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This focus on chrome os gets it completely backwards. Google doesn't expand chrome's capabilities because they need it for chrome OS, google invests in chrome a
by amadeuspagel 6y ago
This focus on chrome os gets it completely backwards. Google doesn't expand chrome's capabilities because they need it for chrome OS, google invests in chrome and chrome OS, because it supports their search engine business. Google wants anything you might want to do with your computer to start by searching google, not some kind of app store. See: https://www.gwern.net/Complement https://www.gwern.net/Complement
- gwern 6y agoI would also point out the problem of "bitcreep" ( https://www.gwern.net/Holy-wars https://www.gwern.net/Holy-wars ): Google can keep Chrome-OS and Chrome 'FLOSS' indefinitely much the same way it has kept Android's FLOSSness largely nominal - by simply having complex enough, slowly shifting, incompatible behavior, everything gets sucked in around it. FLOSS is slow, and can only catch up if there is a stable target. (Stephenson covers this in "In The Beginning Was The Commandline" too.) Add in the service-fication of Android, and now the key code and systems aren't even FLOSS, as the FLOSS code exists only as a partial bootloader for the services that every user (and every website or application they use?) require.