Computersight -

Its new, its perky and it is fast!  Try it out and see for yourself.  It loads in less than 2 minutes.  However, what Chrome is really all about is not just a slick browser: it is the next wave in personal computer operating systems.  The current primary operating system for most PC users is MS Windows (in its different forms such as the current XP and Vista and soon to be release Windows 7).  To understand the difference you need to look at the initial ‘PC concept’ and what it produces in the way of operating systems.

Microsoft Concept

At the time of its initial development the net did not exist.  It actually came into existence in 1985 as a sort of add on to the original MS-DOS system. And it was bulky, slow and frustrating because in 1985 the PC hardware available to the end user simply could not meet the demands of the bulky window’s graphical system. At the time the primary duty of the PC was to give computer power to the general population in the form of keeping data bases and word processors on their home machine.  The thrust of Micro Soft was to sell software for the home PC.  The Internet did not gain popularity until the mid 90’s .  What that meant was that the Windows operating system had to expand itself from a rather bulky set of PC software packages into something that could traverse the net.  In other words, the initial operating system, geared for home use, to operate such things as word processors, had to now operate as a means of traversing the Internet.  This was tough to do because the original operating system was not designed for surfing the Internet, it was designed as a system of integrated software for the management of home and business.  With the ever increasing popularity of the Internet it had to jump in with all that ‘software integration weight’ and operate across a network of telephone lines using the new software system known as Browsers (the first was actually Netscape).  The primary focus of the Windows PC concept is decentralization of software (everyone who owns a PC has their own integrated software package).

Google PC Concept

The main thrust of Google has always been to generate money via advertising on the net. And this it has done very well by actually doing the opposite of Micro Soft.  Instead of producing software for sale to the general public it developed software for specific use on the Internet and allowed people to use it for free.  Google simply increased its advertising base by gathering in net users to use its free products!  The real advantage to the net user was that they could now do all those things on-line (such as word processing) the originally required a specific software package on their home PC.  What really allowed this process to grow was the expansion of ever increasing computer hardware and broadband connection to the net.  Without the broadband connection, centralized software on the net would be extremely slow. The next step for Google is to initiate its own operating system that is focused on a central system of software and accessed via a broadband net connection. AND IT WILL BE FREE!  Can you imagine the look of dismay on the faces of Micro Soft Windows executives?

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the world of home computers and the Internet is about to change drastically and all to the advantage of the user.  Get ready for a wild display of challenges across the giants of the computer world.