Tag Archives: Windows
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble – Jolicloud vs Chrome OS
Posted on 22. Aug, 2010 by Julien Cadot. 
5 Comments
Making comparisons is always difficult, especially when one tries to compare apples-to-apples something complex like and operating system. But here goes anyway.
Ladies and gentlemen, on the left corner, please welcome one of the most anticipated operating systems, the 10 second-to-launch, fully browser operated Google Chrome OS! On the right corner, ladies and gentlemen, the outsider no one knew before its release except true geeks , the prince who wants to be king before the king has the crown, the black-wallpapered and not-that-clouded Jolicloud!
Everyone should have noticed: we’re dealing with a very much alpha preview version of Chrome OS and a fully functional one in Jolicloud. Unfair to compare? Not really, since I have also alpha tested Jolicloud. I promise, I’ll try to keep that in mind during the comparison.
Which of them will win?
thechromesource Daily: Links for 7/28/10
Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
One billion devices are a legitimate possibility for Android; at least that’s what Google CEO Eric Schmidt believes.
The dev channel of Chrome browser has been updated; the release includes some UI tweaks and stability fixes.
Apple has released an extensions gallery for its Safari browser creatively called – Safari extensions.
You can’t just throw out an OS like Windows because people are connected to the local applications says GigOM’s Sam Dean.
Is Facebook Questions a legitimate contender in the search market or will it just simply be an annoyance?
Why Use a Laptop When a Tablet Will Do?
Posted on 21. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 6 Comments
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the advent of the tablet. Sure, much has already been written about the subject, so I’d like to stay away from the normal conversation. I would, of course, like to reference some articles before I delve deeper here, including Devin Coldewey’s article about the coming onslaught of Android slates, as well as Christopher Dawson’s take on the amount of changes he’s seen in a month’s time of more people relying on tablets and smartphones.
I currently use a Dell v13, an $899 ultra light laptop that is loaded with Windows 7 for all of the work I do on this site. Notwithstanding the fact that I had a Dell tech replace the faulty touchpad within a month of purchase and the fact that the graphics capabilities are tethered to the Intel-based chipset, I’m happy with it. But a nagging feeling remains that my current setup is just not optimal. If there were a middle ground between smartphone and laptop that is not Apple based and could give me what I get from the v13, I would happily switch.
The problem with my current laptop is that even though it is light and very mobile, it lacks the “easy-on” that I need. It runs Windows 7, a behemoth that seems to be better suited for desktops or bulky replacements for such. I don’t need all the junk that comes with a Windows OS; I just need something that works. This is not to say I don’t want to tinker, but I would prefer everything be configured from the start, and I’ll mess with what I want to much later on.
I want a tablet; I just don’t want an Apple one. I also am not interested in one that runs Android because that’s for phones, not for computers. Do I need a keyboard? That’s a subjective question, since I do type a lot as a writer but if there is a badass alternative to this antiquated set of Chiclets that I use to communicate then I would be all for it.
What do you think? Is the time for grappling with Windows over? Where is the cloud-based Windows killer we’ve all been looking for?
Activision: Let’s Use PCs Instead of Consoles
Posted on 12. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
A major publisher of games doesn’t like being limited by the console market.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is not appreciative of the walled console gardens that make up Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. He says it would be better if games were just played on PCs instead of having to navigate through proprietary processes in order to publish popular games. Kotick laments about the fact that those who play Activision’s games online don’t pay publishers for the experience, but the console makers.
“We’ve heard that 60 per cent of (Microsoft’s) subscribers are principally on Live because of Call of Duty,” Kotick told FT. “We don’t really participate financially in that income stream. We would really like to be able to provide much more value to those millions of players playing on (Xbox) Live, but it’s not our network.”
He also goes on to say that the company would fully support PC manufacturers’ efforts to create a device that hooks up to a television and allows gamers to play via that method.
This sounds familiar. It almost relates to what Google is trying to do with manufacturers such as Dell and HP for Chrome OS. The problem with Activision is that they don’t provide an open platform to play games on; the majority of PC games are still played on Windows. Possible solution? Work on the Google TV project selling higher-end set top boxes built with special graphics cards for gaming.
Chromoting Fits the Chrome OS Thin Client Model
Posted on 10. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
The idea of Chromoting as a way to bridge the gap between the web-enabled environments of the future over to the old model of installed applications on Windows, Mac and Linux seems to fit with the overall theme of Chrome OS. That theme is to get away from natively installed applications, though many of us still will rely on these “legacy” apps to some degree.
In the smartphone realm, the use of remote desktop is possible to go into our computer at home or at work to do things. Chromoting will be no different than that, installed as an extension on a Chrome OS device with another application on whatever other machine you need to remote into.
As cloud computing in ramps up from an operating system standpoint, there is going to be some software that simply will not be available in the cloud. Although it is true when Google says that most major applications are coming out today arrive web-based, there are still some resource-heavy tasks that require a traditional computer. Chromoting thus offers power users the ability to possibly use virtualization on servers to harness both Chrome OS and whatever applications they may need directly through the cloud.
I can see a variety of uses for Chromoting, and not just as a stopgap solution for legacy purposes but also as a path to allow Chrome OS to act as a window to more process-intensive computing capabilities. One would not only be able to use it to access powerful software tools on a thin client Chrome OS device, but the enterprise would benefit as well. I could see IT support analysts, salespeople and health professionals utilizing Chromoting on a tablet or netbook to access resources in a safe and controlled way that perhaps other devices would be unable to.
What other intriguing purposes could Chromoting provide for that I have missed?
thechromesource Daily: Links for 6/6/10
Posted on 06. Jun, 2010 by Greg Farnum. 0 Comments
Google axes Windows, saves millions.
Extension tips: Syncing notes across multiple computers with Chrome Notepad.
iPad rivals at Computex favor Android.
Chrome extension opens PDFs and PowerPoint with Google Docs.
thechromesource Daily: Links for 6/1/10
Posted on 01. Jun, 2010 by Greg Farnum. 0 Comments
Computerworld asks, has the Microsoft-backed Bing search engine actually aided Google?
Chrome adds Opera-like Trash Can extension for better tab reopening.
Will Google really become more secure by moving away from Windows?
House Judiciary Committee to look at Google and Facebook privacy practices says Huffington Post.
Is Dual-Boot the Best Option For a Google Machine?
Posted on 06. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Last year, Acer debuted a rather intriguing device: it’s a netbook that with dual-boot capabilities. The operating systems that the Acer D250 runs is Windows and Android. With the dual-boot configuration you could jump into Android real quick and do what you need to do on the fly, like mail or a bit of info. If you require the ability to perform more intensive tasks, Windows is available:
Like most netbooks, the D250 in the video above has most of the standard specs for this type of device: Intel Atom processor, 1GB ram and 160GB hard drive.
I bring this up because Acer is planning to soon launch a new netbook called the D260 that has the same functionality but with updated hardware, Windows 7 and a newer, more sleek chasis. Electric Pig is also reporting thatthe D260′s mobile product manager Martino Mombrini says that they are “working with the guys at Google”, with a launch “likely” in Q3 or the Christmas period for a Chrome OS machine.
It make me wonder whether the D250 and D260 are placeholders for a future netbook that has both Chrome OS and Windows. Although surely Google does not want to stop manufacturers from putting Android on netbooks/laptops, it was really meant to be for smartphones with screens that are less than four inches in size. The goal is to keep displays optimized, and to allow Chrome OS to fill in the gap for gadgets that are larger than that – which would be netbooks and tablets.
Of course, a machine that dual-boots would cost slightly more because of Microsoft’s operating system licensing fees but there is no doubt that those looking for a complete all-in-one package may want to consider a dual-boot machine. Many routine tasks can be done via the web, but as the transition to cloud environments continues, it may be best for the power user to think about a machine that is capable of dual-boot functions right out of the box.
The Mobile Keyboard Solution – Folding it Out, In
Posted on 01. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
One of the biggest challenges faced as devices get smaller and smaller is that the traditional keyboard still requires a certain footprint in order to be useable. This fact is even more evident when you look at tablets and phones which don’t have a keyboard at all – they require you to use an on-screen touch interface in order to write. For many, this trend could be problematic since there is an enjoyable degree of tactile feedback that comes with using a traditional keyboard.
That’s why when I came across this post from Wired I knew I had to write about it. Sure it’s only a mock-up, but this is the best way that I have seen so far on solving the keyboard problem, which is to fold it:
Designer Yang Yongchang has put up some images and a small write-up on how his device, the iWeb 2.0, would work. I really like the idea, and although I’m sure this has been tried in design labs before if it could be pulled off by being usable there would be appeal for this. Two things come to mind, however. A folding keyboard would have many parts making it expensive and possibly fragile. Another problem could be that although the pictures look good, it needs to be comfortably useable to a vast amount of people in order for something like this to sell.
With the mobile device market creating new genres of gadgets such as the tablet and especially the smartbook which will blend together elements of a netbook with a smartphone – the keyboard problem becomes magnified. Whether it runs Android, Chrome OS, Linux or some variety of Windows a smartbook is going to need to have a real keyboard.
I know that in the mobile phone market the trend is to shy away from manufacturing smartphones with full-on keyboard. The Nexus One has done so, along with other Android devices. The Motorola Droid, however, does come with a keyboard. I suppose it is all in terms of a person’s taste, but for those who like to write having a keyboard is really helpful. Especially if you’re clumsy with a touchscreen.
IDC: Hardware Components Will be Pricey for Chrome OS
Posted on 12. Mar, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Owing to the notion that a Chrome OS netbook will require specialized hardware from computer manufacturers, Bob O’Donnell of IDC believes that such a device will actually be just as expensive as netbooks that run on Windows. O’Donnell, who is vice president of clients and displays, seems to take a view that perhaps the technology is not quite ready for public consumption.
“PC OEMs say the hardware requirements—still under NDA–will make the systems actually more expensive than a Windows device, yet they don’t have anywhere near the applications support,” O’Donnell said. He was talking up this point while at Directions 2010, which is an economic conference that is held in Reno, Nevada. ”Clamshell systems need Windows or Mac OS because if a system looks like a notebook people want it to act like one,” he said.
IDC does a lot of research, and they know what they are talking about. However, we have already seen devices that are running Chrome OS that don’t cost that much – the Freescale 7″ tablet that was shown off a few weeks ago is expected to go for only $200. And a quick look at the Chromium site shows that manufacturers and developers have successfully tested a Asus Eee PC 1005HA, which retails for around $300.
Now, it is possible that in order to offer users the best user experience possible Google is making some heavy handed demands for these devices to be able to quickly boot and get users where they need to be – right on the web. Since the experience is so important, I would not be surprised by that. But the reality is that they are going to need to balance this with a price point that makes it possible to compete in a totally new class of cheap and lightweight computing device.
Even Chrome OS Engineering Director Matthew Papakipos said in an interview last November that the goal of the operating system was going to be for something cheaper than traditional netbook fare.
It certainly explains why we are only seeing devices from manufacturers with Android on them, because perhaps the right mix of hardware and software just has not been pinpointed just yet.
Linux Chrome 5 Beta is a Go
Posted on 03. Feb, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments
Although Chrome 5 Beta has been available for those using Windows and Mac for a little while already, Google held back its release of the Linux version of their beta browser. That’s no surprise, as the initial developer version of Chrome for Linux users has only been out since June and has a much smaller user base than the other two platforms. Regardless, Google announced yesterday that the 5.0.307.1 Beta for Linux is now available.
Some of the new features being released with this version include support for notifications, a different directory for loading plugins and improved text support for various languages.
It’s important that Google keeps the Chrome browser for Linux up to speed with Windows and Mac. An ever-increasing amount of users are turning to open source, and all of the solid OSs are based on Linux. In terms of netbook operating systems, platforms such as Ubuntu Netbook Remix, Moblin and Jolicloud are all based on Linux. This helps drive the cost of netbooks lower, as these OSs save money on the overall product price when compared to Microsoft’s licensing fees that are required for every device that ships with Windows.
At the same time, when Google eventually comes out with Chrome OS, it will be essentially competing with these machines, but will still have a leg up on overall browser competition because Linux does not support the closed-source Internet Explorer. Opera and Firefox currently are some of the most popular browsers for Linux. Safari is also available as well.
You can get Linux Chrome 5 Beta from the download page here.
Chrome 4 Now Natively Supports Greasemonkey
Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Now that Chrome 4 has been promoted to a stable release, the folks at Google have decided to remind us of the fact that it now natively supports Greasemonkey scripts. Although these are scripts and not full-blown extensions, this allows Chrome to have an even wider variety of features that are able to run in the browser. This was mostly overlooked last week after the stable release was announced because of the promotion of extensions that are now available for all versions of Chrome, which is for Windows, Mac and Linux.
So what is Greasemonkey? It was developed as a Firefox add-in in 2004 and is a utility for using scripts users have created to enhance their browsing experience. Written in Javascript, Chrome’s speedy V8 engine is perfect for this feature because it runs the platform so fast.
Most of the Greasemonkey scripts are small features for websites that can enhance the web experience for a user. For example, many of the scripts that I found on the main site for these, userscripts.org, were for removing ads from sites like Facebook or Windows Live Hotmail. There were also scripts for filling in forms or performing mass actions such as adds or deletes on social networking sites.
We’re going to have to check out some of these scripts before we are able to recommend any of them. If anyone out there has found a useful Greasemonkey script that Chrome users should know about, by all means please let us know by adding a comment. Also, if you have written a Greasemonkey script that may be useful, please drop us a line.
