Google Plans to Launch Operating System for PCs

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Google Inc. is preparing to launch an operating system for personal computers, a direct assault on the turf of software giant Microsoft Corp., which has long dominated the market for software that runs PC applications.

...

The software, which will initially target low-end portable PCs called netbooks, would be based on its Chrome Web browser and available to consumers in the second-half of 2010.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124702911173210237.html

[Otto 83]

Well that's interesting - such ground-breaking news is announced in a Blog...

First they take on Apple's I-phone and now Microsoft - what's next? A Google gaming platform?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Well that's interesting - such ground-breaking news is announced in a Blog...

Google is all about Web 2.0. Of course they'd use a blog. This ain't Big Blue.

[scandal 951]

We shall see.

I remember Mosaic the Windoze-killer circa 1995

I remember Netscape the Windoze-killer circa 1997

I remember Java the Windoze-killer circa 1998

Meanwhile consumers have had the option of running Linux on commodity PCs for years, the true Windoze-alternative.

Linux has solid share in the server world and holds its own niche in the desktop world but has hardly slayed the behemoth.

I don't see it happening soon.

Google likes to float trial balloons and experiment with new concepts in their Labs (remember Google Video?)

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I remember Java the Windoze-killer circa 1998

I don't have the ability to go back in time, undo something and see how the alternate history works out, but.... assuming Windows was destined to dominate application development from 1999 to today, Java did in fact live up to promise. Websphere and Weblogic have huge marketshare in the application server space with code developed in Java. In my current workplace and the one before that, .NET (a MSFT app dev framework) adoption has been slow and in most cases only for internal use apps of low criticality.

That said, the original article does seem to conflate OS with a browser (which should be separate IMO), odd coming from Google. Java is also not an OS, it's a programming language. Windows is an OS. Apples and avocados.

[scandal 951]

I remember Java the Windoze-killer circa 1998

I don't have the ability to go back in time, undo something and see how the alternate history works out, but.... assuming Windows was destined to dominate application development from 1999 to today, Java did in fact live up to promise. Websphere and Weblogic have huge marketshare in the application server space with code developed in Java. In my current workplace and the one before that, .NET (a MSFT app dev framework) adoption has been slow and in most cases only for internal use apps of low criticality.

That said, the original article does seem to conflate OS with a browser (which should be separate IMO), odd coming from Google. Java is also not an OS, it's a programming language. Windows is an OS. Apples and avocados.

erm, nope.

Java is much more than a programming language. It's also a virtual machine (JVM) with a bytecode interpreter, JIT compiler and also has a full set of standard libraries and native windowing system. The combination of these gave Java its famous "write once run anywhere" portability (often derided by developers as "write once debug everywhere", etc.)

The breathless vision initially espoused by Sun was a world in which all apps would be written in Java and run on JVMs in web-browsers or in various and sundry "appliances", to the point of making the underlying OS irrelevant.

I used to be one of those kool aid drinkers, took me a while to get unhooked

I agree Java does remain very useful, particularly for application servers and web servers. It's value for client side stuff has largely been bypassed by Flash and AJAX. Meanwhile Windows desktop apps retain their own.

[NickD 202]

Isn't google and Java free? Really can't say that about Microsoft, won't even let you use their OS if your old computer breaks down and have to buy a new one, can even run into problems with them if your hard drive decides to kick the bucket. My sister had an HD failure, she fooled around with MS for three months before they finally gave her a new key, I can't afford to do that, depend on my computers to make a buck.

Loved Netscape, with some MS upgrade, one day it was working fine, the next day, couldn't even load the damn thing, only choice back then was to use IE. Firefox managed to work around that. You can't even remove IE from your computer, but I have to use it to get on some sites, when I do, even with version 8, my anti-virus program goes nuts flashing all kinds of warnings on my screen.

For some of us, a computer is a tool and can't find the time to fool around with Linux, my son hated MS and spent hours and hours with Linux trying to run games. But finally gave up himself, could get them to work, but ran damn slow. Can't even buy software for Apple, but what they do have, is two arms and two legs for a price. Feel that statement, "dominated the market" is an understatement, MS owns not only the market, but dictates what Intel, AMD, and IBM can do.

We are suppose to live in a free market country with fair competition, that died with Reagan. If it wasn't for Reagan, would be no MS today. When Reagan said less government, we were thinking about the IRS, not health insurance, the dead FTC, Wall Street, and our computers. We really got screwed.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

erm, nope.

Java is much more than a programming language. It's also a virtual machine (JVM) with a bytecode interpreter, JIT compiler and also has a full set of standard libraries and native windowing system. The combination of these gave Java its famous "write once run anywhere" portability (often derided by developers as "write once debug everywhere", etc.)

I know. I was simplifying to make the point that Java isn't an OS.

[mawilson 2,133]

I used to be one of those kool aid drinkers, took me a while to get unhooked

Too bad you got unhooked when Java was slow and crappy - it's actually a viable platform now.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Too bad you got unhooked when Java was slow and crappy - it's actually a viable platform now.

I've seen a lot of tools lately in the application management space with desktop components written entirely in Java.

[mawilson 2,133]

Too bad you got unhooked when Java was slow and crappy - it's actually a viable platform now.

I've seen a lot of tools lately in the application management space with desktop components written entirely in Java.

I know - Java kicks ####.

[pedroh 21]

well, chrome owns compared to explorer, and sometimes, firefox

[almaty 19]

still like firefox better

[Marilyn. 340]

I just stumbled upon this