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Google is only fooling themselves if they think people want to live in a totalitarian computing paradigm. Network computing is obviously the future, but it wil

by dstein 16y ago

Google is only fooling themselves if they think people want to live in a totalitarian computing paradigm. Network computing is obviously the future, but it will be democratized, decentralized, and multi-platform. Google may supply applications for this environment, but they will in no way be the gatekeeper of all our I/O.

zephyrfalcon 16y ago
You are implying that Google wants people to have a "totalitarian computing paradigm", that they oppose network computing being "democratized, decentralized, and multi-platform", and that they want to be "the gatekeeper of all our I/O". Where in the article exactly do they make these claims?
- dstein 16y ago
  Google Apps, App Engine, Chrome OS, Chrome Browser and Android is a vertically integrated computing platform where: * my development is done on AppEngine * my operating system is replaced with Google's web browser * my information is stored in Google docs * my files are on a Google filesystem * my applications run on Google's infrastructure * all my phone calls, search, and interactivity is done through my Android smartphone Google is systematically building an environment where every byte of data I consume will flow through Google's network.
  - zephyrfalcon 16y ago
    Offering these services != locking you in, or locking competitors out. You can pick all, any or none of them. Competitors can and will offer alternatives.
    - dstein 16y ago
      You can pick all, any or none of them. No you can't. In ChromeOS you cannot replace the filesystem, native applications, and web browser with non-Google alternatives. This is the exact opposite of an open platform.
      - axod 16y ago
        Not sure what you quite mean here. The platform, is the web. Which is completely open - you can install and run any webapp you wish. I think you're still thinking in the 'old' terms, where computers have local filesystems and native applications. Forget about those, they're just firmware like the BIOS.
        TomOfTTB 16y ago
        Just to be fair his point is valid on the browser (though I agree with you that everything else he said is utterly false). But I'd defend Google on even that. The browser is the core of ChromeOS so I don't think they can allow it to be replaced. But what they can do is make Chrome the most standards compliant browser out there and that's exactly what they've been doing. So while you are locked into the Chrome browser in ChromeOS you could easily go back to Windows and Mozilla and take anything you created there with you (not to mention the Chrome browser is built on an open source browser engine)
        dstein 16y ago
        The platform, is the web. Which is completely open - you can install and run any webapp you wish. The web is open, agreed. But you're going to have to explain to me how I can read or write a file on a ChromeOS without Google knowing what is read or written. Then, if Google's infrastructure is required for I/O, please explain how this is not totalitarian computing.
        axod 16y ago
        > "But you're going to have to explain to me how I can read or write a file on a ChromeOS without Google knowing what is read or written." Well you can use HTML5 local storage, cookies, db etc, or you can store stuff on 'the cloud'. If you don't trust google, then that's another matter. How do I know that my linksys router isn't tracking everything I do? Because I trust linksys not to do that. Same here. If I buy a ChromeOS device, I'll just have to trust Google aren't going to be evil.
        dstein 16y ago

by dstein 16y ago

zephyrfalcon 16y ago

You are implying that Google wants people to have a "totalitarian computing paradigm", that they oppose network computing being "democratized, decentralized, and multi-platform", and that they want to be "the gatekeeper of all our I/O". Where in the article exactly do they make these claims?

dstein 16y ago
Google Apps, App Engine, Chrome OS, Chrome Browser and Android is a vertically integrated computing platform where: * my development is done on AppEngine * my operating system is replaced with Google's web browser * my information is stored in Google docs * my files are on a Google filesystem * my applications run on Google's infrastructure * all my phone calls, search, and interactivity is done through my Android smartphone Google is systematically building an environment where every byte of data I consume will flow through Google's network.
- zephyrfalcon 16y ago
  Offering these services != locking you in, or locking competitors out. You can pick all, any or none of them. Competitors can and will offer alternatives.
  - dstein 16y ago
    You can pick all, any or none of them. No you can't. In ChromeOS you cannot replace the filesystem, native applications, and web browser with non-Google alternatives. This is the exact opposite of an open platform.
    - axod 16y ago
      Not sure what you quite mean here. The platform, is the web. Which is completely open - you can install and run any webapp you wish. I think you're still thinking in the 'old' terms, where computers have local filesystems and native applications. Forget about those, they're just firmware like the BIOS.
      - TomOfTTB 16y ago
        Just to be fair his point is valid on the browser (though I agree with you that everything else he said is utterly false). But I'd defend Google on even that. The browser is the core of ChromeOS so I don't think they can allow it to be replaced. But what they can do is make Chrome the most standards compliant browser out there and that's exactly what they've been doing. So while you are locked into the Chrome browser in ChromeOS you could easily go back to Windows and Mozilla and take anything you created there with you (not to mention the Chrome browser is built on an open source browser engine)
      - dstein 16y ago
        The platform, is the web. Which is completely open - you can install and run any webapp you wish. The web is open, agreed. But you're going to have to explain to me how I can read or write a file on a ChromeOS without Google knowing what is read or written. Then, if Google's infrastructure is required for I/O, please explain how this is not totalitarian computing.
        axod 16y ago
        > "But you're going to have to explain to me how I can read or write a file on a ChromeOS without Google knowing what is read or written." Well you can use HTML5 local storage, cookies, db etc, or you can store stuff on 'the cloud'. If you don't trust google, then that's another matter. How do I know that my linksys router isn't tracking everything I do? Because I trust linksys not to do that. Same here. If I buy a ChromeOS device, I'll just have to trust Google aren't going to be evil.
        dstein 16y ago