Website promotion: what will be the effect of Google Chrome OS?
Website Promotion – Google Chrome OS
What will be the effect of Google’s new Chrome OS on website promotion efforts? The simple answer to this question is that it will probably have little or no effect. Google’s search engine rules and methods won’t change appreciably with a new operating system. What will be the impact of a new Chrome operating system on the computing world? It can significantly affect the type of computer you buy in the future. It can also have a significant effect on Microsoft, and here’s why.
We have yet to see really low-cost netbooks on the market, but it is very possible that we will see sub-$200.00 netbooks in the very near future. We are already seeing cell phones with multifunction capabilities, ie Internet and email capabilities, and this trend is likely to continue. We will probably also see hybrid types of devices that are not exactly a computer, but more than a cell phone.
To keep the price of netbooks and hybrid devices as low as possible, the cost of software will need to be eliminated. The only practical way to do this is to use open source software with this type of appliance computer. It’s almost impossible to include any of Microsoft’s operating systems or Office productivity software at such a low price. Windows plus every other piece of software is already over $200.00 retail, even in OEM versions.
Linux is an alternative, but it doesn’t quite measure up to Windows in terms of usability and ease of use. It’s been around for quite some time, and while servers run Linux quite effectively, Linux hasn’t really proven its strength as a personal computer operating system in the way that it has as a network operating system. Google Chrome actually sits on top of a Linux kernel, but it’s not Linux itself, it’s something new.
If you think for a moment about how many computers are used primarily for accessing the Internet, reading email, and for some kind of simple office-related task; that represents a large number of computers, easily fifty percent or more of the PCs in use right now. Microsoft products dominate this market today, but in 5 or 10 years, there may be a very different landscape in the world of personal computers. There are computers in libraries, schools, second- and third-family computers at home, Internet cafes, and guest computers in offices that really don’t have a compelling reason to run Windows or other Microsoft software. (Sorry, Microsoft, but that’s how I see it.)
It is these types of shared computers that would benefit most from a Google Chrome operating system. Especially if this type of computer could be made to access the Internet faster, start almost immediately at boot, and run online applications faster than equivalent software running under Windows, wouldn’t it be a pretty obvious choice to go with the free one, (and faster), alternative?
The keys to the success of this new operating system are three.
1) You must run an Internet browser and Internet applications faster than Windows.
2) It should be more stable than Windows. This means that you must have bulletproof security. This is a tall order for any operating system, but it must have built-in protection against viruses, spyware, and other types of intrusions. This could easily be the key differentiation between Windows and Chrome. since Windows has had (and continues to have) so many security vulnerabilities. It should be a priority for Chrome.
3) It should run the widest possible range of software programs. Google has done a good job of providing Internet apps so far, but there needs to be a Chrome (or online) app that matches or nearly matches most of the software running on Windows today. Chrome won’t compete head-to-head with Windows across the software spectrum, but the wider the choice of Internet-based software available, the more success Chrome will enjoy. It is not intended to be a network server operating system in the same way as Windows Server, but simply the operating system of choice for computers connected to the Internet.
Google is probably the only company in the world today with the resources to be able to develop and maintain an operating system like Chrome. On the other hand, since it’s open source, Google can be content to manage it from the sidelines and eventually let the open source community take over. Note: At least that way, Google can’t be tempted to have sponsored links appear on your screen as you work. (lol – sorry Google)
It is true that Google as a company cares little about how you access the Internet. In other words, they are neutral in terms of hardware and operating system. Of course, I’m sure Google’s management and software engineers will be grinning from ear to ear if they can go head-to-head with Microsoft (Google’s main search rival) in Microsoft’s PC OS territory. Nothing would be better for Google than having Google Chrome enjoying resounding success in the market. Google has everything to win, the more computers there are on the Internet, and nothing to lose.
We will have to wait until the second half of 2010 to see Google Chrome, according to the Official Google Blog. Perhaps the most significant beneficiaries of Google Chrome are third world computer users. The dream of a $100.00 computer is not yet a reality, and remember that 75% of the world’s population still does not have email.
The availability of free software and computer operating systems is essential to begin bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots in this world. This author, for his part, hopes that Google Chrome will become the operating system of choice for many of the world’s PCs and help speed up the day when the vast majority of the world’s people have access to computers and the Internet.
Good luck in all your website promotion efforts.