Chrome OS Strives to Replace Desktop Culture

Google’s Chrome Os is coming to some netbook near you sometime later this year. The Web-centric, Linux-based, open source platform will provide a lightweight, cost-effective alternative running system for portable computing. Eventually, Google plans to expand the scope of Chrome Os to take on Windows about the desktop as well–a goal that demands both a solid operating program and a significant culture shift.

Chrome is essentially a Internet browser as an operating system. A media player app is going to be included that will facilitate offline music play and photo viewing, but aside from that the platform is designed to operate exclusively in the cloud and take advantage with the vast portfolio of services from Google.

The running system appears perfect for the netbook crowd, or possibly even as a platform for tablet devices to compete with Apple’s iPad. Netbooks and tablets usually lack CD or DVD drives and also the smaller hard drive sizes with the diminutive portable laptops seem geared for storing only the core Operating system components. An open source running program that may reduce expenses and make the hardware into more of instant-on, cloud-based device may be welcome among the netbook crowd.

The Chrome Os may also supply a solid option for a tablet Operating system. Apple has built the iPad on the iPhone cellular Operating system, HP is building the Hurricane on Palm’s WebOS mobile Operating system, and the Dell Streak is built on Google’s Android cellular Os. There’s demand, though, for a tablet that is much more like a desktop and less like a smartphone. It remains to be seen if Windows 7 could be nimble sufficient to satisfy in the tablet market, but the Chrome Os seems to comfortably straddle between cellular Os and desktop OS–a potentially ideal position to get a tablet Operating system.

But, what of Google’s aspirations to usurp the crown of desktop dominance from Microsoft? Assuming that the Chrome Os lives up to expectations and offers a polished, capable encounter, there is still a long method to go prior to a Web-centric Os can even begin to replace the traditional desktop operating program (a.k.a. Windows).

Look, the Mac operating system may be available because 1984 and has only 5 % with the Os market. Linux may be around because 1991–or 1994 if you wish to begin counting from the 1.0 release, yet Linux in all of its varieties has barely more than one percent with the running system marketplace. Can we truly expect Chrome to knock Microsoft off its pedestal any time soon when two very capable running systems have been barely capable to scratch the surface following 20 years?

At its heart, Chrome is just an additional version of Linux. Nevertheless, the Google brand carries a lot of consumer clout. It is respected. It’s trusted. Businesses and consumers alike are a lot more most likely to adopt a Linux variant with the Yahoo and google stamp of approval, so it has that going for it. But, Apple is also respected, and trusted, and has a strong and loyal following…and 5 % of the market.

Many little and medium companies are already invested in Yahoo and google. They rely on Gmail for messaging, Yahoo and google Docs for office productivity, Yahoo and google Voice for communicating, and Google Wave and/or Yahoo and google Buzz for collaborating and social networking. Chrome will work nicely for them.

Many organizations, though, are reluctant to put that much faith within the cloud. You will find availability and security concerns. Many companies will need to address the compliance issues associated with trusting personal info, and sensitive or confidential data to third-party providers for example Google. You will find some hurdles to overcome before the desktop lifestyle can be abandoned totally.

What Chrome needs in order to compete with, or replace Windows as the desktop standard is a complete culture shift. Chrome most likely won’t be any more successful than Mac or Linux in fighting Windows on its own turf, but as the culture continues to evolve to some much more mobile, much more cloud-based model, it plays to Chrome’s strengths and arguably puts Windows on the defensive to scramble and adapt.

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