4 ms·

Chrome OS is scary enough to quit Google.

10 points by aresant 17y ago

I like Google's UI. I like the results. But I absolutely hate that with Chrome OS they are making a continued subversive attempt to turn you and me into a "node" that exists only for the purpose of consuming advertising. Any for-profit business in this space, Bing / Ask / Yahoo / etc included will follow Google's lead into that arena eventually, but give me a break. I would sure rather pay a couple of hundred bucks every few years than trade my personal HD for the "cloud". Google scares me. The AOL search release debacle a few years back showed how easy it is for them to identify you by name / by address / etc but I always feel an odd sense of security on my disconnected PC. Am I suddenly a luddite?

Nogwater 17y ago
I think you're being way too paranoid. Just because you use Chrome OS doesn't mean you have to use Google Docs, Apps, etc... If it turns out that Google uses an evil key logger, then use the fork of the project that doesn't. If you don't like their cloud, use your own, or don't put your files online. It's up to you. Google is nothing like Microsoft in this case. There is no lock-in. The OS (Linux) and the browser (Chromium) are, and will continue to be, open source. If you don't like Google's version of the quick-launch browser, just switch.
- aresant 17y ago
  Counterpoint: if Google succeeds and grabs significant market share and BestBuy starts selling netbooks with ChromeOS bundled to your your non-techie friend, relative, etc what happens then? They have no choice.
  - kaiserama 17y ago
    Well if they're anything like MY non-techie friends, relatives, etc...they'll call YOU.
rms 17y ago
Personally, I plan on booting Chrome.
aj 17y ago
Not at all. I have long had the same belief and the Google Chrome OS only reinforces my belief. The sheer amount of data that Google collects only increases with the ever enlarging ecosystem of products they provide, _all_ of them tied at the backend and all the data connectible. For another take, read http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10282312-2.html?tag=mncol;title http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10282312-2.html?tag=mnco...
- aresant 17y ago
  Wow, hadn't seen that link. Good analysis. Google is "accidentally" doing what DARPA set out years ago to develop with their "Total Information Awareness (TIA) Program", eg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Awareness_Office http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Awareness_Office I swear I don't wear tinfoil hats to bed.
Ennis 17y ago
Surprisingly (maybe not really) there are plenty of people who share this sentiment. This is who I thought of when I heard about Opera Unite. I figured it could appeal to some people because that space (non-cloud) is not really getting much attention/excitement any more.
amitu 17y ago
Don't look at it as a threat, look at it as an opportunity. What Google is doing with Chrome OS is making one application the entire point of OS. They are wrapping linux kerner around Chrome. This can be done for Firefox too, and for Konquerer/Opera etc. We have always thought that Operating Systems have become very complex, we do not need all those /devs and /procs, we do not really care about sysctrls etc. We want to build fast desktop applications. Javascript is becoming faster everyday. Leave that PyXPCOM is probably within the grasp in a year or two max, or even sooner. GNU/Linux has traditionally lagged in GUI app development, there are so many half mature options to pick from, the only clear winner coming out to be Mono/CSharp, which is ironical at best. Firefox is becoming more and more interesting with the advent of HTML5. All this is leading to an eventuality that Firefox should be able to do most of desktop applications. There is no reason why Gnome Terminal, Pidgin, Transmission can not be written in Javascript/PyXPCOM. This could rid us from the plethora of /etc files, from the command line. What sites you visit once that future arrives, and what are going to be the cookie retention policies are going to be completely under your control. Its not about privacy, they are rethinking how operating systems are done.

10 points by aresant 17y ago

Nogwater 17y ago

I think you're being way too paranoid. Just because you use Chrome OS doesn't mean you have to use Google Docs, Apps, etc... If it turns out that Google uses an evil key logger, then use the fork of the project that doesn't. If you don't like their cloud, use your own, or don't put your files online. It's up to you. Google is nothing like Microsoft in this case. There is no lock-in. The OS (Linux) and the browser (Chromium) are, and will continue to be, open source. If you don't like Google's version of the quick-launch browser, just switch.

aresant 17y ago
Counterpoint: if Google succeeds and grabs significant market share and BestBuy starts selling netbooks with ChromeOS bundled to your your non-techie friend, relative, etc what happens then? They have no choice.
- kaiserama 17y ago
  Well if they're anything like MY non-techie friends, relatives, etc...they'll call YOU.

rms 17y ago

Personally, I plan on booting Chrome.

aj 17y ago

Not at all. I have long had the same belief and the Google Chrome OS only reinforces my belief. The sheer amount of data that Google collects only increases with the ever enlarging ecosystem of products they provide, _all_ of them tied at the backend and all the data connectible. For another take, read http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10282312-2.html?tag=mncol;title http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10282312-2.html?tag=mnco...

aresant 17y ago
Wow, hadn't seen that link. Good analysis. Google is "accidentally" doing what DARPA set out years ago to develop with their "Total Information Awareness (TIA) Program", eg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Awareness_Office http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Awareness_Office I swear I don't wear tinfoil hats to bed.

Ennis 17y ago

Surprisingly (maybe not really) there are plenty of people who share this sentiment. This is who I thought of when I heard about Opera Unite. I figured it could appeal to some people because that space (non-cloud) is not really getting much attention/excitement any more.

amitu 17y ago

Don't look at it as a threat, look at it as an opportunity. What Google is doing with Chrome OS is making one application the entire point of OS. They are wrapping linux kerner around Chrome. This can be done for Firefox too, and for Konquerer/Opera etc. We have always thought that Operating Systems have become very complex, we do not need all those /devs and /procs, we do not really care about sysctrls etc. We want to build fast desktop applications. Javascript is becoming faster everyday. Leave that PyXPCOM is probably within the grasp in a year or two max, or even sooner. GNU/Linux has traditionally lagged in GUI app development, there are so many half mature options to pick from, the only clear winner coming out to be Mono/CSharp, which is ironical at best. Firefox is becoming more and more interesting with the advent of HTML5. All this is leading to an eventuality that Firefox should be able to do most of desktop applications. There is no reason why Gnome Terminal, Pidgin, Transmission can not be written in Javascript/PyXPCOM. This could rid us from the plethora of /etc files, from the command line. What sites you visit once that future arrives, and what are going to be the cookie retention policies are going to be completely under your control. Its not about privacy, they are rethinking how operating systems are done.