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By Sara Jameson
Several
decades ago, computers were very expensive, very large machines that
could take up an entire room. These types of computers offered time
sharing ( think IBM TSO – Time Sharing Option) for access by several
users remotely via a remote terminal. When I first started programming
on the DEC PDP-11 the programmer was given either 16k, 32kb, or if you
were real lucky 64kb of internal primary real memory to use to load the
footprint of your program code and manipulate a dataset you were
processing. What a nightmare to perform the simplest of calculations.
Forget about the GUIs of today, these terminal were all character based.
The
introduction of the PC started a shift to local data processing where
an individual could process data locally on a machine yielding true
empowerment for the end user. This trend lasted for quite a while but
now there is a shift again. Today, many of us are dependent on remote
computers all over again — mostly servers that power and connect the
Web.
We
tend to now use browser-based services instead of traditional software,
and storing documents, photos, and other data remotely online rather
than on our own local disk drives. This trend has come to be known as
cloud computing. The cloud simply means the internet in general.
Cloud
computing is prevalent all around us and our children. Our children,
especially those that are pre-teens really do not use much more than
cloud based services as they surf the web. We engage in the cloud every
time you post an update to your Facebook account, upload a photo to
Flickr, or check your email inbox in Gmail. We wonder whether this cloud
computing trend is ready to replace entirely the PC-centric computing
paradigm we have become use to as power users today.
Some
companies really believe so, including Google. They are trying to
facilitate this movement with a piece of software called Chrome OS.
Based on the company's increasingly popular two-year-old Chrome Web
browser (different from its Android operating system),
Chrome
OS has emerged as a contending browser known for its simple and elegant
interface, and lightning fast download speeds. Chrome OS is being
developed by google and will be introduced as a light footprint
alternative operating system to the current ubiquitous PC offering of
today. Chrome is nowhere near as elaborate and feature-rich as
Microsoft's Windows or Apple's OS X and that is precisely Google’s
primary goal. Google wants to reduce or eliminate the headaches that
come with full-scale personal computing, from maintenance hassles to
endless security and malware threats to data-destroying hard-disk
meltdowns requiring expensive tech support.
The
original timetable had Chrome OS laptops going on sale for this holiday
season. Google admits that the project turned out to be a more sizable
challenge than it expected, so the first commercial systems — from Acer
and Samsung — won't hit store shelves until the first half of 2011, at
prices yet to be announced. In the meantime, Google has come up with the
Cr-48, an unbranded test notebook running a rough draft of the new
operating system. It's doling units out
The
Chrome OS experience is a nearly similar experience to using the Chrome
browser (or, for that matter, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or
any modern browser). Everything runs in full-screen mode, and there's no
conventional desktop or folders. While most netbooks can run Windows
programs, there are no such things as Chrome OS applications: Google has
launched something called the Chrome Web Store, but it's just a way to
find and bookmark nifty Web sites and services, not a source of apps you
can download and install.
Chrome
OS starts up in seconds and jumps out of suspend mode by the time
you've fully lifted its lid of the netbook or laptop. There is no white
noise that degrades the PC experience like the operating system
notifying you that it's downloading updates, the security software
telling you that it's deflected an attack, and the other programs
telling you things and trying to get your attention so you will believe
you should purchase more of their software or services or else your
computer will no longer continue to operate as it should. What a sham!
Did you ever by the way try to turn off manufacturer supplied
applications that reside in the system tray and launch at startup. Good
luck with that.
With
a cloud based Chrome OS system your data and settings are stored safely
on the Web, not on a hard disk-in locally on your computer. The idea is for your laptop or computer to be diskless. You have access to all of your on any Chrome OS computer simply by entering your Google user name and password.
Much
of the success of the Chrome OS will depend on a reliable Internet
connection. Google uses the tagline "Nothing but the Web" to promote
Chrome OS. Except for certain services that retain limited
functionality even when the Internet is unavailable, such as Google
Docs, this operating system is designed for an era of constantly
available internet access.
Every
Chrome computer will have a built-in wireless 3G modem as well as Wi-Fi
capability, and the company is partnering up with Verizon Wireless to
provide buyers with 100MB of free data access for the first two years.
So
as the Chrome OS continues to develop we will have a front row seat
into the deployment of cloud based web services targeted for consumers.
How well these services will work for corporate business services
remains to be seen.
Published by myitview.com
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