Google announced that they are building a new computer operating system. The Google Chrome OS is a lightweight OS designed on the Linux kernel that is intended to be used on Netbooks and other computers where users want to use primarily web applications. The Google blog article reads:
Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.
As a huge Google fan I am very excited about this news, and 2010 cannot get here soon enough so I can try this new OS out on either my EEE PC or perhaps a new netbook from one of the vendors that have already been announced as working with Google.
As I have thought about this new Google OS a few things have come to mind:
My biggest disappointment with the Chrome browser is the lack of integration with Google stuff. Google Reader for RSS and Google Bookmarks for bookmarks would have been very obvious integration bits. I really hope Google includes lots of Integration with the OS. Since Joshua Schachter joined Google, I have been waiting for a way cool new version of Google Bookmarks. Perhaps that integration will come with Chrome OS?
Jungle Disk, Live Mesh and Pogoplug are my local links to cloud storage. With these three applications I am either replicating data (Mesh), backing things up (Jungle Disk/S3), or simply making most of my data available anywhere (Pogoplug). I hope that Google realizes that getting to this data is important, and either works to provide access to some of these types of cloud services or offers a compelling service of their own (the fabled gDrive). I am storing a few hundred gigabytes on the three services I mentioned, so any gDrive will have to allow that at a price point close to what I am paying now to make me even consider it.
My EEE PC is awesome, but part of that awesomeness comes from my ability to connect to the Internet from anywhere. I tether my Blackberry using VZAccess to grab a 3G connection on the go. I almost always tether via Bluetooth. If the Chrome OS does not offer me the ability to use VZAcess and tether my BB it will be much less useful and I would likely just keep what I have and use Windows 7.
I think Google has a real opportunity for the netbook market with Chrome OS. Windows 7 works so well that I am not 100% sure that this OS would have much effect on Windows sales for anything other than netbooks. I certainly don’t see anything in what I have read that would make me consider abandoning Windows at the office. I guess there is nothing to do now but wait and see what Google does.
How much software do you use to work in the cloud?
I am just wrapping up the install and configuration of a brand new computer for work, and I was kinda surprised at how many applications I am running locally now to feed my cloud computing addiction.
I installed the Pogoplug client, Jungle Disk, and Live Mesh to control my various backup and file access needs. I installed Offisync to give MS Office access to my Google Docs. It seems like a lot of software to install just to feed my cloud computing needs.
I install most of this software on my EEE PC as well, where I typically try to go very light on software. The EEE typically just gets Pogoplug and Jungle Disk. I have stopped installing Mesh.
Do we need this much software to be effective in the cloud? I am using both Pogoplug and Jungle Disk for backups, and Pogoplug also serves as extended storage. Mesh I am using to synchronization, and perhaps most importantly, for remote access. Offisync just makes working with my documents so much easier as I can use the full Office suite when needed.
I guess we are not quite to the point of ridding ourselves of client side software.
The past few days have once again been filled with rumors (here and here for example) and rumblings about the possible release of the long anticipated gDrive. Google has been rumored to be working on a cloud storage imitative for quite a while, and every so often it becomes the big buzz.
I am hopeful that we are indeed pushing closer to a storage offering from Google. There are a few things that I would really like to see in an offering from Google.
I am currently using S3 via Jungle Disk to provide an cheap online backup of most of my most important files. Primarily I am backing up my pictures and videos that I cannot replace. I do also create backups of various household documents. I am hopeful that Google will allow me to save all of these types of files. I would really like to see Google allow me to encrypt the data in some areas of my gDrive like I can on S3. I encrypt the sensitive files in my account, but less sensitive files like pictures are not.
I would like to see a better pricing structure than Google currently offers. I would really love to see an Amazon like pay for what you use structure.
I have a lot of faith in the system that Amazon has created, I am hopeful to see a nicely redundant storage mechanism from Google. I really want to feel just as confident in the Google system as I do in the S3 system.
One thing that SkyDrive has going for it today is that it has a nice set of sharing tools. Dropbox also has some nice sharing tools. I am very hopeful that Google will do the same thing.
I want to be able to easily host files for my blog, currently with Blogger, on my GDrive. It would be cool if the browse button in Blogger went directly to my gDrive.
One requirement I have for this service is that I want to pay for it. If they want to offer a limited set of functionality and space to people for free that is great, but if they want to create a system that will really work, that will really make people think of cloud storage and cloud computing in a new way then they need to charge for the service. I would need about 120 gb of space if I was to transfer my backup and some main storage to Google today. That would cost me about $200 a year from Google today. That is a little higher than the storage on Amazon. I would love to see Google come down on the price some more, and offer the flexible space as I mentioned above.
I really like the idea of the music player that Sugar Sync has. Google should include lots of web based media viewing/playing options.
Lastly, I want to map my gDrive to a letter in Windows. I want this to be an option available from Google, not a third party.
Looking at the list above it kinda seems like I should stick with S3, but let me lay out why I am so excited for it to be a gDrive that I use.
Integration. This is the key. I am already heavily invested in Gmail, Google Reader, Blogger, Google Docs, Google Talk, even Google Bookmarks. GDrive can and should enhance each of those existing tools. If gDrive rolls out without the integration it needs with the other Google services it will be a shame. They should keep it behind closed doors until at least Gmai, Docs, and Blogger have integration.
Contact Access. On the sharing point above, I have my primary contacts in Gmail. Sharing becomes a lot easier when I can use my existing contact list to share. This is a big stumbling block for me today with other services.
Picture Access. This one is a tough one for me. I am currently a huge fan of Flickr. However, if gDrive would allow me to share any picture I had backed up to the servers via Picasa that might be a good reason to change. One of the features i like about the Light Room software I just bought is the ability to auto backup files at the same time they are removed from my memory card. This could equate to access shortly thereafter on gDrive and via Picasa. That could be very useful for me in terms of sharing pictures with family and friends who don’t care to wait for the cleaned up pictures that make it to Flickr. It would also allow me to focus my Flickr uploads more on the photographs I really like.
Mobile Access. I have no illusions that Android and iPhone devices will be treated to a custom app sooner than my poor little Blackberry Storm, but even without the custom applications the Google tools work quite well on my Storm. However, the ability to send a Gmail message from my Storm with an attachment from gDrive would be all kinds of awesome.
I am hopeful that we will see an announcement soon from Google on this. I am hopeful that they have already done everything above just the way I would want it. Are you excited about the prospect of a Google storage drive? What are your thoughts on cloud storage and cloud computing in general.
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