by Derek Morrison, 9 July 2009
Normally I wouldn’t want to contribute to the already excessive publicity regarding the Google Chrome OS; this is after all currently only vapourware, but since Auricle is a place for recording reflections this is probably the most appropriate time to do so. Google headquarter’s staff must be ecstatic that Tuesday’s announcement (7 July 2009) became a news item of note in the world’s broadcast and print media. So what’s of potential interest for online learning mavens in such an announcement?
Anyone who has used the more user friendly variants the desktop Linux operating system will know that Linux is already now pretty much now technically and usability wise pretty much on a par with Windows. The introduction of netbooks such as the Asus IEE PC range a couple of years ago was used to trumpet a Linux breakthrough and while there was certainly some initial gain in Linux market share Microsoft’s decision to keep Windows XP alive, particularly for these low horsepower devices, constrained the possible “hearts and minds” gain for the competitor OS. Linux variants like Canonical’s Ubuntu are really excellent and as open software are “free” and so there must be other factors inhibiting a more general takeup.
Three come to mind: inertia; legacy; and fear. Microsoft has had decades of producing both the underlying operating system (Windows) and the applications which run on it, e.g. Word, Excel, Powerpoint and institutions have had decades of investment in licensing, training and standardising on de facto formats. So under normal circumstances even a “free” license is unlikely to easily overcome that inertia, fear of change or perceived issues related to migrating legacy data or content and retraining staff.
But … Google the “Gods of Search” behind a linux variant? That could be interesting. There again let’s not forget what sits behind the current iterations of the Apple OS, a variant of Unix, a Linux antecedent which still being perceived as the height of “cool” didn’t knock Microsoft off a perch that can still apparently apply a lot of influence, e.g. Did Microsoft force Asus to axe Linux? (Guardian, 8 July 2009). Google’s interest seems to be focusing around developing an OS for the web age and so we might assume that the so called “cloud computing” paradigm will be in there somewhere. I’ve waxed lyrical about cloud computing in my previous Storm Clouds (Auricle 23 June 2009, 9 September 2008) postings but it would be so easy for vested interests to forget why the personal computer and now the personal device market came about.
People embraced the freedoms from the constraints applied by the then ‘cloud’ analogues, i.e. mainframe and mini computers and the priesthoods that supported and fielded access to that generation of technologies. An extreme version of the modern day cloud computing could easily become the virtual mainframe and any operating system that is in effect a “thin client” that requires internet access to do most of the useful work would be a retrograde step, not an advance. But we will have to wait to see what happens once the Google OS moves beyond this vapourware stage and it’s undoubtedly good that the Microsoft empire is having the bars of its cage rattled by a competitor they fear. Just as long we don’t end up with a new OS near monopoly as well as the current search near monopoly.
Postscript
Of course now that Google is entering the operating system arena does this mean it would also be eligible to be a member of the government’s online distance learning taskforce (or is that the Open Learning Innovation taskforce?) I highlighted in my recent ‘0oooo’ comes after ‘Eeee’? posting (Auricle, 24 and 24 June 2009).
Media articles
Can Google Break Windows? (Sunday Times, 12 July 2003)
