Stephen Withers
Thursday, 09 July 2009 12:45
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 4
While most pundits are positioning Google's newly announced foray into the operating system space as an attempt to capture the netbook market, there is a new suggestion that Google Chrome OS may well be enterprise grade. Can this be true?
Web development and marketing company Devnet is bullish about the corporate prospects for Google Chrome OS. Managing director Craig Deveson predicts that Google Chrome OS will quickly take hold in corporate IT environments in Australia once it is released.
Devnet is Google's largest Australian partner, so the old 'he would say that, wouldn't he?' line seems relevant.
So let's have a look at his reasoning.
"We've been hearing about thin clients for years because it's a very appealing concept for corporations and business." (All unattributed quotations are from Deveson.)
True, but despite the appeal there doesn't seem to be very much adoption.
"Businesses can save millions of dollars by lowering their support and help desk costs and by providing users with computers that just work when you turn them on."
Perhaps, but just because that's Google's goal doesn't mean it'll get there.
While you wouldn't regard Fake Steve Jobs as a definitive source, it's hard to argue with his point that "nobody seems to appreciate how goddamn hard it is to make an operating system. You don't just wake up one day and fall out of bed and make one. Not even the smarty pants kiddies at Google can do that. These things take years. Decades, even."
(The rest of FSJ's rant is
here - language warning: not safe for work, and unsuitable for anyone offended by vulgarity.)
Deveson has more to say, so please
read on.
