Chromium OS source released [LWN.net]

Chromium OS source released

Posted Nov 19, 2009 20:18 UTC (Thu) by drag (guest, #31333)
In reply to: Chromium OS source released by elanthis
Parent article: Chromium OS source released

Q: What is the major differences between Chrome OS and running Windows with
Chrome Browser?

A: You can't run any of your Windows applications.

Q: What is the major thing you can do in Chrome OS that you can't do in
Windows with Chrome Browser?

A: Probably nothing; except it boots slightly faster.

to post comments

Who might use Chromium OS?

Posted Nov 19, 2009 21:07 UTC (Thu) by dwheeler (guest, #1216) [Link] (12 responses)

Clearly, there are a lot of users that Chromium OS won't satisfy. But the article does list potential advantages of it:

"... users do not have to deal with installing, managing and updating programs". Yeah, computer experts find this to be a non-problem, but I think there ARE users who would LIKE this.
"... there are significant benefits to security... Each app is contained within a security sandbox making it harder for malware and viruses to infect your computer... (and) If your system has been compromised, it is designed to fix itself with a reboot." If you've had to fix a Windows system after an infection, you'll appreciate this.
"you can go from turning on the computer to surfing the web in a few seconds." Windows systems do NOT do this, at all.

It's hard to guess how large this market is, but it's not completely crazy. It'll be interesting to see.

Who might use Chromium OS?

Posted Nov 19, 2009 21:48 UTC (Thu) by drag (guest, #31333) [Link] (9 responses)

But the problem is that Google is not going to sacrifice the ad revenue by
forcing people to use Chrome OS to use their online services; and neither is
anybody else.

So everything that you described will still work with Chrome browser on
Windows or normal Linux desktop. Maybe people will have to manage their own
bookmarks or something like that, but that is about it. Ergo they get just
about all the same positive experiences with Windows + Chrome Browser (or
pretty much any other other browser) with the ability to run their normal
applications.

So by going to a browser-centric OS they have to give up a lot of stuff with
very little gain with just sticking with a regular OS and using a browser.

Users and maintainers

Posted Nov 19, 2009 22:39 UTC (Thu) by dmarti (subscriber, #11625) [Link] (4 responses)

Users and buyers aren't necessarily the same. If you're the Family Computer Person, having your web-centric users on a machine that won't run malware or p2p takes a burden away from you. "I know I promised you a computer for your birthday, but after your brother got us fifteen viruses, two identity thefts, and an RIAA lawsuit, you're getting a Google box."

Users and maintainers

Posted Nov 19, 2009 22:53 UTC (Thu) by drag (guest, #31333) [Link] (3 responses)

Maybe.

I am just not convinced. In order for this to have merit it's going to have
to be hella slick. It's going to have to be so nice and so intuitive that
people are not going to want to run familiar software they already know and
understand.

It's going to be exceptionally difficult for them to pull this one off.

Users and maintainers

Posted Nov 19, 2009 23:46 UTC (Thu) by anselm (subscriber, #2796) [Link] (1 responses)

I don't think that, realistically, Google's goal is to replace every single PC in existence with a machine running Chromium OS. (They probably wouldn't mind if that happened but hey, I'd like a pony, too.) There are still loads of people around who haven't touched a computer for their entire lives so far, and so have no preconceived notion of how software should look like and behave. If Google manages to rope in just an appreciable fraction of those they'll be more than comfortable for a user community.

Also, people are moving in droves from their local mail programs to Google Mail in a browser already. As it turns out, Google Mail is kinda slick. And if e-mail and web surfing are the main things they do on their computer, which again holds true for a fairly significant number of people, Google's approach will probably be just fine for them.

kids today

Posted Nov 20, 2009 0:41 UTC (Fri) by dmarti (subscriber, #11625) [Link]

These kids today are riding bikes with only one gear, using the one-channel Twitter instead of IRC, drinking PBR -- why not a one-application computer?

Users and maintainers

Posted Nov 20, 2009 20:45 UTC (Fri) by asherringham (guest, #33251) [Link]

I don't think the bar is that high really.

My mum is very computer illiterate and has trouble with the concept of a "window" or "desktop" and finds the trackpad and keyboard hard. I have to repeatedly remind her how to use the "Enter" key ("the BIG key!") to break up long lines.

But guess what? She runs Linux!

This is an older laptop - web browsing and web mail only. She really doesn't need anything else and I don't have to worry about viruses, trojans and assorted malware. No need for slick - just very basic functionality.

Alastair

Who might use Chromium OS?

Posted Nov 20, 2009 10:12 UTC (Fri) by xav (guest, #18536) [Link] (3 responses)

Like for Android, Google will share its ad revenues with OEM accepting to deliver the full Chrome OS (including proprietary Google apps) on their netbooks.
That's where they'll beat Microsoft: not only will they be cheaper than Windows, they'll even have a negative cost.

Who might use Chromium OS?

Posted Nov 20, 2009 15:34 UTC (Fri) by kragil (guest, #34373) [Link] (2 responses)

Exactly "Less than free".

How much will an 1+GHZ + ARM SOC + 512 MB RAM and a 2 GB SDD + small battery + an 1280 x 800 display and a few wires and plastic cost at the of 2010?

Not more than $200.

So these things will beat Windows machines everywhere except maybe really rich countries.

Like Android, this is huge.

Who might use Chromium OS?

Posted Nov 20, 2009 16:10 UTC (Fri) by dion (guest, #2764) [Link] (1 responses)

Well, it's not quite your specs, but the price is $80 today:
http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Menq-Easypc-E790/

I think the Chomium OS is more likely to be used in stead of Android on the super-low end netbooks, webpads and what have you, it's not really meant to replace any "real" machines.

However, if history has taught us anything, then it's that todays "rinky dink toys" will be tomorrows mainstream and that anybody who sells "real computers" and ignores the toy end of the market will soon perish.

Who might use Chromium OS?

Posted Nov 20, 2009 16:30 UTC (Fri) by lysse (guest, #3190) [Link]

If someone were to sell me one of those for £50, I'd grab the first one into the country! Unfortunately, the nearest equivalents never really dip much below £120 - and at that price (when refurbished Eees can be had for £110) it's just not worth it.

Who might use Chromium OS?

Posted Nov 23, 2009 10:56 UTC (Mon) by salimma (subscriber, #34460) [Link] (1 responses)

The boot-up time is a non-issue for Moblin, which boots in 5 seconds. And you can install Chromium (the browser) on Moblin too.

Who might use Chromium OS?

Posted Nov 23, 2009 12:12 UTC (Mon) by kragil (guest, #34373) [Link]

Which DID boot in 5 seconds(seems to have become slower AFAICT) on modified hardware or from the bootloader. (I have the EeePC that they demoed the 5 second boot and the BIOS takes a lot of time.)

ChromeOS does that from the moment you press the power button, that is very different.

Chromium OS source released

Posted Nov 19, 2009 22:14 UTC (Thu) by wmf (guest, #33791) [Link] (1 responses)

Given Google's "less than free" business model, we should expect Chrome OS netbooks to be cheaper than Windows netbooks. (Of course, we've been expecting Linux to be cheaper than Windows for many years and it hasn't happened yet.)

"crapware"

Posted Nov 19, 2009 22:32 UTC (Thu) by dmarti (subscriber, #11625) [Link]

Don't forget that a typical Microsoft Windows box these days comes with a bunch of preinstalled "crapware" -- paid positioning of trial versions of proprietary software. PC manufacturers are already used to getting paid to put stuff on the machine.