With the netbook platform popularity taking off, many people are beginning to take notice of operating system alternatives to Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Cloud computing is a concept that has recently begun to take on some notice. Amazon has released a cloud computing service called Elastic Compute Cloud under their Web Services program which allows for users to essentially borrow computing power from Amazon’s server clusters. This concept is beginning to infiltrate other aspects of computing. The netbook has the stigma of being a cheap, underpowered notebook computer specializing in web browsing and email. What better way to increase the netbooks usefulness than to tie it to the “cloud” for a little extra horsepower. Google already has a cloud based service called Google Apps that consists of email and document management/creation services.
As cloud computing has gained popularity, it seemed only a matter of time before someone would try to jam the cloud computing experience into an operating system. That’s where Google’s ChromeOS and other projects such as Jolicloud and gOS Cloud 1.0 are positioned. Each of these products are full blown operating systems based off of the free, open source operating system called Linux. Each product uses its own customized version of Linux but customized to fit their needs. The benefit is a small, lightweight operating system that can do more out of the box than Windows. Most netbooks come with Windows XP and out of the box, you are lacking office document software and other productivity apps because of how Windows XP is packaged. With a web or cloud-based operating system, you can achieve much more without the need to purchase additional software because the services are typically free and accessible via a web browser.
Cloud computing is definitely a worthy cause but tends to be a concern to many people due to the reliance upon an internet connection and a third party to host those services. Essentially, if you choose to create Word and Excel documents with Google Docs (part of Google Apps) you are relying on Google to continue to provide this service. If Google experiences an outage of any kind that affects Google Docs, then you are unable to access the service.
I see the future of cloud computing benefiting many but most specifically the younger generation. The facebookers, the twitterers and everyone who already spends much of their life in the cloud. The Jolicloud operating system provides direct access to those services and then some (Skype, Meebo, Youtube are also available as “apps” in this operating system). Netbooks may not make sense to a power user but the future of netbooks is promising and may influence a shift in how the desktop operating system is used.
I already knew, from my own kids, that this year’s ‘gotta have’ for college bound students is the Netbook. And I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about spending several hundred dollars on a computer designed to offer less. Let’s face it, we’ve all become addicted to the faster, larger capacity, more powerful mantra of the computer industry.
A few years ago, when my oldest moved onto campus, cool meant – a laptop with a 17” screen, the fastest processor available, as much RAM as it could handle, the full suite of Office applications, and the largest hard drive on the market.
As his younger brother heads out this Fall, his version of cool is the smallest computer he can find that will still give him a useable keyboard, wireless Internet, and a program that will let him take notes in class. The only caveat - he has to take his clunky, old desktop for when he needs a full blown computer. He’s fine with that and so am I. He’s getting what he wants and I’m saving a tidy amount of cash.
The giant laptop lost it’s luster before the end of freshman year. Last Fall, the lobbying for a Macbook was underway. Now, he’s dropping huge hints about how he “needs” a Netbook. After all, his laptop is too big to take to class and he really doesn’t need all the computing power when he’s out on campus. I keep reminding him that you have to be careful what you wish for… he got exactly what he wanted and it came with an extended five year warranty.
To be fair, his shift in thinking seems to be in line with recent trends. PC World just published an interesting article on students choosing Netbook over Macbook. The good news is the Netbook is affordable. The bad news… he’s still stuck with ‘cool’ from 3 years ago. The best news is for his little brother – after all, I’ll be much more willing to revisit cool since his version cost a lot less.
Keep Connected + Keep Secure + Keep Working
Posts
