Like most netizens, I primarily use my computer for three primary purposes:
- Browsing the web to watch online videos, read news/feature articles, learn something new.
- Communicating via email, Twitter, and chat (rarely).
- Storage and organization of digital media: music and photos.
Other activities that we all use our desktops/laptops/netbooks for to a lesser extent are:
- Word processing
- Personal finance accounting
- Watching movies
So with the announcement of the forthcoming Google Chrome OS (Operating System), I wonder if it will be an option that can fit into my digital lifestyle. I'm fine with the whole "cloud computing" aspect of Google Chrome OS. Cloud computing is essentially a 21st century dumb terminal. I'm fairly comfortable with storing my data in the cloud, to a certain extent. I have lots of reservations about the use, intentional or unintentional, of my personal data that is stored in the cloud. But I also am skeptical that Google Chrome OS will offer alternatives to current programs that I use heavily. Mainly, screenwriting applications that I rely on:
- Dramatica Pro (Mac OS X & Windows)
- Movie Magic Screenwriter (Mac OS X & Windows)
- StoryView (Windows only)
There's no current option to use either of these programs other than on Windows or MacOS X, so while I find Google Chrome OS very interesting. I'll probably not be using it. Watch me eat my words when it is released a year from now. A reason that doesn't compel me to use Google Chrome OS is the targeted platform: Netbooks. I've tried a friend's netbook, and the keyboard is simply too small for me. Even though the price of netbooks is attractive, I can use an older laptop with Ubuntu installed and get everything done that I can on a netbook. So for now, I'll pass on Google Chrome OS because I do lots of writing with tools that are not optimized for netbooks, nor are they able to run on Google Chrome OS.
I do wonder though about Google Chrome OS and integration with Google Android integration...
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