Monthly Archives: July 2009

What do you think of Google Chrome OS?

20090709-google-chrome

Two days ago, Google announced the Google Chrome OS (Operating System) project.

Google Chrome OS can be seen as Linux with a special window manager to only allow one application: the Google Chrome web browser. In essence, a computer running Google Chrome OS will only have one application, a web browser. This means that the user will only use web-based applications presumably (but not forcibly) from Google (e.g. Gmail, Google Docs, etc.)

Google will initially launch this OS on netbooks (those ultra small laptops with small screens.) Netbooks account for only a few % of the market and most people use them for browsing only so this seems a sensible strategy (it would have been stupid to launch the OS on full-fledged PCs as people would have immediately requested for “Photoshop on the web”.)

Our friend, Fake Steve, is adamant that building Google Chrome OS is not a good stategy for Google. In my opinion, he is correct when he questions the business logic of Google. You see, Chrome OS is going to be free (like most Linux distributions), has one good browser (like most Linux distributions), with good support for Google apps (like most Linux distribuions) but is going to be costly to build for Google (unlike most Linux distributions which exist already.) So why build yet another Linux distribution (which is what Google Chrome OS is in essence…) Why don’t Google use something which exists already?

What do you think?

LUG Meeting Saturday 04/07/09 Confirmed

Dear Members & non members,

You are invited for our monthly lug meeting this saturday the 4th of july 2009 (04/07/09).

  • Time: 10:00 AM Maurtian time
  • Location: Linkbynet, 2nd Floor BG court, St jean, Quatres Bornes
  • Technical presentation to be done by: Dr. Stefan Brandle, Lecturer at the university of Mauritius.
  • Topic of presentation: The Future of Computers in Education
  • Map: http://thegodof.net/images/maplugm.png
map to lugm

map to lugm

Please confirm your presence. Last date for cancelation of the meeting is thursday 02/07/09 at 23hr59.

Geeks, nerds, non geeks, non nerds, humans, non humans whatever you are, if you are interested in anything opensource or *nix, you may wish to just try a lug meeting once.

ps. You don’t need to be a linux/unix guru to attend.

lug meetings are usually fun!

Thanks.

+Selven

Secretary of the LUG