Google Chrome OS almost stable and ready | Hacker News Reader

Google Chrome OS almost stable and ready

techcrunch.com

50 pointsjohnwestawski13 comments

I had great hopes for Chrome OS... that was before I actually used it. It is literally just a browser. After using the iPad and I'm assuming Android 3.0 is just as good if not better. Does the world really need Chrome? If I'm going to have a notebook, desktop or server I will run Ubuntu, any other flavor of Linux, OS X or Windows. On a smartphone or tablet iOS and Android, maybe Web-OS, QT, whatever Windows 8 will be if they ever get their act together. Has the time for Chrome OS passed before it ever arrived?

Blog post of my experience with Ubuntu and Chrome OS if interested: http://www.rakkhis.com/2010/07/preparing-for-chrome-living-w...

I think it's actually ahead of its time. The browser has already won; we're just waiting on perf and app maturity for the "last mile" of web apps (games, audio/video editors, industry-specific software (e.g. POS/PMS in hospitality), full offline access). The recent resurgence of native apps is just mobile growing up; 10 years ago, there were still B&W displays on "PDAs"...

Chrome OS gets the balance between local and cloud right, with 1 click extension installation/uninstallation, a minimal file system to facilitate downloading/uploading, and a very clean interface. In just a few years, and despite low marketshare, Chrome already sets the pace, as Firefox's new interface and release cycle give witness to. Regular people are actually ahead of the curve: for personal stuff, they already only use web apps. When they can get their work done on the web too, they'll wonder why they'd need anything other than "just a browser".

You could be right and I do 95% of my tasks in a browser. I just found that I do not want an OS without the other 5% e.g. gaming (unless something like Onlive really takes off), offline access and performance (unless HTML5 delivers), peripherals like scanning and printing (unless you get devices that can scan and print to email), downloading photos from a camera (same can email?). Native applications on an iPad for example are so much better than the mobile web versions, again unless HTML5 delivers. So there are a lot of "unless if's" in there, if I was a betting man I would not bet on Chrome OS.

I don't see any of those as "unless ifs", but "whens". Gaming will come to the browser, first with HTML5 and NaCl. Offline access isn't a technical issue, we're just waiting on developers to implement when they feel it's necessary. JS is only getting faster and, combined with efforts like NaCl, we'll have native perf inside 5 years. Printing from my Cr-48 is already solved (Cloud Print is great), and we'll undoubtedly see scanning and camera solutions soon, one way or another. Native tablet apps will be killed by web apps in the same way native desktop apps were/are being.

I'd take that even a step further: Google's been trying to unify Android across its mobile platforms, but why stop there? Why not bring this to desktop? And what better way to unite the desktop and mobile than through the browser and the cloud?

The latest versions of Chrome Canary have been increasingly focused on bringing the app experience to desktop computing. It already has dedicated applications for Google maps, Wikipedia, etc.

I'd credit a lot of Apple's mobile success to their ability to create a consistent experience across the product line. If Google can unite Chrome and Android together into a coherent experience across all product lines, they're going to have something very special on their hands.

My CR-48 dev build is coming together nicely. Many of the rough edges have been buffed out(File Manager/SD Cards, SSH issues).

Its been my main driver here since I've received it and the only things that don't work are CPU intensive things like Flash/JS or HD video. But the SD stuff looks just fine and runs well. SSH doesn't handle dropped connections gracefully and the SSH is(was?) 8bit colors and I wish it was higher.

Regardless of those issues I love the simplicity of it and the utility(battery life is outstanding) and the quickness of it(open the lid and go). With a simple ssh terminal I can do all of my coding.

Problems with Flash you say? I'm shocked I tell you, shocked...

That's why I installed Flashblock on my CR48.

I'm really looking forward to what new Chrome OS goodies will be announced at I/O. What ever happened to the "start button" they showed off (in the top left corner) some time last year? Seemed like a good way to launch apps, much better than the scroll down method we currently suffer through.

A ChromeOS tablet would be a dream but we're probably too early for that. I'm just hopeful that whatever notebooks get put out have the horsepower to smoothly render pages that the CR48 chokes on.

Am I the only one that thinks this will be the biggest spyware since BonziBUDDY? Googles business is logging data about you and sell targeted ads. I am not sure I am ready to hand over my os to them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BonziBUDDY

Tin-foil hats at the ready!

A major PR firm is actually starting a campaign against Google. Might want to buy futures in tin foil :) http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2011-05-06-google_n.htm

Bababababababa... WHO CARES? Why not brand it Android Full and just add a couple of features?

Wtf do I want to spend time learning another operating system for, when I know it is just another skin on linux? I like android; I use it all day on my mini-computer galaxy s.

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