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Chrome OS preview looks pretty cool

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zridling:
Not sure. Didn't see anyone logging in among all the videos presented. When they opened Microsoft-formatted documents, they went to Windows Live when then opened MSOffice '07/10.

The key point, I believe, is not to think that Chrome OS is a Windows killer, or even a full-blown OS. Instead of having two cars in your garage, you have a car and a bike! The most interesting computing advances are happening away from the desktop, a trend that will only continue through the next decade. Chrome OS -- or a Chromebook -- is symbolic of something larger than OS vs. OS. It's Windows vs. the Cloud.

Deozaan:
Has anyone heard of a version of Chrome OS for Netbooks with HDDs (as opposed to SSDs) yet? I'd really like to try it out, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to conjure up a 4GB USB drive.

Deozaan:
By the way, Zaine (and other Linux experimenters), have you tried JoliCloud?

It's a distribution based off of Ubuntu Netbook Remix and is in Pre-Beta (which is basically Alpha, right?).

Justin Pot over at MakeUseOf.com has good things to say about it:
I’ve been looking for the perfect operating system download for netbook, and along the way I’ve checked out Chrome OS and Moblin. Chrome’s Internet-only approach turned me off, and while I was quite impressed with Moblin, I concluded it’s not quite ready to be my primary netbook operating system yet.

Jolicloud, however, is the real deal. It exists in a world where desktop applications and web apps are on the same level, and it does so with style. Best of all, it’s extremely easy to use.-http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/jolicloud-operating-system-download-for-netbook/
--- End quote ---

He then goes on to mention some of the highlights of why he really likes it, which I'll summarize:


* Apps are tweaked by default to be optimized for netbooks. He specifically mentions how Firefox's "File/Edit/View" toolbar is hidden behind a drop-down arrow on the right side of the Awesome Bar and that the status bar is hidden until a site is loading (like the Chrome browser).
* Application manager allows you to install or remove programs using one click (for each application). Also, "web apps" are listed as apps.
* Web Apps: Basically a window dedicated entirely to a specific website. Get your Gmail, Facebook, Pandora, or whatever website you typically always have a tab open to in it's own window, without the toolbars getting in the way and taking up that precious vertical real estate. Basically a full screen browser window to just that site. And if you click a link in the Web App, it will open up in your default browser instead of browsing away from the web app.
* Compatibility: If your netbook is listed on the Jolicloud compatibility page you can expect it to "just work." My MSI Wind 120 is listed and, as advertised, it installed and runs perfectly. And according to Justin Pots, even if your machine isn't listed there's still a good chance it will work.
* Easy to try: It has an installer like Wubi, which allows you to install it from Windows which makes it show up in the Add/Remove Programs list for easy uninstallation.
I tried it out and it does work extremely well. It doesn't even have the problems that Ubuntu Netbook Remix had on this machine (such as screen flickering until it figured out whether the AC Adapter was plugged in or not).

Probably my only complaint thus far is that the application manager has very slim pickings when it comes to applications to install. It probably has enough applications for anyone who would be happy with Chrome OS, but as far as I could figure out, if it's not on the list, there's no easy way to install it, since the usual Synaptics Package Manager thingy is nowhere I could find it.

I wanted an FTP client and I couldn't figure out how to get one, and I couldn't figure out how to get FTP commands to work from the terminal (which I consider for "advanced" users, and thus not the market Jolicloud is looking for), so as far as I know, I'm out of luck for an FTP client until they decide to add one to their application manager. But maybe that's just because I don't know much about linux and the advanced techniques (or maybe something extremely simple I'm overlooking) to get other apps on there.

EDIT: I searched the forum and found that Jolicloud was briefly mentioned in this thread: Advice on Netbooks. And after reading the linked article, Jolicloud seems to have changed a lot since it was reviewed last July.

zridling:
Thanks Deozaan, I'm eager to try it out. Why is FTP the one thing people skimp on?!!

Deozaan:
Arise from the dead, necro-thread!

I just found out about Flow, which is a Chrome OS build that lets you make a Live USB or VMWare image.

In fact, I'm typing this post from within Chrome OS on a Live USB, which is pretty cool, because it means I could boot to my own "portable PC" from any computer that supports booting from USB drive. And since it's all internet/cloud services, there's no need for a huge (in regards to storage space) hard drive. A spare 2GB (minimum) thumb drive should suffice.

Supposedly it even supports my webcam, but I don't know how to test it. Google Talk doesn't have the video/chat plugin installed by default and I'm having trouble installing it. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if it's just not supported or what.

There are other quirks. Something doesn't seem right about the screen's resolution, and I can't find an option to change it. I can't get a game to work on freeciv.net. I turned up the sensitivity of the touchpad to the max but it still seems a bit slow moving.

Anyway, it's fun to play around with, but obviously not ready for prime time yet. I'll definitely be watching for updates now that I can actually run it on my machine(s).

For what it's worth, I think this would be perfect for internet cafes. They could sell little Chrome OS on a Stick and provide little netbooks without a hard drive in them for people to use at the airport or at a internet cafe. Then you wouldn't need to worry about the security of your data on a USB drive in a machine that might copy it all over without your knowledge, and the internet cafe wouldn't have to worry about malware infecting the PCs.

It's really brilliant!

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