Say hello to Google Chrome OS

I have to admit…my first reaction to the Chrome OS demo was somewhat lack luster. Obviously, Chrome OS is still very much under development – but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to get a sense of what’s coming.

I’m a fan of the internet based approach to an operating system – I think it’s a remarkable concept and is ultimately an inevitable milestone in the evolution of personal computing.  As internet based technology, information accessibility, and real-time web become audible aspects of professional and domestic life, an operating system like Chrome OS may become more practical than a windows or mac platform. Still, the user experience of Chrome OS (as far as I understand from the demo) is completely unrelated to existing operating systems…which may confuse or discourage rapid adoption of the platform.

People use Google search because it’s intuitive, easy, and provides a solid result. The search experience is somewhat seamless in terms of quality. BUT, people use windows, Mac OS, or Linux because they understand, pragmatically, how to operate and navigate through the system.

For someone like me, a browser-ish operating system might make sense…but then again…I use a customized firefox browser…because I rely on the functionality of certain plugins so I can do my job more effectively.  Would I sacrifice the open-source flexibility of my current browser for a more application based OS that “just works”?

Absolutely not.

I think Google Chrome OS still has some growing up to do. I like the seamless sharing of information, documents, and web applications – I like that you can integrate your favorite web applications and communication tools into one source.

I’m not sure how I feel about the data cloud operating system.

Much of Chrome OS functionality and usability remains to be seen – but i’m certainly anxious to give it a try!