Google Chrome OS Notebook Pilot Program

I'd been a bit interested in the Chrome OS, and the whole idea of eliminating the Operating System, plus I"ve always liked linux...so when I heard that some of the notebooks and netbooks might be coming out with Chrome Installed I was interested...and also found that Google had this Pilot Program where they were giving away free notebooks, kind of a beta program (Like they should have done with the Nexus One, IMO), so I filled out the application, aweek or so ago, took about five minutes...

I was *totally* surprised when this box from UPS showed up on my doorstep today, with a brand new google CR-48 notebook in it...It's nice, real barebones simple...I like that...takes some getting used to: opens right into Chrome Browser...very speedy...of course, you can't use Windows Apps on it, so if you're used to all kinds of Firefox apps--like I am--I had to get used to Chrome quickly again...

But anyway, it's free, and works good, so I thought I'd pass it on to anyone else interested....If you want to read up on the OS, here's the wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome_OS

 

I can't see any OS competing in the PC gaming market Microsoft has such a hold over directX,actually working in conjunction with Hardware designers.

The only other avenue really is OpenGL,they would have to practically invest billions to bring about a revolution and bring GL back to the forefront,years in software design and also build hardware that can utilize it,I don't ever see that happening.

Does Chrome come with a revised version of openGL:confused

EDIT nice one on the laptop Can you wipe it and put windows on?:-D

 

That's the point really I agree, what can google chrome do that others can't?I don't think there's anything functionality wise.

What I can see it doing unifying a competitive OS to windows,where linux fails is there isn't a standard,mac OS's can't be used on PC's 'before someone shouts down my throat I know they can be hacked to work on windows'

Maybe a strong competitor to Windows will be a good thing,they have to go at it full blooded though people need to know it isn't going away and people will begin to plan and design for,if they just do a small release and half arse it,it will be a waste of time they need to use the full clout of the Google brand.EDIT they need to do an Apple on it,huge investment,a massive ad campaign 'guys with glasses in front of a white background saying how it will change the world:-D Works for apple?:-D Not small tests here and there a full blooded onslaught.

Not that I'm a software engineer or business guru or anything,just a few brain farts:-D

 

I agree...even when I wrote that I thought...man, it *is* an operating system...but being so accustomed to a Desktop, etc., it's hard to get my head around *what* it is. It eliminates what I was used to, anyway, and being "straight to browser", it 'seems' like my OS has disappeared. It's size 8.5 x 11.75 and it's totally traditional look sort of take away from Ipad...I was actually thinking more along the lines of IEEE with linux: some super cheapo real basic computer without the cost of Windows.

I'm surprised google didn't--or maybe they will--sort of position itself into 'Save the Children' mode and give poor kids this notebook, and get a lot more good will--and probably testing--than throwing it at the occasional heavy web user like me...I've already got a Dell Latitude 2100 with XP which I'm totally happy with when I need to lug a 'little' computer around, and hook it into my Nexus when I'm stuck somewhere w/no free wifi...but, like you said, in spite of the excitement when one sees crowds texting each other in various political uprisings...most poor people don't have internet access, I believe, and this one is totally web dependent. But, of course, so is google, so if they can convince the rest of the world they absolutely positively cannot live without web access--and they may very well have succeeded in this--then I guess this could be just rich billionaire geeks wanting to once and for all put MS in the grave.

I've never had much good foresite when it comes to predicting where the digital world is going (why I'm not rich): I didn't think Windows/GUIs were going anywhere and stuck to DOS and Unix commnd line, and was totally bored with Mosaic when some pals showed me the first web browser around...I was sold on email and the Internet, but the Web was too weird...

But when I finally came around, and google surfaced, I thought they were the cleanest search engine around, and they blew out the competiton...obviously...BTW, I think I mentioned all my 'the next big thing' miscalculations in my 'pitch' to google to get them to send me a free notebook as consolation prize, ha ha...(so that worked)...

But I'm using my regular pc to post this...and I'm a malware fighter on another forum and totally need windows to look at apps and try stuff out, so it's not helpful for me in that area...on the plus side: I don't need AV for this

I'll post more after I sort this new thing out...

 

Sweet Wifi in Eighteen thousand years

I couldn't let that one go Dave:-D

 

Well: it's a weird space to be in: I'd been totally interested in "the browser is your OS" since I first heard about it, and have sort of followed the ChromeOS hype hear and there...but now I've got one, it's still strange: the specs seem good: 2gb of DD3 Ram, and a 16gb SSD...specs and it is *very* sturdy...it has a very similar heft and 'feel' to my Dell Latitude 2100 netbook, except the CR-48 is bigger...and seems to be designed to maybe take a drop or two, seems very well protected, from, say, an excited five year old...same as Dell Lat was supposed to be...the keyboard is the best I've bumped into...real spacy, and a nice 'bounce' to the keys...simple as all get out...which I like, at least in theory anyway...no delete key, no capsLock key...but anyway, that's all cool, but after the initial excitement of something free on doorstep other than my neighbor's cat droppings, my real questions is basically what TimW said above^, u know, what can and can't I do with this?

I found that--contrary to what I'd first thought--I could install 'some' apps I needed, that weren't 'approved': the chrome version of gravitygripp's malware search worked, but i had to fiddle a bit...

I'm switching my canned speeches from Clipmate which I love, to Clippings which I used to use as a Firefox extension, so I can use the "Chrome Clips" extension. I can't use Clipmate itself--which I bought a while back--since Clipmate is either a download Windows program--can't have those--or a flash drive program...but that doesn't work either: only USB use, so far, is for mouse.

My question/problem is finding an equivalent to BBC(bulletin board code) editor. I like to work on logs in a standalone program: I've used several different programs, but one I use most is plain old BBCeditor . Since it *has* to be online, I figured naturally, that I'd just use Google Docs as my main editor, but Docs have--IMHO--really screwed things up with their new format...plenty of people complained when the new version first came out...too much like a Word Processor, and worse yet, you no longer have the Webpage preview, where I could see how my stuff looked before posting...I'm thinking I'll have to
maybe make a template, and try to make my own...got to be a way, I'm just not thinking clearly...used to be you could change your settings in Docs, and use the old version: that has been discontinued. Plenty of people complaining, but I haven't figured a way yet...of course I can just do everything in 'Add Reply' and then do preview, but I don't like that...

I'm trying to be a good sport about it: they gave me a free notebook, I said it would be my main computer, so I'm doing that. So far, so good...thanks, btw, to all of you...over the years since I first came to MG, this site, and the people on it, inspired me.

 

I am so jealous!!! I signed up for this in Dec. supposedly on the last day of the the giveaway and they didn't ship me one! My sister signed up a week before I did and she only got her's last tuesday. I'm hoping they still send me one but I don't think they are going too. :cry

 

I applied twice, so I'm not sure *which* time they paid attention to: the first time was probably back in December, and I just listed how active I was on the net, blah blah blah, and never heard anything, and kind of blew it off...then I applied again, I think about a week ago, and this time I didn't expect much, and was a bit sassy about the whole thing...and I got one about five days later...so I 'felt' like it was the second time that got it, but it could have been from the first time I applied...they don't say anything, at least not to me...might just be a random thing...I had always felt they should have done this with the Nexus One, and I might have mentioned that...I wish I had better idea of why they decided to lay one on me this time...was unexpected totally...I really do wish more people would get'em on here, so I could get some tips on how to make things work...It's like my whole online world is now seen thru a Chrome Browser...