Chrome OS : Good , Bad or Ugly ?

It is Official that Google is coming out with a new OS . Google Chrome OS is the toast of the town now . They have played their cards right and targeted the HUGE netbook base . Google has taken the tag of the current Microsoft very seriously and have started forging ahead . But despite their Midas Touch and all that , an OS is a different ball game altogether , a different arena and a different game altogether . Can they ?

Here is an excerpt from the Official Google Blog :

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we’re already talking to partners about the project, and we’ll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.

So they gloves are off and the fight is getting real ! Good to see that keywords like Netbooks and Opensource figure in a big way there . They know that their forte is the net savvy netbook user and they want to go there first ! Very smart ! And I do believe that they have the right target in their cross-hairs .And like always they are not hesitant to go one more step ahead and say that :

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.

That to me smacks of confidence and intimacy with the user and also shows that $$$$ have already gone into what they are doing . They also mean business when they are making an OS on a Linux Kernel , that way , Viruses and malaware become reduced threats and performance is a given . The point about updates is an open dig at the Big M and will bring a smile to many a hassled user who is forced to reboot when he least wants in because there has been an update

Ok , all the euphoria and good vibes done . What are the challenges ? There are many , the first is that they have to get scores of hardware makers to write drivers for them and that ain’t easy . Then there is a challenge of all the existing netbook topper apps working out of Chrome OS . I definitely would be disappointed to see that the new OS is Gmail , blogger and feed burner friendly but nothing other than that , that would mean that we have another M$ and nothing else . We don’t need another totally close sighted platform now ! Here is what they have to say about this

The software architecture is simple – Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies. And of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform.

I for one hope that the Chrome OS is not another Jaiku and that Google keeps their thinking tag intact to deliver a killer . Also worth noting is that Windows 7 will be out way before Chrome and that will also add a dimension of complication to the release .

I think it will be good if delivered right and can be ugly if done in a high handed fashion !

P.s : My net-banking site doesn’t work with Chrome yet

See you in the next .

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