4 ms·

I think you've missed the point. "Chrome OS can't run Skype" succinctly explains the chief obstacle to such a play. Regarding the apparently "frightening" lack

by qeorge 17y ago

I think you've missed the point. "Chrome OS can't run Skype" succinctly explains the chief obstacle to such a play. Regarding the apparently "frightening" lack of discussion about Chrome OS's impact on Microsoft and "the future of the web", what did you expect? Chrome OS is just not that big of a deal.

wvenable 17y ago
I was just going to comment on that. Who here hasn't been through a dozen or so "next big things" or "Microsoft killers"? Chrome OS is a niche product for niche hardware. In terms of significance, it's probably equivalent to the original Palm OS. Show me some cool hardware that runs it and I might get excited. Almost everyone here is a software developer; the most important application for your mom is the web browser. For me, any device larger than my mobile phone should be able to compile something. My netbook is full of apps and with XP it runs them pretty well. On more thing: there just wasn't anything exciting about the Chrome OS launch. We all knew it was going to be a Linux-based OS that only ran a browser. So now it's launched and that's exactly what it is. What is there to be excited about that we didn't get excited about months ago?
- inerte 17y ago
  My mom likes her Skype :/ But that's because I have one brother in Spain and one traveling through Asia. She shouts: It's free! I like to point out that we pay R$ 160,00 for internet access. In a direct comparison, it's free, but its so called costs are embedded as an added-value with all our internet (which she mainly uses for email and recipes). I have no idea why I typed so much of this personal tale when I was trying to say that as software developers, what matters is solving user's problems and needs, and Chrome OS, or rather a device which can only run web apps, doesn't do this. If all I wanted was a portable web browser I could buy one of the already available netbooks (wait, they do more than that) or use an iPhone (and make phone calls!) Yeah, yeah, Chrome's browser will be so much awesome that it'll make previously impossible web apps a reality. NOT! Besides, even if it does, as long as it relies on open standards for web development, there'll always be another device which can do whatever it does, plus more. Like running Skype.
  - wvenable 17y ago
    Actually, my whole family uses Skype. It's a great way to show off the new baby to all the Australian relatives. I guess there's a reason why all the Hacker News posts were about Skype. What's really missing here is the true point of Chrome OS. It's not supposed to replace anyone's desktop. It's not even really supposed to replace someones perfectly good XP netbook. It's meant to be put on really cheap hardware. Super cheap. Subsidized by Google search referrals cheap. So cheap that you fully accept that it doesn't run skype or anything else.
    - ZeroGravitas 17y ago
      It is supposed to replace XP netbooks, at least some of them. I know geeks have trouble with "less is more", particularly when we're talking about computers but, for ordinary mortals, XP is a mixed bag of benefits (running Skype and a thousand other native apps) and costs (running all sorts of malware, and various equally nasty bits of software to keep you safe from the malware). Anyone normal who's switched to a Mac from Windows, or put the money they would have spent on a netbook on an iPhone touch has made the similar tradeoffs. Less traditional PC apps but better at doing the things they care about.
  - riffic 17y ago
    skype is not a big deal. This thing will probably work great with Google Talk, which is INTEROPERABLE with other xmpp clients running libjingle. I'll take that over skype.
pavs 17y ago
yet... I think Google understands its limitation and the users the Chrome OS will be more appropriate for. If you read the questions answered during the demo (check Matt Cutts blog) you will see that they repeatedly emphasized on the fact that chrome OS is built for netbook computer and with users in mind who primarily depends on web applications. That is all they are going to do for 2010 and they made no secret of that. So if you like PC/Mac games. Chrome OS is not for you. If you use photoshop heavily. Chrome OS is not for you. If you use skype heavily. Chrome OS is not for you. As a matter of fact if you depend on any applications that needs to be installed on the HD, Chrome OS probably not for you. The key word with Chrome OS is "Web Application". They are very clear about it and they are not trying to hide their intentions. I like Google's approach in this. I think they are testing the water with netbook market (which is already quite strong at the moment) and after they set themselves up they will jump in to other market. A good OS (even if it has a Linux kernel and other matured open source projects) takes a long time to be awesome from really good. Google knows that and I think most HN readers realizes that too. I think google can already smell the future and they know that vast majority of users (if not all) will mostly rely on web applications for their day to day work and its already very true for some of us.

by qeorge 17y ago

wvenable 17y ago

I was just going to comment on that. Who here hasn't been through a dozen or so "next big things" or "Microsoft killers"? Chrome OS is a niche product for niche hardware. In terms of significance, it's probably equivalent to the original Palm OS. Show me some cool hardware that runs it and I might get excited. Almost everyone here is a software developer; the most important application for your mom is the web browser. For me, any device larger than my mobile phone should be able to compile something. My netbook is full of apps and with XP it runs them pretty well. On more thing: there just wasn't anything exciting about the Chrome OS launch. We all knew it was going to be a Linux-based OS that only ran a browser. So now it's launched and that's exactly what it is. What is there to be excited about that we didn't get excited about months ago?

inerte 17y ago
My mom likes her Skype :/ But that's because I have one brother in Spain and one traveling through Asia. She shouts: It's free! I like to point out that we pay R$ 160,00 for internet access. In a direct comparison, it's free, but its so called costs are embedded as an added-value with all our internet (which she mainly uses for email and recipes). I have no idea why I typed so much of this personal tale when I was trying to say that as software developers, what matters is solving user's problems and needs, and Chrome OS, or rather a device which can only run web apps, doesn't do this. If all I wanted was a portable web browser I could buy one of the already available netbooks (wait, they do more than that) or use an iPhone (and make phone calls!) Yeah, yeah, Chrome's browser will be so much awesome that it'll make previously impossible web apps a reality. NOT! Besides, even if it does, as long as it relies on open standards for web development, there'll always be another device which can do whatever it does, plus more. Like running Skype.
- wvenable 17y ago
  Actually, my whole family uses Skype. It's a great way to show off the new baby to all the Australian relatives. I guess there's a reason why all the Hacker News posts were about Skype. What's really missing here is the true point of Chrome OS. It's not supposed to replace anyone's desktop. It's not even really supposed to replace someones perfectly good XP netbook. It's meant to be put on really cheap hardware. Super cheap. Subsidized by Google search referrals cheap. So cheap that you fully accept that it doesn't run skype or anything else.
  - ZeroGravitas 17y ago
    It is supposed to replace XP netbooks, at least some of them. I know geeks have trouble with "less is more", particularly when we're talking about computers but, for ordinary mortals, XP is a mixed bag of benefits (running Skype and a thousand other native apps) and costs (running all sorts of malware, and various equally nasty bits of software to keep you safe from the malware). Anyone normal who's switched to a Mac from Windows, or put the money they would have spent on a netbook on an iPhone touch has made the similar tradeoffs. Less traditional PC apps but better at doing the things they care about.
- riffic 17y ago
  skype is not a big deal. This thing will probably work great with Google Talk, which is INTEROPERABLE with other xmpp clients running libjingle. I'll take that over skype.

pavs 17y ago

yet... I think Google understands its limitation and the users the Chrome OS will be more appropriate for. If you read the questions answered during the demo (check Matt Cutts blog) you will see that they repeatedly emphasized on the fact that chrome OS is built for netbook computer and with users in mind who primarily depends on web applications. That is all they are going to do for 2010 and they made no secret of that. So if you like PC/Mac games. Chrome OS is not for you. If you use photoshop heavily. Chrome OS is not for you. If you use skype heavily. Chrome OS is not for you. As a matter of fact if you depend on any applications that needs to be installed on the HD, Chrome OS probably not for you. The key word with Chrome OS is "Web Application". They are very clear about it and they are not trying to hide their intentions. I like Google's approach in this. I think they are testing the water with netbook market (which is already quite strong at the moment) and after they set themselves up they will jump in to other market. A good OS (even if it has a Linux kernel and other matured open source projects) takes a long time to be awesome from really good. Google knows that and I think most HN readers realizes that too. I think google can already smell the future and they know that vast majority of users (if not all) will mostly rely on web applications for their day to day work and its already very true for some of us.