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Comment by trezor | Hacker News Reader

But Google, they have the R&D power, the marketing savvy and the ability to create a universal OS that could directly challenge the Windows franchise, and I think the world is ready for it.

I don't know about you, but I want my OS to do more than just launch a browser and that's it.

People ridicules Windows 7 starter edition for only being limited to launch four programs only, but when google makes that number one, everyone is applauding?

I don't get it.

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Why would anyone think that a "universal OS" would only launch a browser? I think ChromeOS may contain Google's Native Client allowing web apps to run native code on the local machine. If so, Microsoft and Windows is doomed.

My impression was that Chrome OS was supposed to be a netbook OS, focused mainly on getting online and a browser up and running, and little more. That is as far as you can get from a universal OS.

Anyway, since we really have next to no detail, I guess this is all wild speculation, so discussion has somewhat limited interest until we get something solid.

As for Windows beeing doomed... I kinda doubt thousands of companies worldwide is going to ditch their current platform, all their current software and jump on something entirely new and unproven.

If Linux failed as a desktop OS against Windows (with massive centralized administration features) in the corporate world, how will a Linux distro with even more trimmed down feature set going to be appealing?

That sounds just like ActiveX...which did not end the world.

In fact, ActiveX is mostly just ignored today.

So, by "doomed" I'm assuming you mean "not affected in any meaningful way".

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