All this competition between giant software makers is good for consumers, common wisdom says. It will certainly help Google to drive more traffic to its search engine. What is the side impact of this emphasis on web activity? Will users in developing countries be better off? What will the new Google Chrome do to the Open source software? To push usage in Pakistan we need a few basics:
- cheaper hardware (subsidized netbooks)
- light OS which gets the job done without much overhead and admin costs (should make piracy irrelevant)
- software which works both online and offline; does not need broadband all the time
- mobile versions available
- local networks, local content, local schools
I think if Google Chrome OS does what it promise, then it will see huge uptake. The world is definitely ready to try another OS. Too bad Linux did not make it on its own (poor usability and a big attitude) but hopefully Chrome has learned from that failure. However this will be one tough thing for Google to do and it will have to show real focus - something which has been missing from its other products which remained in beta for eternity.
Google apps has been one of the popular online suite and now there has been news about Office live in 2010. The OS battle will eventually spill over to the whole personal computing. The article below has some background of the battle.
Chrome OS is also trying to redefine the idea of what a computer operating system should be. In a blog post Tuesday night, Google said the operating system would have the ability to boot up and let users get online in just seconds and new security features, addressing sore points for some users of PCs that run Microsoft Windows. Google is also betting customers will gravitate toward online software that requires an Internet connection, as opposed to conventional PC programs that are downloaded and installed.
Chrome OS is initially aimed at inexpensive laptops known as netbooks; it is expected to be available in the second half of next year. But Google also said it expects the software to eventually be used on other computers, too.
In early 2007, Google launched word-processing and spreadsheet software targeting Microsoft’s Office software. At the time, Mr. Schmidt in an interview said he discouraged “chatter” about competing with Microsoft.
Later that year, the company announced it was developing new software, called Android, to power applications on mobile phones. The software, which is commercially available on a handful of phones, competes with similar software from Microsoft.
In September 2008, Google introduced its own browser, similarly named Chrome, to compete with Microsoft’s market-leading Internet Explorer. Now, Google is essentially building its new operating-system software around its Chrome browser, supported by core programming code from the Linux operating system.
The approach, Google engineers argue, means that any application designed to run with a standard Web browser will automatically run on Chrome OS as well as on other major browsers and operating systems. The advantage is that Google instantly will start with a built-in base of programmers.
Chrome OS is being designed to run both on machines powered by the PC chips popularized by Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. as well as designs licensed by ARM Holdings PLC that are normally used in cellphones.
ARM chips are trying to push into the market for low-cost netbook computers. ARM-based machines could be considerably less expensive and offer longer battery life, says Ramesh Iyer, head of world-wide business development for mobile computing at Texas Instruments Inc., an ARM backer that is working with Google on the operating system.
Some observers also see Google Chrome helping to accelerate a shift in the PC industry to become more like the cellphone industry, with hardware and software largely subsidized by carriers charging monthly service fees. Some netbooks are already being offered this way.
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