Igneous Quill: An Obvious Drawback to Google's Chrome OS

Thursday, July 09, 2009

An Obvious Drawback to Google's Chrome OS

Yesterday the online tech world was abuzz about Google's "Chrome OS" project. Google is creating another OS, based on the Linux kernel, to compete with other Linux distros and with Microsoft Windows. They are aiming for rapid boot-up speed and intend to make it as lightweight as possible. Google says that there will be overlap with aspects of their Android OS, but that Chrome is really a separate project. So, here's the catch: most applications will be web-based.

I have a nice, new Dell laptop. It is incredibly useful for me at work and when I want to attend a tech gathering (not a great experience without a laptop most of the time). The OS is Ubuntu 9.04, and I intend to upgrade it every time a new release is available (which is every six months with Ubuntu). I have a wide array of applications available to me, both those that came with the standard installation and those I've obtained through the package manager. I'm glad I have applications installed locally to the computer, considering that I get nearly no signal at home. We use wired broadband.

Now, think about it. An older desktop with a high-speed Internet connection can be a great machine utilizing mostly online apps. Not having to install them keeps room available, although depending on how old your computer is the processing speed for web apps might not be great. With a netbook you pretty much accept that you won't always have an Internet connection and understand that during these times it will be little better than a brick. Get close to a Starbucks where your netbook can pick up an open signal, though, and suddenly its useful again.

If you install an OS on your laptop or desktop that depends pretty much entirely on web-based apps, what do you do when your connection fails? Yes, I know you do most of your computer activity online, but what if you don't have access to Google docs?

From what I've heard, Ubuntu is heading towards greater integration with "the cloud" and serious work is underway to dramatically improve boot-up speeds. Fortunately, Ubuntu developers so far don't appear to be putting all their eggs in one basket, in a manner of speaking. Where Google is aiming for a nearly 100% online OS, Ubuntu appears to be headed towards a mixed future where local vs cloud is left up to the user. I hope this will be the case.