>From my reading of the blog, i am hard-pressed to see Chrome OS as a real OS, since i see that the only application running on it is the browser (did i miss something ?) . I would much rather term it as a "Hardware Browser", since for an operating system to be real, it must provide operational services to applications, (plural being the key). If the only application running on the device is the chrome browser, i feel they are effectively tailoring everything that comes with os, such as file system services, graphics, networking etc. to be accessible ONLY by a browser. Heck it might not even need storage for anything more than your temp files, and may provide no execution environment other than a javascript engine. I wonder why they wouldnt cripple android to just run chrome browser, skip all the services and thus enable faster bootup, and then call it the new Chrome OS ?
If as an app developer, i am just creating apps which will run in a browser context, with no support for services, timers, network connectivity outside the browser, the number of apps i can create is going to be limited - right? Would it even cultivate a developer market that android has, which effectively provides android users with more choices of what they can run on their devices.. Is this sounding more like a browser appliance ? If so, does it really do justice to a true netbook ? Can i use it on a plane, or where i have no internet connectivity ? -g On Jul 9, 6:36 am, lbcoder <[email protected]> wrote: > I am fully aware that there is more to an operating system than the > "pretty pixels" -- which is what I have been trying to point out. In > fact, it can be contended that the "pretty pixels" are NOT elements of > the operating system AT ALL (though I won't take this up as an > argument since it is very much a matter of opinion). You should take a > look at all those "differences".... if you do, you will see that they > are NEARLY ALL related to the "pretty pixels". Those additional > changes are not distinguishing characteristics, but rather additional > DRIVERS and UTILITIES required specifically for being applicable to a > telephone and as such have no place in a non-telephone operating > system and can therefore NOT be sited as distinguishing > characteristics of android vs chrome. > > Now to address your specific concerns; > 1) "multimedia playback" -- equivalent to "pretty pixels". > 2) "3D graphics" -- definitely "pretty pixels". > > I should point out that 1 and 2 may not be operating system elements, > but are definitely user interface elements, which due to hardware > differences, MUST be different between a phone and a more general > system. For example, a phone must be able to route call audio in > several specifically defined manners that would be pointless for a > netbook -- you're not going to hold your netbook up to your head to > have a conversation, you will also not require your netbook to stop > music playback automatically when a call comes in, though some very > simple modifications to pulseaudio would allow this kind of > functionality. Of course there is no reason to believe that AUDIO will > be handled any differently in chromeos than it is in android, graphics > though, as I have mentioned previously, MUST differ in android due to > physical limitations of the intended devices. > > 3) "security frameworks" -- typical unix, really nothing to > distinguish it except that the application is the user rather than the > *actual* user as you are used to. This is certainly nothing > spectacular or unique -- existing unix and unix-like systems also use > different user accounts for different software and I site as an > example the fact that most linux systems that ship with, for example, > apache and mysql will have apache and mysql USERS under which those > pieces of software will run. > > Now unless you can site specific, valid, and DETAILED examples, > including pointing them out in the source, your response of "um no" > will continue to be regarded as trolling and it will be assumed that > you are a 12 year old child who knows nothing of operating systems. > > Note: I am quite certain that you can't read the source, otherwise you > wouldn't have pointed out the website containing the WHOLE source as > if it were some kind of mystical answer that would somehow support > your statements. The fact that you don't point out specific support > means that you are guessing. > > On Jul 8, 3:53 pm, Mark Murphy <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > lbcoder wrote: > > > Well, the only thing that distinguishes android from any other linux > > > distribution IS the user experience > > > Um, no. > > >http://source.android.com > > > There's quite a bit in there that has nothing to do with the user > > experience in any direct fashion. > > > > and it can be the only thing that distinguishes chromeos from android > > > No, it's not. There is a wee bit more to an operating system than the > > pretty pixels you see on screen. > > > More importantly, there is a wee bit more to an operating system than > > the stuff that by default two Linux-based platforms will share. Things > > like multimedia playback, 3D graphics, security frameworks, and the like > > will be needed by both products. Those are things that Android can > > always use more help with, and if Google Chrome OS is building their own > > implementation of each, that represents wasted opportunity, IMHO. > > > It's all a question of where the two branch off. If their only shared > > basis is a kernel, and Google Chrome OS rebuilds a bunch of stuff that > > Android has (or builds a bunch of stuff Android needs but cannot > > practically reuse), that sucks, because we could get more bang for our > > engineering buck. The further up the stack the two projects can share, > > the better. I just didn't get a good vibe from that announcement that > > there will be much sharing going on. I hope I'm wrong. > > > And, of course, none of this technical stuff covers the confusion this > > might raise in the consumer electronics space -- do firms back Android > > or wait-and-see on Chrome OS? > > > -- > > Mark Murphy (a Commons > > Guy)http://commonsware.com|http://twitter.com/commonsguy > > > Need Android talent? Ask on HADO!http://wiki.andmob.org/hado- Hide quoted > > text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Discuss" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-discuss?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
