Originally posted on January 27, 2007 @ 9:16 am
If there is anyone bold enough with a large bank account who can compete with Microsoft it’s got to be Google.
Maybe this obvious choice was the reason for circulating rumors about a mysterious web-based GoogleOS.
While the rumors lie entirely in a realm of pure speculation, one thing is clear:
The world-wide-web of geeks is eager to see a light-weight web-based OS, not as much to replace but to complement Windows.
Some of the most commonly discussed GoogleOS evocations include:
- A web based desktop (not really and OS)
- A full featured Linux distribution
- A lightweight Linux distribution bundled with BIOS
Even though there is no concrete information on a GoogleOS, including even if there is in fact such a project, it is conceivable that Google can come up with a product similar to the one being discussed on forums and blogs by incorporating its online services into a lean, mean and hopefully sexy package.
While we can’t live without Google search, to the best of my knowledge, not to many people use Google Docs and Spreadsheets, both of which are web-based Google productivity services.
The services are no doubt useful for those who don’t have Microsoft Office but it doesn’t offer any compelling reason for existing Microsoft users to switch. Maybe in the future?
All said, GoogleOS even if it does come out is likely to be a web-top application running on Windows.
Here’s an idea… wouldn’t it be cool if Apple, which now uses Intel hardware could beat Microsoft on the desktop OS market?