As for the Google I/O , Google Wave Highlights video, I still need either a converter for mp4 to something else, video clipping software with mp4 support (ideas?).
Google Wave, eh? Google's got another thing coming soon too: Chrome OS. Chrome OS is an Operating System that is being constructed as I type this, by Google. There have been many rumors going around the net that Google will construct and OS soon enough. Sometimes, though, they aren't even rumors, mainly just wishes. Still, it IS officially going to happen. Still doubtful? Google posted in their official blog (http://googleblog.blogspot.com) about the introduction of Chrome OS.
The idea behind it is that many people use the web for almost everything nowadays (just think, how often to you spend offline completely, compared with that of online and using online applications). Therefore, Google are simply going to base their new OS on the Internet. Not only that, but Google now have their own web browser (Google Chrome), so that will be the default browser for the OS. Also, as known and actively used by many, Google offers many different services that are slowly making us creep closer and closer to cloud computing. For example, there's no longer a need for any downloadable office software, we have Google Docs, need a program for RSS feeds? Google Reader's there. The list goes on and on, and on, and on (it really does).
Basically, Chrome OS is going to be aimed at netbooks and netbook users, whose main aim is to be constantly connected to the net and use it whenever possible. That's why Google have covered this point in their blog post:
"People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files."
The article then goes on to say:
"Even more importantly, they don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates."
Google also has some of the main suppliers of netbooks behind them as, already, Acer, HP, Lenovo and Asus, to name a few.
To put it in a nutshell: Google is going to make an OS that will be speedy and based on the Linux kernel (meaning it will probably be free). It will be based on the net using all of Google's applications (Reader, Docs etc) to function. It will be mostly aimed at netbooks, but that will only be to start with, it will no doubt end up on the Desktop. Google is also creating an entire new window management system from scratch.
I do suggest reading the aforementioned blog in full to be able to grasp everything that Google will be offering. However, I do have a few more things to say before you casually navigate off of this blog.
Firstly, it's quite easy to figure out what Google is going to be using for it's Instant Messaging: Google Wave. Of course, it's still in development, but Google say that Chrome OS will not be available until mid/late 2010, and Wave is supposed to be released " later this year," so there's plenty of time to wait for Wave.
Secondly, Google are going to have to put their heads together and work really hard on trying to sort this out. Think about it, you're using Chrome for pretty much everything, so if you click a launcher that's on the desktop for, say, office software, and you already have an instance of Chrome open, is it going to open a new instance (window), a new tab, or do nothing? At the moment, in the desktop environment of GNOME, it would say it's already open, because it's using the same program... Though Google, as I mentioned earlier, is making a new Desktop Environment, so that should hopefully sort out this problem.
Next, I'd just like to flatten the whole thing by saying one thing: Google is a company. A company's only purpose is to earn money, and, as previously discussed on the net, Google makes money by using 2 things: adverts and data. Data? Yes, data. It collects the usage data of the customers and then sells them to third-parties. For example, the Google Wave whitepapers state that the data will be kept on the servers, but not for how long. You'd assume that it would be until the data has been received by the recipient, but, no. It would conveniently get sold to the highest bidder. As are all our search queries. So, let me ask you, Google, how are you going to get our data this time, and, once you have it, what are you going to do with it. Both questions are relatively simple to answer. Firstly, there will probably be some sort of 'data collection service' that you can opt in and out of at your free will, we hope. Seeing as Chrome OS is going to be based on a Linux Kernel, we'd hope this, as Google will not - hopefully - be able to edit the kernel source code, and it would be included in the Terms of Service if there had been. This data collection would probably just be things like what you do on a day to day basis. Basically Wakoopa, but it sells the data and collects more than what software you use, but what you actually do and every character you type in the software.
Finally, I'd just like to say, thank you very much for taking your time and reading through this post. I do admit that it is a big chunk of writing to be able to read through and was hesitant myself in actually submitting it, but, nevertheless, thank you.
In other news: As previously mentioned, I am still having a few problems with the video because of "folder corruption" which should be fixed shortly.
For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion
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