OS in a browser

[rpm]

OS in a browser

They may not be quite ready for prime time but web-based operating systems are starting to look the part.

 

[rogerwe]

As high-speed bandwidth becomes increasingly commonplace

Bwaaahaahaaaaa.

 

[krigevr]

Alright, sure, but you still need an OS, to have a Browser, to browse to OS in your browser. When will they make it so that your machine can actually boot a lightweight operating system (that has ONLY a browser on it) through the internet? That'd solve the dilemma I guess.

I just wonder how all the gaming kiddies out there are going to like this concept. Not that I've put much thought into that yet...

 

[The_Unbeliever]

?why would you need an OS in a browser?

I fail to see the point.

 

[lpvoid]

Ja, I'm going to leave all my personal documents like bank statements and legal paperwork on some server on the web? And which corporate will go for this set up anyway? Everyone I've ever contracted to is paranoid about data security. LOL

 

[saffakanera]

?why would you need an OS in a browser?

I fail to see the point.

Imagine running a company without any fears of hardware upgrades, imagine how well this concept will go down in terms of redundancy? Cloud computing is quite revolutionary, man. Shoudlnt approach this subject as regular Jannie vetgat sitting on his home pc, but rather in the enterprise sphere of things!

 

[Necuno]

?why would you need an OS in a browser?

I fail to see the point.

a) firewall avoidance (if not setup correctly)
b) common storage / computing (for some odd reason other than gdocs)


bout 2 times i used it for. ghost is actually not bad, there was another one which also was good- can't remember name though.

 

[krigevr]

So focusing its deployment in the real of medium to large enterprise, it has some advantages that may cut out the need to take a laptop to-and-from work everyday.

As for who will go for this - well - I can think of several examples. Sure, people are edgy about data security, but how is hosting out-of-house going to compromise this? Aside from the fact that there might be a link that the world can use to 'arrive' at your server containing lots of sensitive data?

My next question - will it be available/accessible only through whatever entity developed it, utilizing their server infrastructure, or will it be provided as a software package (or whatever) that companies can install/run on their own server infrastructure? I guess these aren't really questions we can answer.

 

[froot]

Cloud computing has been a long time coming... but South Africa isn't even nearly ready for it. It simply replaces the network server to dumb terminal relationship across a network with a high-speed internet connection.

I do however take note of the current security risks with online storage. Very convenient, but it's obviously going to be at a very high risk, security-wise. They might claim that our data is encrypted and protected by military-grade encryption, but that would somewhat break US laws regarding encryption (remember PGP?)... but even with claimed security we cannot be absolutely sure that we alone can access our data. This is where companies would refuse to take such risks. Many companies don't allow employees to use flash drives or personal laptops at work- now how should they trust online storage?

 

[froot]

Another point, as has been brought up, is custom software that a company or individual might require. How would one go about getting this done?
A very important question is what if there is a power cut or a cable break (ie internet is down)? That would mean the person is unable to access their "computer".....

 

[kingmonty]

OS is probably the incorrect term - web desktop may be a better term.

 

[ponder]

When will they make it so that your machine can actually boot a lightweight operating system (that has ONLY a browser on it) through the internet? That'd solve the dilemma I guess.

It's already available. Some motherboard manufacturers have a 'instant on' version of Linux residing in flash on their motherboards that offers browers, IM messagers etc, Asus for one comes to mind.

http://www.splashtop.com/how_splashtop_works.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splashtop#See_also

 

[shogun]

OS is probably the incorrect term - web desktop may be a better term.

+1

These are just Flash (or silverlight) applications... that still need to rely on an OS. These are nifty applications... but not an OS.

 

[JerryMungo]

Poor man's laptop

Trust me, it's not going to take off in a hurry...

 

[Lazy]

This sort of reminds me of Pinky and the Brain's "it is time for another good idea, bad idea"

 

[hexagon]

They're missing Sun's Lively Kernel, which is one of the more interesting ones in terms of underlying design, IMHO.

 

[Pixelbender]

This brings to mind - A bit off topic

Have any of you ever heard about the future of the gaming consoles like PS, WII and Xbox?

Their future lies in the success of these guys' hands

http://www.onlive.com/