased innovation.

Yes. Competition is excellent for users. If Google Chrome OS is quick and light and people want that (I want that!) then Microsoft will lighten windows and lower prices also.