Google OS And Cloud Computing

With the imposing release of Google’s OS there is a lot of buzz these days about cloud computing and where it’s taking us.

There are cloud computing web environments now which are accessed via a web browser on a machines existing operating system so you boot from your normal OS then open your existing browser then sign into a web portal that looks and acts like an OS so what’s the point of having this look like something I already have there’s no real improvement to my computing experience I don’t see this idea catching on as the future of cloud computing.

Where the real advance is going to take place is in an actual bootable OS that relies on web apps in the cloud why? Well an operating system that only has to boot a basic kernel and browser will boot much faster than a normal OS and that is something everyone will love a computer that starts up almost instantly plus this means it will run fast on lesser hardware again people will love this with the increase of lesser powered NetBooks becoming more popular also most of these cloud OS’s will be Linux based which = FREE something else everyone will love but wait did you say Linux hold on we don’t want Linux it’s to complicated well not exactly true there have been a lot of improvements in usability with Linux over the years and if all it has to do is boot a browser and all you do is run everything via a web app in the cloud you won’t even know your using Linux besides Windows is complicated to the novice user as well so I think the playing field is a little closer than we like to admit already and there’s another plus people will love better security as things stand there are far fewer infections that a Linux based OS has to worry about than Windows I however believe that if Linux based OS’s were more widely used they will become more of a target.

I think with the release of the Google OS which will be Linux based it will take the Linux platform to new heights Linux has just needed to be marketed the right way to truly catch on in bigger numbers will it be the Windows killer I doubt it but I think that there is a big percentage of users who just want something fast free and easy to use for basic web use this is where this type of OS will catch on stop and think about it we spend the biggest part of our time in front of our computers on the web and for the average user this will be fine for things like Web Mail and YouTube and Google is the perfect company to market it people will be more accepting if it says Google on it than just Linux.

I think the biggest thing that will make this fly or not is driver support this can make or break any OS people want to plug in something to their computer and have it work without a bunch of hassle this is paramount all the web apps in the world won’t overcome poor driver support if Google is smart they will try to include as many Ethernet drivers as possible with the OS that way at least you can get online that is the point of this after all so if right out of the box you can get online then all they have to do is make sure they have a huge online database of drivers like Windows update once you are online any missing drivers will be found and installed if they can make this happen it will succeed in obtaining a certain market share of the OS pie and truly jumpstart the whole cloud revolution.

This could change the landscape of hardware in computers as well stop and think you could use this type of OS in a computer with no hard drive and no ram let’s say NetBooks only had flash memory to run the OS and give you some onboard storage it would cut down on the price the weight and power consumption.

This article explains a little more about the Google OS which it looks like at least at first you won't be able to download it and install it instead they are going to market it with the purchase of new netbooks and small devices so they can try to control what hardware it's being used with because as I mentioned in my other article driver support will be the biggest hurdle.

I would imagine that a leaked version will hit the torrent sites just watch out for fakes since it's Linux based it will be pretty easy to make a replica that looks and works like the real thing which honestly could be a good thing that's the point of open GL other developers making it better and i think that's what Google is counting on to take the pressure off it's own developers and see where it goes they are planting the seed so to speak they are marketing a new concept more than an actual product.

Also seems I was right I about the idea of no hard drive and only flash memory that's exactly what they plan to do since the point is to store everything in the cloud you really don't need a hard drive like I said lower weight less power consumption no need for security software this will change the landscape as we know it again this will not replace the need for high end computers for serious projects but this is perfect for the first time user and grandmas to...


http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/20/google.os/index.html

The biggest thing with the idea of the "cloud" that people are concerned about is their data being secure.

With your data being stored in the "cloud" their are some pros and cons.

Here are some of the Pros:

With saving your stuff on line in the "cloud" you don't have to worry about doing backups anymore or your hard drive crapping out or being taken out by infection or your laptop being stolen with all your data on it and the chances of one of these things happening are pretty high they happen all the time with on line storage it's like having a full time IT staff looking out for your data without costing you anything if a server storing your data goes down they will be working round the clock to get the server back up and running with as little data loss as possible these servers have redundant power supply's and raid array's to prevent data loss plus professional staff to do the upkeep do you have that? the other nice thing about having your data in the cloud is that you can access all your stuff from any computer anywhere in the world wouldn't be handy.

Here are some Cons:

With the increase of data being stored on line it will no doubt elevate the threat of hackers trying to steal it by having all of your data out there in the cloud it does represent a bigger risk of personal data loss due to theft we all know that the internet is a dangerous place and what about a global type attack if everything was stored in the cloud and a foreign invader brought down an entire network not just a server the loss could be massive by having local data on your computer and backed up to another storage device your worries would be lessened.

I will keep linking to info about Chrome OS as I'm sure everyone is curious


http://www.pcworld.com/article/182777/google_chrome_os_a_simple_faq.html

i just don't see this catching on there are already linux distro's out there like this and most people will never go for having all their most personal stuff stored online somewhere

I think the netbook market will be the only place this offers a real advantage for the desktop I don't think it would ever work it's a nice idea but that's it.

Here is a link that shows the nicest slide show of the look of Google Chrome OS that I have seen.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/182628/google_chrome_os_visual_tour.html