Watch out Microsoft and Apple, here comes Googles Chromebook Laptop!

A great article from ReadWriteWeb compared the new Google ChromeOS laptop and an HP laptop running Windows7.  Their findings complete the user data storage paradigm.  During MainFrame days, user data was stored on a central server and users accessed it via (dumb) terminals.  The brainless and diskless terminals sent keystrokes and received video responses from the server.  This paradigm changed drastically in the 80's when most people began using personal computers, with or without servers and networks.  From then on, people have had the choice of storing their data locally either on their hard drive, floppy disks, CD's, DVD's, or to a "file" server.  Many have found that possessing their pictures, spreadsheets, security information, and the like on a local hard drive comes at a price.  Without a proper user data backup plan, a hard drive failure is catastrophic.  One backup strategy is to purchase an online service which automatically backs up local data to Internet-connected servers.

With the advancement of Web 2.0 and Google's foresight, there will be a paradigm shift back and user data will again be housed (and protected) on remote servers.  Google's Chromebook laptop is an access portal to their Internet-housed operating system.  This iteration of server-based user data storage trumps the original one by allowing access to said data by any device that can reach the Internet and securely log into the Google account holding the information.  The data is not directly tied to the users Chromebook or physical location.

With ChromeOS, the web browser becomes the main computer application most people will use daily.  Google merely uses this simple to learn interface to extend the users experience.  The user gains speed, simplicity, security, and less of a training curve with Google's adherence to the KISS principal.  Another feature of ChromeOS is the ability to use Windows for programs that have no clean equivalent in the Google environment.

As an option during the transition from Windows to ChromeOS, ASUS is developing a new hybrid laptop which will have both Windows8 and ChromeOS.  The ASUS user will have a choice at startup as to which operating system to use.

In conclusion, with Google's entry in the Operating System market, their propensity to using Open Source and free software, and the shear avalanche of mobile computing devices, both Apple and Microsoft are on watch.  Apple will continue to innovate yet limit application development freedom within their devices and Microsoft will fade into obsolescence much like they did to their competitors: Word Perfect, Lotus, Netscape, Novell, and numerous others.