Is This the Cloud OS You Wanted?
Before the term "cloud computing" became a throwaway word used to describe everything from web mail to Facebook, people were dreaming of a day when the OS would disappear and everything we needed would run from the cloud. Fast-forward to 2008, and we can tentatively say that the moment has arrived...well, almost. A company called Good OS (yes, the same company behind the failed Linux-based Everex desktops introduced last year) has introduced new software called Cloud which boots a computer directly into a customized Chrome-like web browser. Now that this cloud OS has arrived we have to wonder: is this really what we wanted?
Introducing Cloud, the OS that Runs in the Browser
With Cloud, there is no desktop. You turn on your computer and it boots up to a Google Chrome web browser page which includes a dock of application shortcuts similar to what you would see on an Apple PC. Introduced at the recent Netbook World Summit in Paris, this simplified "OS" is an ideal install for the new ultraportable notebook computers called "netbooks," according to the company, as it is both fast and lightweight. It really is a true netbook, after all - it embodies the name in a way that none of the other netbook operating systems do.
However, unlike the various Linux-based netbook operating systems out there, including Good OS's failed "gOs" that was installed on the now-discontinued gPCs, Cloud OS does not intend to replace Windows. Instead, it runs alongside it. Presenting a hybrid approach to computing, Cloud gives you quick access to a number of web apps directly from the dock, including Google's Gmail, Calendar, Maps, Docs, Blogger, and YouTube, which you can launch alongside other rich client applications like Skype.
When you need to do heavier lifting, which on a netbook probably means running Microsoft Office, you can switch over to Windows or whatever OS may be running. (Cloud is compatible with all operating systems, says Good OS).
Cloud: OS or PXE?
If Cloud was installed on a traditional laptop or desktop, on the other hand, it would be akin to the Preboot Execution Environments (PXEs) installed on consumers PCs. It is in these PXEs that we may initially test the waters of a cloud OS's potential. Take for example Dell's forthcoming Latitude ON: a Linux-based system-on-a-chip that consists of a low-power ARM processor and flash memory running independently of the laptop's CPU and hard disk drive. With it, you'll be able to launch a Firefox-based browser, web mail, calendar, and contacts application as well as a Microsoft Office and PDF viewer. Cloud OS is merely an alternative to that software, albeit without the Microsoft Office/PDF support.
But is a PXE really the Cloud OS of our dreams? In our imaginations, at least, there was no app that still required the computing power of the desktop. Is that ever going to be a reality?
Do We Really Want or Need a Cloud OS?
Today's computer users may not need to run as many desktop applications as they did in the past, but there are still several apps whose cloud versions exist only as lightweight counterparts to the real deal. Adobe's Photoshop is a great example of this - although there are several web based photo-editing apps, most would argue that they don't compare in either features or richness to their desktop counterpart. Then there is, of course, the staple: Microsoft Office. It will soon come in a web-flavored version called Microsoft Office Web Applications, but will it really replace the desktop software entirely? Even more, do we want it to?
As we transition to the cloud, we're seeing more attempts at merging the online and offline worlds. Adobe gave us AIR apps, which can be designed to run in offline mode, syncing data back to their various motherships when your internet connection returns. Google delivered Google Gears, a simple yet somewhat clunky implementation that takes web apps offline. Why clunky? Gears doesn't automatically detect a lost connection, you see. (Switch off your Wi-Fi and see what Google Reader does. Oops, an error occurred, it will say.) Instead, using Gears means you must first click the provided button or link which saves the data to your computer for offline viewing. If it wasn't for the syncing it offered, this wouldn't be much more of an improvement over the good ol' "make this web page available offline" trick.
The Drawback to the Cloud OS: An Offline World
So far, these hybrid approaches to dealing with the cloud seem to imply that we're not entirely ready for a complete transition. Internet is not everywhere yet, unfortunately. So where does that leave our hopes for a true cloud OS? Do we first need ubiquitous broadband and Wi-Fi before a cloud OS can become a reality? Or will we one day surf a free second internet provided by Google? Is Google right now perfecting a hybrid OS in secret? Whatever the case, despite its name, Cloud OS doesn't feel like like the cloud-based OS we dreamed of, but it may be a good first step in that direction.
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I don't think a cloud OS is viable until we don't have really ubiquitous internet access, probably the open air spectrum. Otherwise we risk on running out of connectivity when we need our information the most.
Great post, BTW!
Question - why would you want a purely cloud based O/S, and why wouldn't you want to use your local CPU (which all online Photoshop like apps do via Flash anyway). Who is really dreaming of a world where computing resource resides in the hands of Google and Microsoft and Amazon??
What impact would cloud computing have on network infrastructure if it continues to be managed manually?
See htis blog post from Cisco: http://blogs.cisco.com/datacenter/comments/the_network_the_final_frontier_for_cloud_computing/
Dude, what's your personal grudge with Google all about? Do you want in but can not??
The world of computing tasks can be divided according to latency-sensitivity. things like mouse-movements and GUI interactivity have to be handled by the local CPU, since humans percieve the lag time as unnacceptable if such things involve RTT's to a cloud CPU. On the other hand, data fetching and background syncing aren't so latency sensitive: five to twenty seconds lag can be an acceptable user experience.
Overall, the speed of light imposes constraints on how low latency can get when we're talking internet. Cloud computing will always have extra latency, no matter how ubiquitous the internet becomes.
I'd say nearly all OS functions fall in the "low latency" category. Makes no sense to move most of it to the cloud.
Cool! I actually wrote a blog post in October suggesting a model like this (http://ptanham.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-laptops-could-soon-be-free.html)
A summary of some of the extra thoughts I made:
1. This would be perfect platform for an overall software marketplace/app store.
2. Software as a service makes more sense for this, where you could buy an OS account ($20/mo) and get "add ons" of apps from the app store e.g. Adobe Photoshop for $0.75 per month.
3. These Cloud OS providers, if they have a good revenue model like Mobile phone companies (cell networks), could use the same subsidy model to give customers free netbooks if they sign up to a 12-month cloud os account (and maybe free netbook upgrades?)
Well done Good OS on an idea so promising that I managed to overcome the dissapointment I felt when I realised that the logo was in fact NOT for Google Cloud OS! :P
I don't think a cloud OS is viable until we don't have really ubiquitous internet access, probably the open air spectrum. Otherwise we risk on running out of connectivity when we need our information the most.
Great post, BTW!
Posted by: Jorge Escobar
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December 9, 2008 10:27 AM
Any "Cloud" system will only work for people with light computing requirements, on tight budgets, and that probably move around alot. For people that do this sort of thing, Cloud Computing is probably a no-go:
* AV, video editing
* Animation
* Development (Web, Desktop Software)
* Gaming
* Graphics (Photoshop, etc)
* Corporates with Intranets
* Just about anything in the Financial sector
Cloud-based services should really be seen as a secondary, along-side, add-on convenience to desktop-based services. The Internet is still a fragile thing - I wouldn't want to rely on it for anything critical, and especially not if there's one conglomerate (Google) at the helm.
No, I have nothing against Google, but people make stupid mistakes, and I'd rather make my own than have someone at Google make them for me. Call me old-fashioned.
An operating system like Cloud OS is expected from a company like Google who will try every effort to make the browser supreme. Microsoft on the other hand will try to make the desktop supreme. It is a war between the browser and the desktop.
People are always ready to try new products from Google and they would have fared much better had they developed a REAL Operating System that people could really use. My computer is Personal, I wouldn't like to take it Online so that people can steal information.
Some "Cloud" system will NOT only work for people with light computing requirements. There could be other solutions like this one:
http://codtech.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=9
I quote you:
"an Apple PC"
Nice oxymore ;-)
This is absolutely improper, IMHO. Cloud means distribute on not relevant locations.
A Cloud enabled OS should be able to spawn automatically its processes across the network to exploit remote processing power. A Cloud enabled application should interact seamlessly with heterogeneous services on the network.
Working from a browser has nothing to do with it, and I see lights and shadows in it.
It reminds me of the old Oracle Network Computer, who remembers it?
I read on WIRED Magazine that gOS is preinstalled with other Netbook manufacturers now. I wonder if they will include both gOS and Cloud together, instead of Windows and Cloud together.
its still sometime away for every pc to be on cloud pc, many factors, performance, speed, network and so on. many developing countries are still facing low bandwidth issues, thus to transmit and provide optimal experience to the user using cloud has still alot of work to be done.
for me, im using hibernater (www.hibernater.com), it is sort of half "cloud"? and i think it will work well in developing countries.
Hi Sarah,
I'm David of Good OS, and appreciated your article :-)
I wrote a response on my blog just to shed more light on how we're thinking about balancing the online and offline worlds with Cloud at http://officialgosblog.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
Best,
Dave
There actually is a real Cloud OS available developed for 7 years called icloud, http://icloud.com, try it directly today through your browser on http://icloud.com/mail.
Soon icloud will be available on top of a lightweight Linux to power Netbooks and other devices. icloud features most applications needed for everyday computing and aligns well with the vision of a real Cloud OS.
Daniel
icloud Team