Google Chrome OS

[PHISH-PHREAK]

All of tonight I've been tinkering around with the Chrome OS in VMware workstation, even though it's highly unstable, and I was wondering if it would be possible to convert the .vmdk file to an iso file in order to be able to boot the OS off of a thumb drive.

If you want to get the OS yourself you can get it from Pirate Bay or gdgt.

In general the OS sucks ass, but thats understandable since its still in development. The only use I could see for this is netbooks, which google already said, or to be bootable off of a thumb drive.

[PHISH-PHREAK]

If anyone cared a way to boot it off of a usb drive was found.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/download-google-chrome-os-and-run-on-a-real-computer/

[SpaceBison]

So this is pretty just the chrome browser running on a linux system with all my usage data being tracked, corralagrated, filedablated and adservedurrabombulated right? Pending some unknown must have killer feature, I might pass on this.

[rbcp]

So this is pretty just the chrome browser running on a linux system with all my usage data being tracked, corralagrated, filedablated and adservedurrabombulated right? Pending some unknown must have killer feature, I might pass on this.

But...don't you get it?  It's like a real OS but without all those pesky FEATURES and PROGRAMS that we hate so much!  I mean, why would you need a computer that runs your browser, IM program, syncs up your iPod, downloads torrents and burns DVDs when you could have a computer that JUST BROWSES!

[PHISH-PHREAK]

So this is pretty just the chrome browser running on a linux system with all my usage data being tracked, corralagrated, filedablated and adservedurrabombulated right? Pending some unknown must have killer feature, I might pass on this.

But...don't you get it?  It's like a real OS but without all those pesky FEATURES and PROGRAMS that we hate so much!  I mean, why would you need a computer that runs your browser, IM program, syncs up your iPod, downloads torrents and burns DVDs when you could have a computer that JUST BROWSES!

Everyone hates those pesky startup times that you could avoid by hibernating your computer!

[SpaceBison]

Everyone hates those pesky startup times that you could avoid by hibernating your computer!

Like waiting 40 seconds is really all that much of an inconvenience.

[MattGSX]

The only possible practical use I could see this for are for web-cafe type installations where you don't want users to have the ability to do anything other than surf the internet. Google doesn't get that their non-search products are never going to take significant market share over established products (Google Docs vs. MS Office, etc), and it really isn't convenient to have to be online to work on things anyway.

[rbcp]

Everyone hates those pesky startup times that you could avoid by hibernating your computer!

I leave my computers on most of the time.  I might be "inconvenienced" by boot up times maybe once or twice a week.

Chrome OS is a cool idea, but I'm reluctant to keep all my shit online instead of my own computer.  If someone hacks your ISP's password, all they can do is download your new email.  If they hack your Gmail, they can read years worth of your private correspondence.  If you use Google Calendar, they've got your schedule.  If you keep your entire address book online with Google, they've got all that.  All your Google Docs.  You're just totally fucked if someone gets your Google password.  Or Yahoo password if you're a hardcore Yahoo user, etc.

Remember Paris Hilton's T-Mobile Sidekick getting hacked?  The reason the hackers got so much was because all the data on a Sidekick syncs to a server and is available online.  If she used a normal cell phone that keeps your contacts and photos in your phone instead of on T-Mobile's server, hundreds of celebrities wouldn't have had to change their phone number that week.

Cloud computing is risky!

[SpaceBison]

The only possible practical use I could see this for are for web-cafe type installations where you don't want users to have the ability to do anything other than surf the internet. Google doesn't get that their non-search products are never going to take significant market share over established products (Google Docs vs. MS Office, etc), and it really isn't convenient to have to be online to work on things anyway.

Or just use the kiosk mode in Opera. I'd worry about forgetting to log off with some set up like that.

[buzzard]

sound good for my netbook

[RTF]

Everyone hates those pesky startup times that you could avoid by hibernating your computer!

I leave my computers on most of the time.  I might be "inconvenienced" by boot up times maybe once or twice a week.

Chrome OS is a cool idea, but I'm reluctant to keep all my shit online instead of my own computer.  If someone hacks your ISP's password, all they can do is download your new email.  If they hack your Gmail, they can read years worth of your private correspondence.  If you use Google Calendar, they've got your schedule.  If you keep your entire address book online with Google, they've got all that.  All your Google Docs.  You're just totally fucked if someone gets your Google password.  Or Yahoo password if you're a hardcore Yahoo user, etc.

Remember Paris Hilton's T-Mobile Sidekick getting hacked?  The reason the hackers got so much was because all the data on a Sidekick syncs to a server and is available online.  If she used a normal cell phone that keeps your contacts and photos in your phone instead of on T-Mobile's server, hundreds of celebrities wouldn't have had to change their phone number that week.

Cloud computing is risky!

THANK you.  It honestly baffles the hell out of me that more people don't get this.

[trevelyn]

i too, muffed something up when i switched from a sidekick to a normal phone and ended up losing all of my contacts from my phone.  Living in the cloud isn't that bad when you run the cloud server at home.  Like for instance my SunRay Server, It was a physical device that I would plug my smartcard into before getting full network/root access on my machine.  (no card, means no root) 

If an attacker has physical access to the cloud servers then hell, he should just reboot them with live cd's and reset the root password, or just clone the drive. 

I thought Google Docs was a cool idea for collaboration on a single doc like xls, docx, etc.  Like for students grouped up on projects in college or something.  If I were in such a situation I would back up the document every now and then sure, but would love to use Google Docs for such an application.

Plus there are utilities kinda like "time machine" from OSX but better, that can sync up your data to a storage server in your home is configured properly.  One application I can think of is "rsync"  This will check on a given time based interval any changes to a FS and duplicate the change somewhere else.  With a backup utility like that I would trust the cloud.

As far as security goes.. Just don't use anyone else's networks to access your data.  Use your own, secure connection.  VPN is encrypted, ssh is encrypted, but all of that is "crackable" to a seasoned attacker.  If you are behind your NAT at home, and you know how to spot phisihing scams (which now is easier than ever as the latest browsers, will show the domain in highlight besides the URL bar) you'll be fine.  Keep your work at home or at work.

Google Chrome OS is very watered down for that reason - just follow the rules of being safe.  Plus they probably just wanted to make an OS to sport ALL of their applications in one spot.  Well, that was my intention when I made wnla.