Here’s the top 10 things I learned by watching the Google Chrome OS debut webinar and believe me they are mind blowers. There’s tons more but these are the top benefits and the things that will shape the future of how we will use computers in the future.
Here’s the entire Google Chrome OS Webinar below. If you don’t have time for the entire 2 hour video, take a look at my top then Chrome OS mind blowers below.
#1 Chrome already runs faster than IE by 40%, on the Chrome OS it will run even faster because it is optimized for the Linux kernel and the Google Linux kernel tweaks.
Expect the Chrome OS to be the screaming fast browser we all need and wish we had now. That is why we will love it because it will save you so much time. Before you mention the plug in issue, Chrome now accepts plugins. Chrome is shortly to be fully released for Mac and Linux.
#2 There is no conventional hard drive, the Chrome OS will only run on solid state drives like a flash drive or SD card uses.
Everything lives on the cloud and is delivered thru the browser. No files are stored locally so there is no read write time from the harddrive. Google said today they only are accepting commercial machines that conform to their hardware guidelines and one of those is solid state hardrives.
#3 The hard drive and the OS portion of it are read only, write protected. Hence the Chrome browser cannot be corrupted by spyware, viruses or other malicious applications, unlike FireFox or Internet Explorer.
#4 Google’s OS boots in a few seconds to a ready state.
Windows eat your heart out. Enough said.
#5 No background services have to start running because there ARE no background apps that need to run.
Look at your own computer, it looks for a floppy drive when it tries to boot. How many of you even know what a floppy drive is? When was the last time you owned a computer with a floppy drive? 2001 on a Windows 98 or Millennium machine?
#6 Google Chrome OS is open source and anyone can see how the code runs and help Google do even more for you!
Here is the Google Chrome OS source code. It is already public. Google is calling the pre-release build Chromuim.
TechCruch just published a guide to compiling and running the Chromium build / virtual machine and there are quite a few different versions you can run in the comments.
#7 Your Chrome OS logon is your Google account logon?
I predict that your Google Chrome logon will be your Google account logon. SO, when you take your new Google netbook out of the box for the first time all you will have to do is turn it on, wait 5 seconds, log on to Google with the log on you already use and just like that your new netbook is ready to go in it’s first 5 minutes with you.
Here’s what the login screen currently looks like.
#8 If you lose your Chrome OS machine or it is stolen, it is worthless to anyone else.
A thief cannot get to your information, because you log onto a Chrome OS machine with your Google account based on your Gmail address. The same log on you use for Google Friend Connect, Google Reader and Gwave / Google Wave.
#9 The OS Goes Mobile
Use this Browser OS from any Machine, any OS, any browser, any web enabled phone, heck, any computer for that matter.
So let’s say you don’t have access to your Google Chorme OS netbook. You don’t need it. Because everything you are going to be using in a web browser based OS is going to to be accessible from any modern browser and any phone with a modern mobile browser.
No more syncing your phone and your computer either. Just grab your phone and out the door you go because there is nothing stored on either to sync…..
#10 You already are using the Google OS and so is the Vice President of Product Management at Google.
In the webinar, Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Product Management and Matthew Papakipos, Engineering Director for Google Chrome OS talked about how everything they use at their computers is thru the browser, EVERYTHING!
So, if what a top VP of Google needs to do his job is available thru the browser now, then how can anyone say that the browser based apps do not deliver what you and I need for our daily use and business needs?
The only difference between what we use now thru our browser of choice and the Chrome OS is that it will run even faster than it does already because you will be accessing it thru a very lean OS that hardly uses any system resources. Just like Linux and Linux builds like Unbuntu.
You might remember a video I did back in July of this year talking about how we already use much of the Google OS because it is the Google applications that make up the Google OS.
So, I ask you again, if Google is going to be a slick, blazing fast OS that everyone will be using within the next year, don’t you want to learn how to use all these applications to build a highly targeted friends list that you can use to market anything thru Google Friend Connect and Google Wave?
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You can watch the full 77 minute webinar on demand right from Google here
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You can discuss this in Google Wave if you have a Gwave account.
Thanks for this Chris.
The nagging thought in the back of my mind though is the total reliance on Internet Access for anything to work. Outside the US…public internet access for people who are virtually based knowledge workers is still a less than plain sailing. Still all the benefits make it a sound contender for the future.
Thanks for this Chris.
The nagging thought in the back of my mind though is the total reliance on Internet Access for anything to work. Outside the US…public internet access for people who are virtually based knowledge workers is still a less than plain sailing. Still all the benefits make it a sound contender for the future.
This new Google Chrome OS is what I dreamed about when first using a steam-powered Sinclair ZX80. 1k of memory and a tape recorder. But, boy, was the square dot I produced exciting. This is the sort of development that makes you want to live to be 100 just to see how computers and the Internet develop. Can’t wait.
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@Craig Sunney,
Without Internet access just how much work can you get done Craig?
You need Internet to blog, do research, get your email, participate with your social following and just about anything else.
The ONLY reason I need a computer other then a browser is for video editing. That is the only reason I still dual boot to Windows and even then that is to Windows 2000.
I have no use for an OS anymore.
Once decent video editing software is released for Linux I will never boot to a Microsoft product again.
We were looking at new Windows 7 laptops and I turned to my PA Margie and said “What I really want is to buy the same laptop you see here for $900 for $300 with no OS and install Ubuntu!”
One reason I am buying a used lappy to run Linix on.
At that point I knew Microsoft’s days are numbered. Like I have predicted before, 3 years to MS decline, 5 years to Linux / Google OS dominance.
The point that is most important above is that the Google Chrome OS will run Chrome browsers 100% faster (we believe) than IE 8. Not to mention I have more problems with FireFox daily than Chrome.
I get at least 10 browser crashes a day in FF. My PA runs Chrome all the time with ZERO problems. IE is not allowed in my office. LOL
In response to #5..2 months ago on a machine I built in 01. Mind you, smoke was coming out of the box, and now I have a new machine ready for Chrome.
In response to #5..2 months ago on a machine I built in 01. Mind you, smoke was coming out of the box, and now I have a new machine ready for Chrome.
All good points well made Chris.
BTW over here in Europe, most Netbooks seem to ship with Linux installed as standard, and all the mobile operators (who have us by the balls still in terms of wireless access) are promoting their cell phones on the basis of access to facebook, twitter and email….many have their own non windows software.
so I guess the “shift” away from Microsoft is already started.
My question is, what do we software developers do now? Let’s say we produce screensavers. Does the Google Chrome OS use .scr files? Or do we have to find some internet based way to get users to use them, or are we just out of luck?
My question is, what do we software developers do now? Let’s say we produce screensavers. Does the Google Chrome OS use .scr files? Or do we have to find some internet based way to get users to use them, or are we just out of luck?
I’m sorry but I want to remain the guardian of my data. The less I store in “the cloud”, the better I feel.
I’m sorry but I want to remain the guardian of my data. The less I store in “the cloud”, the better I feel.
I just checked the MSN share price – it’s going up! Can you believe it?
My worry is the privacy of my data, etc. I’m not so paranoid that I think Google would intentionally misuse any data I keep on the cloud, but a quick search for “Google” (or any other of a number of providers for that matter) and “subpoena” and I get nervous.
My worry is the privacy of my data, etc. I’m not so paranoid that I think Google would intentionally misuse any data I keep on the cloud, but a quick search for “Google” (or any other of a number of providers for that matter) and “subpoena” and I get nervous.
So how does this handle situations where no internet access is available?
I am a traveling Account Executive so access to information without relying on Internet access is important.
Is there no way to get even simple applications to work locally?
So how does this handle situations where no internet access is available?
I am a traveling Account Executive so access to information without relying on Internet access is important.
Is there no way to get even simple applications to work locally?
@Brian Garner, then I guess a browser OS is not for you. This is however for the other 80% of regualar Internet users.
@Bill, Anyone that stores their personal private sensitive information on a computer connected to the Internet is an idiot to begin with.
You data is no less secured on your machine connected to the Internet than it is on Google.
Of course some of you can refute that and will. But the other 99.999% of Internet users have no more than a picket fence between malicious software and individuals and their personal info on their machine.
I would be way more apt to use Google as a way to store my data on a laptop than on the machine itself.
If you look back over the last 5 years, you will see way more top level data has been lost on stolen laptops than it has thru database cracks.
@Brian Garner, then I guess a browser OS is not for you. This is however for the other 80% of regualar Internet users.
@Bill, Anyone that stores their personal private sensitive information on a computer connected to the Internet is an idiot to begin with.
You data is no less secured on your machine connected to the Internet than it is on Google.
Of course some of you can refute that and will. But the other 99.999% of Internet users have no more than a picket fence between malicious software and individuals and their personal info on their machine.
I would be way more apt to use Google as a way to store my data on a laptop than on the machine itself.
If you look back over the last 5 years, you will see way more top level data has been lost on stolen laptops than it has thru database cracks.
As long as I can connect a flash storage device to offload certain critical data from the cloud on the new Chrome machines, I’m good to go. I don’t think data security differences between the HD/OS and cloud/thin client paradigms is really a deal breaker. Anything super sensitive for me is on Micro SD anyway. I’ve almost stopped using Word, which was a big leap for me. Excel is next. For personal computing, this paradigm just works for me.
As long as I can connect a flash storage device to offload certain critical data from the cloud on the new Chrome machines, I’m good to go. I don’t think data security differences between the HD/OS and cloud/thin client paradigms is really a deal breaker. Anything super sensitive for me is on Micro SD anyway. I’ve almost stopped using Word, which was a big leap for me. Excel is next. For personal computing, this paradigm just works for me.