Google Chrome OS – Pomp or Panacea?

In recent years, Google has been a veritable software foundry, moving into mainstream applications (they have email, spreadsheet, word processor, SEO development tools, and something called “Google Earth” to name but a tiny percentage) and niche products alike. A few months ago, though, the firm shocked the IT World again by announcing that they were working on an Operating System (OS).
After a short while, shock gave way to curiosity; this is an OS that is built from the same chassis as that used by the leanest and fastest internet browser in the world – Google Chrome. In times when Vista has the IT World in a grip of apathy, and Windows 7’s promises of better performance are only partly being realised, the prospect of an entire platform blessed with this kind of speed has set the IT world alight.
If we can just douse a flame or two, though, it would be by observing that Google Chrome’s speed comes through a very narrow application focus, and a minimalist approach. This would mean, therefore, that Google Chrome OS would very likely have a similarly narrow application focus in order to remain true to its origins. Given this, our prediction is that the OS will start out life as a laser-fast application launcher for Netbooks and similar, web-centric appliances.
We do not suspect that it would be possible to create a “Panacea Platform” using this focussed, minimalist approach, so whilst Google Chrome OS may make the transition to our PC’s, it will necessarily become larger (dare we say “bloated”?) in the process. Of course, it would take a great deal of digital pie-eating before any such endeavour matched the scale of Microsoft’s Operating Systems!
To call it “Pomp” then, is a little harsh, but equally, this ain’t no panacea either! Just another interesting product from a company that specialises in interesting products. Watch this space though, because Google likes to move in mysterious ways!
At Nemark we use several different OS’s as standard so we are looking forward to “having a go with it”!