By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
TechgoonduTechgoonduTechgoondu
  • Audio-visual
  • Enterprise
    • Software
    • Cybersecurity
  • Gaming
  • Imaging
  • Internet
  • Media
  • Mobile
    • Cellphones
    • Tablets
  • PC
  • Telecom
Search
© 2023 Goondu Media Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Google Chrome OS – game changer or loss maker?
Share
Font ResizerAa
TechgoonduTechgoondu
Font ResizerAa
  • Audio-visual
  • Enterprise
  • Gaming
  • Imaging
  • Internet
  • Media
  • Mobile
  • PC
  • Telecom
Search
  • Audio-visual
  • Enterprise
    • Software
    • Cybersecurity
  • Gaming
  • Imaging
  • Internet
  • Media
  • Mobile
    • Cellphones
    • Tablets
  • PC
  • Telecom
Follow US
© 2023 Goondu Media Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Techgoondu > Blog > Internet > Google Chrome OS – game changer or loss maker?
InternetPCSoftware

Google Chrome OS – game changer or loss maker?

Alfred Siew
Last updated: July 10, 2009 at 1:12 PM
Alfred Siew
Published: July 10, 2009
4 Min Read

google_chrome_logo

It had to come sooner or later. After doing really well for its Android OS for mobile phones, and not too bad for the Chrome Web browser (with 30 million users), Google unveiled its Chrome OS for Netbooks late yesterday to a flurry of excitement online.

The free OS is meant to make apps on the Net run more smoothly, when you are at a cafe, say, getting documents on your Gmail and Google Docs. A rich experience – something you get on a “bloated” install of Microsoft Office or indeed Open Office – is what Google has been trying to offer over the Net with its Chrome browser and now the Chrome OS.

The idea is to use the two pieces of software to run Web-based applications that were probably not able run as well or with as much bells and whistles as before. To understand this, just look to Google Docs and you’ll see why it’s a great alternative – but not a replacement – for software you install on your PC.

That’s also why the initial excitement over the Chrome OS launch has quickly followed with questions, as the media and analysts begin to pick apart what the most-loved tech company is doing to enter a marketplace dominated by the most-unloved of them all – Microsoft.

Questions remain, even as the Linux-based OS is scheduled for the second half of 2010. The best of them are pointed out by PC World.

For starters, Linux has not done very well on Netbooks, despite promising a smoother experience without Windows Vista’s lag or Windows XP’s endless security patches.

The reason’s simple – the Netbook-toting bunch includes users who want their Microsoft apps on their 9-inch screens. E-mail and Web browsing are fine, but if I’m editing an Excel or Powerpoint file for a client? It’s probably not going to happen on Google Chrome + Google Docs unless the documents only have really simple formatting.

Sure, Google will be able to summon up hardware vendors – already including Asus, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard – like no other Linux vendor. But it faces the same question all Linux vendors have faced: compatibility.

Those wishing to break Microsoft’s stranglehold on PC software only need to take a look at Apple. Only when it made PC and Macs truly “compatible” – same USB mouse, same Microsoft Office, same Intel chip which runs both Windows and OS X – did Macs managed to take a chip off Microsoft’s dominance.

Unlike on the mobile phone, where the experience is more varied and personal, PCs are often required to be “standardised”. I’m an example. When I use Open Office to edit simple text files on my laptop for my daily work, it’s as good as Microsoft Office, which I also use on my desktop PC.

But the little kinks sometimes make you want to go out and buy a copy of the blasted Microsoft Office, like when I recently “highlighted” paragraphs in a document with Open Office’s highlighter tool and someone I sent the file to could not “un-highlight” it!

My point: don’t under-estimate the need for compatibility that users demand in a Microsoft-centric world.

Some day, people will be weaned from their diet of Microsoft products, say those against proprietary software. But this won’t come tomorrow, or at least until they see what the fuss is about Google’s Chrome OS next year.

Goondu review: Linksys Velop shows promise and pain of mesh Wi-Fi at home
Where AI would work – recommending music in a car
Goondu DIY: Avoiding those annoying ads you see on Facebook
M1 to roll out IoT network, deploys HetNet at busy sites
A connected world to revolutionise lifestyles, enterprises, cities
TAGGED:Google Chrome OSNetbookWindows

Sign up for the TG newsletter

Never miss anything again. Get the latest news and analysis in your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Copy Link Print
Avatar photo
ByAlfred Siew
Follow:
Alfred is a writer, speaker and media instructor who has covered the telecom, media and technology scene for more than 20 years. Previously the technology correspondent for The Straits Times, he now edits the Techgoondu.com blog and runs his own technology and media consultancy.
Previous Article Techgoondu Sony Ericsson G705 giveaway
Next Article Fixed Mobile Number Portability … in HK
2 Comments
  • Harley Marshall says:
    August 13, 2010 at 2:29 am

    i have tested chrome os both at home and at work, it does not seem to be better than ubuntu:,,

    Reply
  • Joe Mason says:
    April 28, 2010 at 10:11 am

    I have tried using Chrome OS in one of my desktop PC’s, the overall performance is above average to excellent `

    Reply

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Connected

FacebookLike
XFollow

Latest News

Grab goes driverless with electric shuttle trial for employees in Singapore
Enterprise
July 10, 2025
Samsung slims down Galaxy Z Fold 7, packs in 200MP camera in major upgrade
Cellphones Mobile
July 9, 2025
Singapore expands AI assurance pilot to test AI agents, detect prompt injections
Enterprise Software
July 7, 2025
In search of fairer deal for content creators, Cloudflare blocks AI scrapers
Internet Media
July 3, 2025

Techgoondu.com is published by Goondu Media Pte Ltd, a company registered and based in Singapore.

.

Started in June 2008 by technology journalists and ex-journalists in Singapore who share a common love for all things geeky and digital, the site now includes segments on personal computing, enterprise IT and Internet culture.

banner banner
Everyday DIY
PC needs fixing? Get your hands on with the latest tech tips
READ ON
banner banner
Leaders Q&A
What tomorrow looks like to those at the leading edge today
FIND OUT
banner banner
Advertise with us
Discover unique access and impact with TG custom content
SHOW ME

 

 

POWERED BY READYSPACE
The Techgoondu website is powered by and managed by Readyspace Web Hosting.

TechgoonduTechgoondu
© 2024 Goondu Media Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Terms of Use | Advertise | About Us | Contact
Follow Us!
Never miss anything again. Get the latest news and analysis in your inbox.

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.
 

Loading Comments...
 

    Welcome Back!

    Sign in to your account

    Username or Email Address
    Password

    Lost your password?