Google Chromium OS: openness has its limits

By Sam Varghese
Friday, 20 November 2009 05:53

Opinion and Analysis

For all its talk of openness, there is just so much criticism that Google can take. Nothing else can account for the fact that it did not invite the reputed British tech publication, The Register, to the announcement it made about Chrome OS overnight.


El Reg's reporter Cade Metz noted in a story written on November 18: "Google has phoned to say that it is not able to provide The Reg with an invite to the Chrome OS announcement. The company tells us there's not enough space."

No space at the Googleplex! Something like the famous "no room at the inn" that we will all be reminded of come December. This has to be the most innovative excuse offered since an unknown kid told his teacher, "but sir, the dog ate my homework."

I call it pettiness of the nth degree. If a company of Google's size cannot take educated criticism of the sort the Register dishes out, then it has a long way to go before it can be considered mature. For all its shortcomings, Microsoft takes it all and comes back for more.

But I digress, gentle reader, and right at the start too.

Down to the actual announcement. The source for Chrome OS, which has been rechristened Chromium OS (finally, they got away from a name that evokes images of people doing drugs) has been provided by Google. That's the big announcement overnight.

One would have to wait a year more to see some kind of tangible results. And despite much talk about the goodness of GNU, Linux, Ubuntu and so on, Google still avoids licensing its code under the GNU General Publlic Licence.

The GPL, lest we forget, is meant, just the way the Australian Democrats said, to keep the bastards honest. It takes into account the tendency of a human being to want the cake, the plate and the knife for himself/herself.

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