Google has just announced the launching of a new operating system based on Google Chrome browser and Linux kernel: Google Chrome OS. It is targeted to to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. Google Chrome OS is a free alternative for Windows 7, having a faster boot time and more Internet browsing flexibility.

Read The Entire Article: Google Chrome OS: A Free Alternative To Windows 7

Chrome OS is in no way designed as a alternative to Windows 7, or any other "traditional" OS for that matter. It is basically a bootable web browser, very little is done on the local machine.

Quote from the article:“The new operating system offered by Google is definitely a suitable and free alternative to the upcoming Microsoft Windows 7, from the point of view of the Internet usage flexibility and computer boot time performance.” An operating system is definitely more than a bootable web browser - it has a Linux kernel, therefore it should be capable in the future to allow you to deploy standalone applications, different than the web based ones (that do not have a core which relies on a web API).

And a comment from the article: "Everyone, examine what you can do with Google Gears (offline apps) and modern Javascript (including the objects Javascript uses: canvas, xml http request, video and audio tag, all the other DOM objects, etc.)

There’s less and less of a need to develop for the fat client. In fact, you can transfer the fat client into Javascript. You’re “only” missing a proper development environment. Something, however, tells me that this will be resolved in the nearby future as well."

Google Chrome OS: A Free Alternative To Windows 7

There is one thing i don't understand, they are talking about an "all" web OS, while most internet connections are no more then 2.5 mega.
The external server cant be as fast as a harddisk.
how are they going to solve the speed problem?

Well, in the first place I have an Internet connection (at home) of 8 Mbps. The operating system runs on your computer, the web applications are hosted on a web server or according to the new technologies, they can also work offline.

Some of the Google apps will work in your browser offline. Both Gmail and Google Docs will work in Firefox with Google Gears already, it probably won't take Google long to get other online apps to work offline as well.

Ubuntu : A FREE ALTERNATIVE TO WINDOWS 7
Fedora : A FREE ALTERNATIVE TO WINDOWS 7
Debian : A FREE ALTERNATIVE TO WINDOWS 7
Slackware : A FREE ALTERNATIVE TO WINDOWS 7
White Box : A FREE ALTERNATIVE TO WINDOWS 7
FreeBSD : A FREE ALTERNATIVE TO WINDOWS 7

Why does google have the headlines for something that is not an alternative, just a web browsing shell ? Quoting from the article does not prove anything other than the articles bias. All the ones I listed are a free alternative, Chrome OS is not. Unless you regard a refrigerator as an alternative to an operating system. Or a kiosk. Or a hammer.

Google's advantage, name recognition everyone has heard of Google. Not everyone has heard of linux.

Can you download it for free?

Actually, the Google OS is a good thing ... not because it will be good, because it probably won't be, but because it's free advertising for Linux.

AMEN to that, smoker!!

Mmmm, I'm not so sure. It might be better than we expect....

Google Chrome OS Could Be Pivotal in the Cloud Revolution

Google Chrome OS is arriving just in time to take advantage of the perfect storm of cloud services, cheap hardware, and a new generation of platform-agnostic users. Unlike other Linux-based OSs, Chrome has brand recognition that even the biggest neophyte could get comfortable with.

Larry Ellison of Oracle was touting the benefits of the network computer back in 1996. He was ahead of his time. People weren’t ready for the network computer, and the network certainly wasn’t ready for the people.

Fast forward to 2009, when many people view computers as mere tools to connect to the Net. Typical uses for computers involve streaming media, social networking, managing photos and information consumption. When the typical home user uses a PC predominantly for communication and entertainment, the offline computer is nearly useless.

Read more.

It amazes me how fast they inserted the word "cloud" into everything. It just means internet-based doesn't it ? It sounds stupid. I'm not using it.

No worse than calling an MS-DOS-based version of GEOS, "Windows".

Cheers

To be fair, the term "cloud" has always meant the Internet in the IT world. It has just recently gained popularity in the mainstream. If you look at almost any network diagram in a Cicso book or anything like that, there will always be a cloud to indicate where the network connects to the Internet (or at least some larger switched network out of the LAN).