Back to the Future with Google Chrome OS (17)

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. http://www.informedconsent.co.uk/posts/226772/

No no! Check out the link. This is the Google Chrome Operating System. Not the Chrome browser.

Think thin clients, think X-windows, think dumb terminals!

It's a paradigm shift back into the past where knew how to share things!

The @Fetish_Photo_Album A free and private flickr group for IC members to share dirty pictures!

Its been the future for the last 10 years.

Microsoft has its own web cloud for apps ready to deliver, some you can use now.

Old news, the google os and things is them trying to overtake ms and other big players like citrix

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Google Chome, always use that webbrowser, simple and fast

Why? Because ultimately whether it's called thin client or cloud computing the same problem arises. You don't have your data, they do, and they don't care quite as much about it as you do. If there's an outage down at your ISP you can't do anything. Fine if all you want to do is play games or browse the web, not so good if you are creating any information which is of actual value to you, or if you're trying to run a business.

Of course there are plenty of problems with local networked computing, I wouldn't deny that for a second. But at least there you have some kind of control over it.

Here's a good example of why it might pay to be a little bit sceptical.

A gentleman is a man who can play the accordion but doesn't.

The world has moved on from then. People are now used to have someone else look after their data, IC does it quite happily. On the few occasions when something happens to IC there aren't mass deletions with people going elsewhere, they go ho hum start a couple of threads about it and carry on much as before.

Science, the only religion that works even if you don't believe in it.
Women wanted, preferably with their own Rohypnol.

Re Data Security:

How many users could recover their data if their home computer (and the backup disks sitting in the drawer) were stolen, or if they suffered a house fire?

How many people check their backups are still readable? (damaged media and or obsolete media)

How many time have users edited a document then hit save only to realise that the previous version was actually much better?

Re Useability:

For a lot of people, PC's just suck. There is a whole class of people who don't give a fig about printer drivers, operating system revisions, and anti virus software, CPUs, graphics cards or hard disks. They want to chat, snap and shop. The PC is a hugely burdensome beast for delivering that functionality. The thin client approach also offers scope to offer tailored levels of service. A really simplified service that would make it easier for the technophobes and people of a generation less au fait with modern technology.

Re Portability:

People on the move are going to appreciate it too. All you need is a fast internet connection. We are not there yet, but the take up rate and performance have grown exponentially. (Again this is an area where a little bit of enforcement to roll out to people in the sticks may be needed). Your thin client laptop will be lighter and have a better battery life, but why take it anyway, when you can login to your own desktop, on any internet connected device?

I'm not saying server side services are the way to go for everyone, but anyone who has taken the role of providing tech support for mum, dad or aunty Jean will know that the cost of owning a PC is significantly more than the ticket price!

Part of this is related to what seems an almost cultural preoccupation that people feel a need to physically posses things. In my time I have owned vinyl, cassettes, CDs DVDs or hard disks. It's just plain daft. What I actually want is to listen to the song or watch the movie...occasionally. Download and pay on demand! Ensure a system is there to repatriate costs to the content creators of course, but I do not need clutter up my apartment with all this rapidly obsolete media!

As Bohanza says, the world has moved on, and it will keep moving on, and I hope we can really make it better.

The @Fetish_Photo_Album A free and private flickr group for IC members to share dirty pictures!

Edited 20 Nov 09, 12:38 PM by MarcusStrapp

When that happens will someone please tell me.

Sweetiejar
The more you sweat in practice...the less you bleed in battle.
http://www.cmunch.co.uk

The problem in letting someone else look after your data/desktop/media is that of trust.

We all trusted banks to look after our money.

It's a bit late when they alter your user agreement and then decide to charge you to access your own data - or sell whatever they like to a 3rd party. What happens to any 'private' (eg porn) data if they decide it breaks their arbitrary terms? Do they just delete you? Do they report you to the police?

I like to have control over my data.

.

Edited 20 Nov 09, 1:12 PM by Shineecouple

Where have I heard that before? The software industry doesn't so much move on, as recycle the same ideas. It depends what you mean by data really. No one is going to be particularly upset if they lose an IC blog. As I said earlier, if all you're doing is dicking around on IC, maybe sending the odd email etc then Chrome OS might be a good solution.

A gentleman is a man who can play the accordion but doesn't.

I agree, it is paramount that organisations are not allowed to grab you by the balls once they have your data. It's going to be a difficult one to solve. I think legislation might easily enforce that any ISP may have to provide you with your data either on physical media (nominal charge) or by electronic transfer to another ISP. This would be much like the rules that allow your mobile phone number to be transferred between phone companies. However, the catch is going to be data formats. If an ISP lets you create word processing documents in its own proprietary format, then those documents may be useless to you once you switch to a new ISP that uses a different word processor. But tying in users with proprietary data formats is nothing new. (Microsoft Word, Apple AAC). Some public domain standard formats may be the way forward here. Format converters (as services) will probably emerge too.

Regarding private/porn. Well for stuff that you want to be kept private, encryption/decryption that runs on your client would do the job. However, if you are thinking of pornography, then if it's illegal what difference where you stash it? It's still yours. If you feel it shouldn't be illegal then would it not be better to campaign rather than evade the law?

P.S. I wish there was a convenient way to take a backup of all the stuff I've posted on IC.

P.P.S. There are web downloaders but chasing all your posts & pictures without copying the whole of IC has been too trying for me to be arsed.

There will always be PCs for those that feel the need to physically posses their data. For those that just want a service, there will be servers and service providers.

How do you know what's in your brain isn't the result of someone uploading it? Which pill do you want to take, the red or the blue?

Marcus Strapp

The @Fetish_Photo_Album A free and private flickr group for IC members to share dirty pictures!

Edited 20 Nov 09, 3:23 PM by MarcusStrapp