Well, Google is coming out with another
operating system. I don't think Microsoft should be worried quite yet though. Basically, as I read it, their new OS is basically just Chrome dropped on top of a minimal Linux kernel, optimized for quick boot times. All the "programs" will run off the web. Its actually not a terrible idea, but it will be fairly limited in terms of functionality - effectively a thin client for webapps. I can see it taking off on netbooks, but not much else. If you're someone with multiple computers, it might work for you - Google's services for email, feed reading, etc. may not have as many features as desktop clients, but the ability to have them automatically set up, synchronized, and available from any computer with a web connection is a major win. There are plenty of games online, and a few decent web clients for instant messaging. About the only type of program I can't see this really replacing is a media jukebox. There's always YouTube, and plenty of music streaming sites (even legit ones), but, to as best as I can understand Chrome OS from the limited information available, won't likely be able to take advantage of anything (like music) stored on a local hard drive - in fact, Chrome OS systems likely won't have a local hard drive beyond a small, fast SSD for the system files and browser temporary files - I think we'll see some thin, light netbooks, with ridiculously long battery life, but the trade off will be that all their applications will depend on a web connection - they'll be "thin clients", in multiple senses of the phrase (I think I'll call them "webbooks" - lets see if it catches on). Very interesting.
