Re: <nettime> Google officially released the open source code for its Chrome OS, an operating system

[Juergen Fenn <juergen.fenn@GMX.DE>]

Patrice Riemens schrieb:

> Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) just keeps invading new territories, and its latest
> target is your computer's operating system. It's officially released the
> open source code for its Chrome OS, an operating system that will turn up
> in third-party vendors' netbooks. Those devices should start selling next
> year.
> 
> With Chrome, Google takes a very different approach than major OSes like
> Windows, Mac OS, or even most Linux distributions. It's sort of like what
> would happen if an Ubuntu mated with a Firefox. It's basically a browser
> that does not run on an operating system -- it is an operating system. All
> its apps are Web apps, and all the data you save using it is stored in the
> cloud, in a state of statelessness, as Google puts it. Very little data is
> actually saved on the computer's hard drive.

Nothing new, to be honest. What Google has presented here is nothing but
a consumer thin client. It's a concept that has been known for years.
Remember the Sun Webtop, or StarPortal, some ten years ago? German IT
writer Giesbert Damaschke has just summarised just that in a post in his
German Notizen blog. It says: "Chrome OS, or the return of the dumb
terminal":

http://www.damaschke.de/notizen/index.php/chrome-os-oder-die-ruckkehr-des-dumb-terminals/

Damaschke argues that the main problem lies with data security, as with
Chrome OS all data is stored "in the cloud". This being a technical
issue, I think the more important point is data protection which is a
legal issue. Who would trust any third-party contractor for
trustworthyly saving all his working data (for free, as it seems), after
all? Data protection should not be mixed up with data security. While
data protection is at risk here, data security, i.e., backup and related
issues, may indeed better be left to a computing centre. However, in the
end this is a matter of trust. And then, Damaschke's post is right in
saying: "My desktop is my castle." Although he belives that Google
Chrome may well become a success. He that does not hesitate to hand his
data to Google so far will also use Google Chrome OS. Others like him
stay with their desktop computers.

Regards,
Jürgen.


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