Google Chrome OS and the future of Windows

Mike Halsey | Jul 10, 2009 | Comments

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There’s no doubt that we live our lives in the cloud more than ever, especially with email.  Google have been largely responsible for that even though ‘cloud computing’ has been around in some form since the first days of mail services from Microsoft and Yahoo!

With Windows 7 there’s a further push towards the clouds, albeit an incredibly subtle one, with the removal of programs like Windows Mail, and with programs like Live Photo Gallery offering up internet publishing options.

Google Chrome OS, some people have been saying, marks the death of the ‘traditional’ operating system.  That, essentially, things will never be the same.

I disagree, and not just to be pedantic.  It’s an idealistic dream to be able to store everything, our photos and files, up in the clouds so that we have instant access to them wherever we are.

But the simple fact is that people still store their photos on their PCs and only use services such as Facebook and Flickr for sharing the ’select best’, and that Google Docs is not much more popular are testament to the simple fact that the infrastructure is not yet good enough, and won’t be for some years.

People simply don’t trust that they will be able to get a stable web connection, or any connection at all come to that, when they need it.  They need instant access to their files and for now, the best way to guarantee that is to store them on their hard drives.

Wi-Max will do a lot to redress this, but mass rollout of this fantastic new technology is still several years away.

The repercussions for Microsoft and Windows 8 are going to be huge.  I don’t believe that Google is going to shove Microsoft off the desktops of millions of users any day soon, even though many PC manufacturers have already said they’re happy to ship computers with Chrome OS pre-installed, you can read the full article here.  If anything, Linux systems will be hit hardest.

However we can now expect Microsoft to begin pulling together their cloud-based systems and prototypes (it’s taken them long enough, let’s face it) and get ready to stand up to Google.  If they don’t they’re in big trouble.

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About the Author: The author of the new Windows 7 Power Users Guide, a how-to guide for non-technical Windows users on how to get the best out of Microsoft's new operating system, with step-by-step and quick guides. You can follow Mike on Twitter or on his own website The Long Climb

  • Mike I agree with you on this one. All the bloggers and news portals that told us that Google Chrome and Android will be the death of Internet Explorer, Windows Mobile or Symbian are now jumping again on the bandwagon telling us that Google Chrome OS will be Microsoft's death in the operating system market.

    While this stance does attract lots of readers it fails to address many of the problems associated with a cloud based operating system.

    I for one do not want to store my data on the web. What happens if my Internet connection dies? Will I be able to access anything at all? What about privacy and security concerns.

    My prediction is that Google Chrome OS will be a niche product much like Google Android and Google Chrome are. This might change in the next 5-10 years though but definitely not in the near future.
  • joe
    What about Firefox running on Chrome OS??
  • the MP
    just like bing didnt do jack against google.com, chrome wont do jack to windows os.
  • I'm a PC
    Don't think Google or Apple will knock Windows down any time soon. I've been hearing about Windows killer for som time now either Apple, Linux or Chrome OS right now. Maybe in the future they will have a big impact on the market but for now they are not relevant due to their install base and the marketshare of their OS. Windows is a stable OS that's constantly involving and it will continue to do so. I think if Apple or Google were to dominate the OS market there wouldn't be any innovation in it due to the lockdown nature of their company. If Microsoft can pull itself together on a cloud based OS like Midori or Azure as soon as possible they might be able to stand a chance and dominate the cloud OS market like they have done with Windows.

    http://www.bing.com When it comes to decisions that matter, Bing & Decide
  • Anon
    The notion that an operating system, that is essentially an internet browser with only web applications, is going to destroy an entire legacy of full-feature desktops, with local storage and the ability to run installed applications, (and even the companies that produce them) within a year was always a ridiculous one, and anyone who honestly thought this should just give up their machine now. Seems like the anti-Microsoft fanatics are getting desperate and just grasping at straws here.

    I can see Chrome OS being a niche product, but there are far too many problems with the concept and I can't see this being a very viable venture across a large audience for the next 5-10 years at the very least. Even then, I doubt it would be superior to traditional operating systems unless serious major advances in technology are made.
  • amj2009
    Well, personally I think there are both ways, one will use the internet as a tool to do their business, pleasure and the lot on the net, the other won't let the world look into their business, because it's private, no one as somebody's else business... so what is the conclusion, well take your pick.
    Myself won't let look somebody else in my stuff and I store my personal business on my personal computer, it's private, that's it, period. Google Chrome OS users and Mikeysoft users.
  • I was told this is only going to be an OS for net books (low power computers).
  • Jardr
    why is everyone so excited about the very insecure idea of giving away all of our important documents?

    Chrome OS is meant for portable computers. the biggest advantage of it working in the cloud is... portability? am i the only one who sees a bit of redundancy here?
  • smilingman
    I did not like the idea of having my personal data
    stored on servers if I did not but it there myself. I for one like using a email client and have never really liked using web mail.
    Cloud computing and web applications are great for somethings but will never take the place of desktop applications for me.
    I for one like to be in control of what data I upload to servers and would never us a OS that takes that away from me.
    I am Old School, a true OG, DOS for life.

    p.s. OG = Original Geek
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