Comments on: Google Chrome OS: Hype, Hope or Humbug?

By: John

John — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:41:45 +0000

I have spoke with many clients about this as I am in web development and do some PC repair on the side (literally some). Most are not and will not be comfortable with the whole notion of storing all personal information in the “cloud” or just plain old internet to us “old timers (28 years of age being old)”. There is nothing new or exciting here. I don’t personally think people are going to totally buy into the software as a service lifestyle. There is a thing called ownership and that is where Apple/MS know the game. These are large multi-billion companies and so is Google. However these companies have been in the OS/Client game alot longer and know how to play that game. I don’t think this will flop at all. I think this will mostly be the computer you buy for the kids to play on and for Grandma to send e-mail to junior with, nothing more.

By: Robert Harper

Robert Harper — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:58:36 +0000

One hole year ?….DOUGH !!

By: Tom Reestman

Tom Reestman — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:42:50 +0000

“So this really comes back to Tom’s same old “netbooks suck” song and dance.”

I’ve never said netbooks suck. I’ve said they’re the new cheap laptop, which is correct. And I’ve said that Apple should not make one, which I still believe. But I never said they sucked.

“A smaller, sub-$400 gadget with enough battery life that it doesn’t need a power cord run up to the coffee table sounds perfect for me, anyway — and I don’t care what OS it runs.”

Great. But now you’re talking about YOU, whereas your initial statement was about the more general population (“people”).

There are those perfectly happy with netbooks, which is fine; we all have different needs. But if Chrome OS is going to have anywhere near the impact some are claiming it will, it must have a far, far greater reach than current Linux/Windows netbooks do now. I believe the majority of consumers are not ready for that; those that are don’t need Chrome OS anyway.

By: Champs

Champs — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:46:46 +0000

“This is not just about web apps, it’s about the entire netbook package as it would exist in Chrome OS.”

So this really comes back to Tom’s same old “netbooks suck” song and dance. Clearly a netbook isn’t for Reestman or a lot of the penny-wise, dollar foolish folks who thought they were just buying a cheap, super-portable laptop.

Whether I need a powerful system (rarely) or not, my wife is using the desktop, anyway — so here I sit with a not-needed-for-work-anymore MBP that cost more than twice as much as the television I’m using as a primary activity, anyway. It’s like being that guy at the trailer park with a pickup truck nicer than his own home. A smaller, sub-$400 gadget with enough battery life that it doesn’t need a power cord run up to the coffee table sounds perfect for me, anyway — and I don’t care what OS it runs.

By: stephen king

stephen king — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:11:17 +0000

I’m confused? It was easy when it was about mac vs. softies. Then you added
linux. Now it’s an imaginary google os.
If someone would put this flamewar on a separate website, i might buy a
ticket and a beer and hotdog.

By: Daniel Kvasnicka

Daniel Kvasnicka — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:29:20 +0000

“but that’s exactly how netbooks began — with the Linux/Firefox combo already mentioned — and consumers didn’t go there.” — it’s as if you said that we don’t need a Mac because Windows can run a browser too. It’s about the way it’s crafted. I think that Chrome OS will be much more streamlined than Ubuntu with a browser in it and thousands of other things, that — for a certain target audience — ale useless.

I don’t think the new OS will take the world by storm and endanger any of the major players. But there certainly is a target audience for which the OS will be exactly the thing they need. The only non-web apps my wife uses are video and music players… which will certainly be in Chrome OS, web-based or not. And I know of more people who use their computers that way.

By: Blue-Devices

Blue-Devices — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:09:05 +0000

One of the things to think about when talking about an OS is hardware support. Google certainly has a good track record with regards to web apps (albeit the perpetual beta tag) but will consumers be okay with limited or “beta” support for devices?

People expect stuff to just work and may be okay with web apps crashing or not working quite right because they’re beta, but when your netbook crashes or doesn’t recognize a USB device or work with Bluetooth, will they be so forgiving?

By: Tom Reestman

Tom Reestman — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:20:39 +0000

“People are perfectly happy with web apps.”

Certainly, some are. But it doesn’t mean they’re not also happy with their desktop apps. It also doesn’t mean they’re in a position to rely on the web 24/7, whether it’s because of unavailability, or economics, or something else.

This is not just about web apps, it’s about the entire netbook package as it would exist in Chrome OS.

By: Champs

Champs — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:02:33 +0000

A few points that everyone has missed:

This is not just going to be a tabs-in-a-browser-window scheme. Fluid.app is maybe an introduction of the shell experience to expect.

People are perfectly happy with web apps. The popularity of applications like Facebook, Salesforce, and Gmail demonstrates that as a fact, and anything that doesn’t give them the red-headed stepchild iPhone treatment will do just fine.

The applications will be better, i.e. one step above the desktop browser experience. Google knows a thing or two about how to build them, and they’d be crazy not to make their extensions work beautifully with existing sites.

By: Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:43:11 +0000

Agreed! general mass still stay away frm linux and ubuntu… brand name of Google add in a lot this… about ur comment on MS and Apple… i doubt.. this will surely make big holes in the $ bags of M$ and Apple.