Does the World Need Google's Operating System?

Google (GOOG) has been a platform and systems company but now they’re officially an OS company. From the official Google blog:

[T]oday, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System. It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.

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. …

Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year. 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.

Does the world need another operating system? No. Are netbook users more operating system-independent than other computer users? Google, Apple (AAPL), Nokia (NOK) and several other firms are betting this is the case, but this thesis is yet to be proven.

When I did my dissertation in 1998-1999, I was just seeing a glimmering of the idea that Internet access (then web and email) was more important than locally hosted applications (and thus application variety was an attribute to satisfice and not maximize).

Google has been trying for years to encourage this trend to commoditze the OS as a means for Internet access. Apple tried it for a while on the iPhone and then gave up, which brought them the world’s leading mobile app store.

Disclosure: None

Comments

[DarkStealth:]

So Google wants to throw away the existing body of applications I've already got, and hope that everyone is happy to migrate to the web, with crappy replacements for Office? How am I going to play my games? I'm not downgrading to Linux and installing a new window manager (which Google is attempting to pass off as an operating system!).

This is useless on the server and a downgrade for existing PC owners. Maybe the Netbooks market is compelling, but that's automatically assuming that everyone will be happy using apps running in a web browser, with their lesser functionality. Do they come with pop-up ads? Perhaps they have a chance on the phone - oh wait, did they think about the iPhone?

It's hard to imagine Google making a decent amount of money here. Maybe they'll disrupt Microsoft's plans. But will a Chrome window manager pay for its own development, or be a huge money sink like most of Google's other free apps?

Jul 08 05:02 AM

[Respirate:]

Overall a Chrome OS would be an upgrade for individual computer users. It may spell the end of software obsolescence. No more costly upgrades, changeovers, patches, etc. The office-like apps, such as those available from Sun-Solaris already have better features than the MS suite. As an OS core Linux has always been a stable and superior platform to the MS OSs. Businesses still use Linux versions for critical bullet-proof necessities like running their servers and critical databases. .

I've found Chrome, the browser, to be not only fast, but also rock solid stable -- most surprising given that it's new. It's also a feat never achieved by Microsoft in anything.

What concerns me most about web-centric computing is durability and availability. Despite its robust and redundant structure, the internet links can fail at many places between an individual station and the destination software application sites. Will it be available when you must do something?

Intentional attack is one of multiple vulnerabilities:
This today: "The powerful attack that overwhelmed computers at U.S. and South Korean government agencies for days was even broader than initially realized, also targeting the White House, the Pentagon and the New York Stock Exchange. Other targets of the attack included the National Security Agency, Homeland Security Department, State Department, the Nasdaq stock market ...".

--R

Jul 08 01:32 PM