Google PC
- Thread starter Maljonic
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- Dec 22, 2003
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I've heard the same rumours : slightly more specifically I've heard that the "Google OS" will be an open source affair, more than likely a Linux distribution of some form. It's certainly inevitable that something along those lines will be along soon enough.
Shovel
Can't get enough of FH
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2003
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‘Google OS’ rumours have been about for ages, as have rumours of a ‘Google Browser’ based on Firefox.
It's very unlikely indeed; releasing an OS is a gigantic undertaking. Furthermore, Google are an advertising-based company: There's nothing they can achieve with a standalone OS that they can't achieve with standalone ‘component’ applications for Windows/Mac.
What some people have done is the regard Googles recent forays into desktop applications as the ‘Google OS’. A Windows Core that actual runs very little Microsoft software.
So you have Google Desktop (that's a biggie) with its widgets and desktop search engine that integrates into the Google web results. Google Talk and Gmail plus the rest of their webservices mean that increasingly, you can do most of what you do on the net using a Google technology (if you want to).
But I'd no to any of us ever downloading a ‘GoogleOS.iso’ and replacing Windows with it: Google have much better things to do with their time than write hardware drivers.
Furthermore, Google's ability to design User Interface is patchy at best, and I fear an entire OS developed by them would be so inconsistant as to make babies cry, so it's all for the best that they don't.
As a footnote: The Google Web Browser rumours are marginally more credible. They periodically host events for the Mozilla Foundation and employ a handful of Mozilla developers to work on Mozilla-tech based projects for Google and to spend their Fridays developing Firefox and Camino. However, noone is entirely sure if there's a lot of worth introducing yet another web browser into the world, so I'd expect that if Google want to do something bigger in the browser UI, they'll do it with an extension and a similar affiliate marketing campaign to their current $1/click ‘Firefox + Google Toolbar’ download.
It's very unlikely indeed; releasing an OS is a gigantic undertaking. Furthermore, Google are an advertising-based company: There's nothing they can achieve with a standalone OS that they can't achieve with standalone ‘component’ applications for Windows/Mac.
What some people have done is the regard Googles recent forays into desktop applications as the ‘Google OS’. A Windows Core that actual runs very little Microsoft software.
So you have Google Desktop (that's a biggie) with its widgets and desktop search engine that integrates into the Google web results. Google Talk and Gmail plus the rest of their webservices mean that increasingly, you can do most of what you do on the net using a Google technology (if you want to).
But I'd no to any of us ever downloading a ‘GoogleOS.iso’ and replacing Windows with it: Google have much better things to do with their time than write hardware drivers.
Furthermore, Google's ability to design User Interface is patchy at best, and I fear an entire OS developed by them would be so inconsistant as to make babies cry, so it's all for the best that they don't.
As a footnote: The Google Web Browser rumours are marginally more credible. They periodically host events for the Mozilla Foundation and employ a handful of Mozilla developers to work on Mozilla-tech based projects for Google and to spend their Fridays developing Firefox and Camino. However, noone is entirely sure if there's a lot of worth introducing yet another web browser into the world, so I'd expect that if Google want to do something bigger in the browser UI, they'll do it with an extension and a similar affiliate marketing campaign to their current $1/click ‘Firefox + Google Toolbar’ download.
xane
Fledgling Freddie
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2003
- Messages
- 1,695
Google are an "service provider", I'd anticipate that a "Google PC" will be more of a thin-client that enables Google services to be accessed, mainly via a browser, rather than an all purpose PC.
The future certainly seems to be going towards virtualization, with big broadband at home this is perfectly possible now, the basic idea is that all your PC applications run on a "virtual" machine located with a provider, your PC simply provides a session connected to it, you can go one step further and have all your files remotely stored as well.
Most applications will happily run over broadband, with the application running remotely and only screen updates being passed back and forth. The most notable exception would be action games, but even then, with an optimised graphics language, it may still be possible.
For the consumer there is the prospect of having a simple PC that hardly ever goes wrong, will probably never need upgrading, is quick to boot up, never runs out of disk space (within reasonable limits), can be updated or repaired automatically and can have new applications installed instantly. All for a small monthly fee of course
For the provider it is DRM heaven, a captive consumer base and the ability to push advertising and promotions.
If games were to be run on virtual machines, it would almost completely eliminate cheating.
The future certainly seems to be going towards virtualization, with big broadband at home this is perfectly possible now, the basic idea is that all your PC applications run on a "virtual" machine located with a provider, your PC simply provides a session connected to it, you can go one step further and have all your files remotely stored as well.
Most applications will happily run over broadband, with the application running remotely and only screen updates being passed back and forth. The most notable exception would be action games, but even then, with an optimised graphics language, it may still be possible.
For the consumer there is the prospect of having a simple PC that hardly ever goes wrong, will probably never need upgrading, is quick to boot up, never runs out of disk space (within reasonable limits), can be updated or repaired automatically and can have new applications installed instantly. All for a small monthly fee of course
For the provider it is DRM heaven, a captive consumer base and the ability to push advertising and promotions.
If games were to be run on virtual machines, it would almost completely eliminate cheating.
