Google OS Rumors Persist

[newbie2]

"A USB drive containing a customized Linux distro will boot users into a Google branded environment, or so one web site claims. The next experiment out of Google Labs or merely wishful thinking from the anti-Microsoft crows?"
"
The Inquirer reckons people should be skeptical of the claims made on a Chinese web site, a translation of which shows screenshots of the purported Google operating system (WebProNews also provided covered of the so-called "Google OS").

It's not an unprecedented concept. Realm Systems recently unveiled a USB drive containing a Linux server, complete with fingerprint identification. The BlackDog server runs Debian Linux and contains flash memory for storage. A Linux or Windows XP workstation and an open USB port would be all someone needs to use the system.

The alleged Google OS would allow its users to make use of hosted applications, like Gmail and Google Talk, instead of containing them on the 2 GB USB drive. A productivity suite would be needed; perhaps Google will use some of its new stock issue proceedings to buy ThinkFree, which makes an online application suite capable of saving documents in Microsoft formats.

At one point when Netscape was the top browser, it was thought to be the gateway to commoditizing the desktop and making the underlying operating system irrelevant to the way people would work on a computer. Microsoft crushed Netscape out of existence and nearly got broken up by a federal court for doing so. Maybe Google could avoid that fate. "
http://www.webpronews.com/insiderreports/searchinsider/wpn-49-20050907GoogleOSRumorsPersist.html

[KingBahamut]

"A USB drive containing a customized Linux distro will boot users into a Google branded environment, or so one web site claims. The next experiment out of Google Labs or merely wishful thinking from the anti-Microsoft crows?"
"
The Inquirer reckons people should be skeptical of the claims made on a Chinese web site, a translation of which shows screenshots of the purported Google operating system (WebProNews also provided covered of the so-called "Google OS").

It's not an unprecedented concept. Realm Systems recently unveiled a USB drive containing a Linux server, complete with fingerprint identification. The BlackDog server runs Debian Linux and contains flash memory for storage. A Linux or Windows XP workstation and an open USB port would be all someone needs to use the system.

The alleged Google OS would allow its users to make use of hosted applications, like Gmail and Google Talk, instead of containing them on the 2 GB USB drive. A productivity suite would be needed; perhaps Google will use some of its new stock issue proceedings to buy ThinkFree, which makes an online application suite capable of saving documents in Microsoft formats.

At one point when Netscape was the top browser, it was thought to be the gateway to commoditizing the desktop and making the underlying operating system irrelevant to the way people would work on a computer. Microsoft crushed Netscape out of existence and nearly got broken up by a federal court for doing so. Maybe Google could avoid that fate. "
http://www.webpronews.com/insiderreports/searchinsider/wpn-49-20050907GoogleOSRumorsPersist.html
There are too many variable here that can be assumed as to what will happen. I wont even make a judgement on any of this till I see it. There is too much that could happen.

Suffice to say that a Google OS is in the works.

There are too many questions that come out.

[earobinson]

It would be nice, and would bring more users to the linux community.

[Brunellus]

It would be nice, and would bring more users to the linux community.
no, it would bring more users to Google. how many of these will migrate to linux? None--because there will be hardly anything you can do in Linux that google will not offer over the network.

That they use free software doesn't prevent them from locking down their users in other, more interesting ways.

[bob_c_b]

no, it would bring more users to Google. how many of these will migrate to linux? None--because there will be hardly anything you can do in Linux that google will not offer over the network.

That they use free software doesn't prevent them from locking down their users in other, more interesting ways.
That is a legitimate concern on some levels, but part of me hopes that a Google Linux or an IBM Blue Linux is in the works, that is truly the only way to actually rattle MS at this point.

[Lovechild]

maybe Google are dabbling with the idea, developing a Linux distro isn't that much work if all you are doing is trying out an idea. I'm betting they are testing if it would be feasable for them to do this to scale.

They have a great platform to deploy this one, and they can add to a standard desktop with their search technology, IM/VoIP/mail offerings.

I think it's a good idea on paper, weither or not they will actually be succesful, I guess if your name is Google, getting on OEM machines might be easier if your name is RedHat/Novell/Ubuntu.. dunno.

[Wolki]

That is a legitimate concern on some levels, but part of me hopes that a Google Linux or an IBM Blue Linux is in the works, that is truly the only way to actually rattle MS at this point.

Like IBM's last OS, that didn't really stand a chance despite having an awesome user interface and cool features for it's time? Yeah... :-/

[PatrickMay16]

I dunno about these rumors, but I really do hope there is a Google OS being worked on. It'd be great to see Microsoft have some more competition.

[bob_c_b]

Like IBM's last OS, that didn't really stand a chance despite having an awesome user interface and cool features for it's time? Yeah... :-/

True, but times have somewhat changed and OEMs are at least tinkering with Linux on some systems. If they could throw a "household" brand like Google or IBM in to the mix it might have a fighting chance. I don't expect to see MS toppled anytime soon (if ever) but the right Linux distro with the right OEM might increase awareness even more. Time will tell...

[poofyhairguy]

"A USB drive containing a customized Linux distro will boot users into a Google branded environment, or so one web site claims. The next experiment out of Google Labs or merely wishful thinking from the anti-Microsoft crows?"
"

If Google does make a Linux OS, it will be a server one. Thats their forte.

[Wolki]

True, but times have somewhat changed and OEMs are at least tinkering with Linux on some systems. If they could throw a "household" brand like Google or IBM in to the mix it might have a fighting chance. I don't expect to see MS toppled anytime soon (if ever) but the right Linux distro with the right OEM might increase awareness even more. Time will tell...

Times have changed? Yeah, the general dependency on Windows products has increased. Back then there was a lot more variation, less hardware configurations and OS/2 had nearly perfect compatibility to Dos/Win16 apps. I doubt IBM will try the consumer market again soon. And I think Google has easier projects that have better chances for results than trying to win the desktop OS market. They're getting into a good postition compared to MS, risking that by being overambitious would be a mistake (that killed quite a few other companies already). Maybe in a few years.

[Ampersand]

Would it ever come out of beta, though?

[papangul]

They don't have even any plans to port appliations like google earth and Picassa to linux, it will be a great surprise if they come up with a linux based Google OS!

[bob_c_b]

Times have changed?

I never insinuated that any company can "win" the desktop at this point, but all Linux really needs is an OEM presence equal to Apple in order to (in the eyes of many companies in the computer industry and pointy headed bosses everywhere) become "commercialy viable". I'm not talking about being on every PC at CompUSA, I'm talking about being a widely distributed workstation OS for business/commercial deployment.

I see companies every day marching into another forced upgrade from MS/Symantec/etc... that they don't need. If they were "Free" to use the software they needed and manipulate as they see fit they could upgrade when they needed to, not when the terms of some draconian license agreement says they have to. The right distro partnered up with the right OEM could provide this, but it would take a name like IBM or Google to massage the soft white underbelly of upper management.

[poofyhairguy]

I'm not talking about being on every PC at CompUSA, I'm talking about being a widely distributed workstation OS for business/commercial deployment.


Novell's SUSE is not enough?

Google knows the future- the OS market is not a good market to get in. Money is to be made providing internet services through the browser.

[Wolki]

Novell's SUSE is not enough?

SuSE is a technology testing ground. The one intended for company desktops is Novell Linux Desktop, which is created from SuSE and developed towards extra stability and long life cycles.



Google knows the future- the OS market is not a good market to get in. Money is to be made providing internet services through the browser.

I agree on this one. Google will go into the OS market once their Web-based appliances are good diverse enough. Then they can distribute a branded mini-linux containing little more than a browser. For many home users this will absolutely be enough.

[macgyver2]

That is a legitimate concern on some levels, but part of me hopes that a Google Linux or an IBM Blue Linux is in the works, that is truly the only way to actually rattle MS at this point.
While I do use some of their stuff, I don't entirely trust Google. If Google ever makes a run at Microsoft...part of me fears that we just may end up trading one monopolistic-oriented company for another...

As has already been pointed out, Google hasn't released any of their software (like Picasa and Google Earth, the new Google Talk program...) for Linux and when asked they say they have no plans to do so. I don't find that to be very friendly.

[Kvark]

While I do use some of their stuff, I don't entirely trust Google. If Google ever makes a run at Microsoft...part of me fears that we just may end up trading one monopolistic-oriented company for another...
Google already have monopoly on search engines. Google's search engine, or should we say 'googling engine' is as important to internet as DNS. You want to find salad recepies on the internet?
1. 'Google' for "salad recepies" on google.com.
2. Click on the top result, your computer searches for the server's IP on DNS.
3. You're at the recepies.

If the site's DNS server is down then you click on "chached" on google. But if google is down then you can't find anything on the internet, most people don't know of any other search engine and if google is down then they can't find another one.

[BWF89]

Google hasn't released any of their software (like Picasa and Google Earth, the new Google Talk program...) for Linux and when asked they say they have no plans to do so. I don't find that to be very friendly.
Or more importantly under an Open Source licence.

[xequence]

I think it would be a mistake for google to make an OS on a USB drive. It should be able to save to a USB drive like every other modern OS, but just think. A 650 MB CD-R/RW is much cheaper then 650 MB of flash memory.

If they made a CD installer id probably try it out. But it has to have apt-get ;) And not be a server OS...

[poofyhairguy]

Google already have monopoly on search engines.

Actually Google is only barely ahead of Yahoo and MSN in the search market.

[Digitallysick]

I think google is trying to overthrow M$, www.google-watch.org, i worry about alot of the things they do, look how much the stock is worth, for just a search engine site?? that worries me. I think even M$ is worried about google

[racecat]

I agree on this one. Google will go into the OS market once their Web-based appliances are good diverse enough. Then they can distribute a branded mini-linux containing little more than a browser. For many home users this will absolutely be enough.

Where would they use this? Perhaps pre-loaded in a low end PC. Seems a good choice for a lot of folks who are budget minded and only want internet access. It could be very popular if bundled with a low cost ISP pre-configured to plug it in and start it up.

Bill

[Wolki]

Where would they use this? Perhaps pre-loaded in a low end PC. Seems a good choice for a lot of folks who are budget minded and only want internet access. It could be very popular if bundled with a low cost ISP pre-configured to plug it in and start it up.

For example. Or as a replacement OS for normal PCs.

Lots of people will buy a PS3 and will be happy with DVDs and games on that. They'll maybe want a pc to write letters, surf the web, send email, and look at their pictures from a webcam. It would be possible to have everything as web-based applications, maybe with some extra usb storage or even a little hard disk. It would be enough for what most people have to do on a pc. And for the user, problems with installing software, updates, and many other problems would be greatly reduced. No setup, few things that can break... plus cheap Hardware. I could see this as very, very popular.

There are of course problems with this scenario. I'm not even sure i would like it, i'm a bit attached to full-featured PCs. But it's certainly possible.

[racecat]

This will certainly be interesting to watch.

Bill

[N'Jal]

Imagine everyone walking down the street with not a laptop nor a mobile phone nor a PSP, but a hybrid of all three. You documents, programs and games are stored on a server somewhere. You have a constant wireless net connection and can access your documents anywhere at any time.

I think if google were to do this, who would be able to stand against them? Thionk about it, the applications are starting to be developed GoogleTalk is being considered for Linux, but nothing concrete yet.

[papangul]

... who would be able to stand against them?
Just read this, interesting: http://blogs.zdnet.com/SAAS/?p=13&part=rss&tag=feed&subj=zdblog

[bob_c_b]

Just read this, interesting: http://blogs.zdnet.com/SAAS/?p=13&part=rss&tag=feed&subj=zdblog
Some of this seems relevant, but only to the point where he starts espousing the end of the PC. I have been hearing about the death of the desktop PC for years but see more PCs in more paces every day, and most mobile devices have a long way to go before they are truly useful. The laptop market keeps getting more interesting, but is still too pricey for many people.

[Kvark]

Actually Google is only barely ahead of Yahoo and MSN in the search market.
Really? Ok, thanks for pointing that out.


Imagine everyone walking down the street with not a laptop nor a mobile phone nor a PSP, but a hybrid of all three. You documents, programs and games are stored on a server somewhere. You have a constant wireless net connection and can access your documents anywhere at any time.

I think if google were to do this, who would be able to stand against them? Thionk about it, the applications are starting to be developed GoogleTalk is being considered for Linux, but nothing concrete yet.
So all your documents, programs and games would be stored on Google's servers so you could access your home desktop from any computer or internet capable device. Sweet... But it will never happen. No company would allow their employees to use that instead of a local PC for anything even remotely work related and some governments would even ban it...

Nobody, not even closed source fanboys would want it because... That'd be even more closed then closed formats and closed source. You wouldn't even have the binaries to your programs and games since you don't have them, they are on the server. And since you don't have your documents either you can convert to 'another format' (that'd be another server in this world) only if Google includes a function to transfer your documents to a competitor's server.

It would never even be allowed on any major scale because... Not only that but Google would be able to read all your documents and log all your habits. That allows for collecting some very interesting statistics. Selling statistics or industrial espionage to your work's competitors under the table could be profitable. Wait, Google is located in USA, the american government would love this, they will request to be able to search the document servers for illegal and unwanted activities. Finally would they know everything both their citizens and all foreign citizens type, including all foreign bussiness and government secrets. And if China or any other country becomes cooky then an export restriction will prevent everyone in that country from accessing their own documents.

[aysiu]

I agree that such mass outsourcing would never happen. Keep in mind, though, that already people keep a lot of their email on servers that belong to Google, and Google never erases them, and Google allows a lot of storage (2 GB).

[newbie2]

information is the goldmine of the future, ...look how M$ is behaving -->

September 9, 2005

Microsoft to track internet use

"Microsoft Corp will soon release a security tool for its internet browser that privacy advocates say could allow the company to track the surfing habits of computer users. Microsoft officials say the company has no intention of doing so.

The new feature, which Microsoft will make available as a free download within the next few weeks, is prompting some controversy, as it will inform the company of websites that users are visiting.

The browser tool is being called a Phishing Filter. It is designed to warn computer users about "phishing," an online identity theft scam. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that about 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2005, costing the economy $US52.6 billion ($A69.11 billion).

But privacy groups are already raising questions about how this feature will work, and some computer security experts are questioning whether it will be effective.

Phishing fraud normally begins when computer users receive emails appearing to be from banks, eBay or credit card companies requesting account updates. Links are provided to websites that seem legitimate. Unwary users are then duped into giving up their Social Security, credit card and banking account information."

n an effort to protect internet users, Microsoft's anti-phishing tool is designed to verify the safety of every website, and to issue warnings if users encounter a suspected or known phishing site.

It will use a three-step process. First, the browser will automatically compare the address of every website a user visits to a list of sites Microsoft has verified to be legitimate. This list will be kept on users' computers.

If no match is found, the Phishing Filter will send the address to Microsoft where it will be compared to a list of known phishing sites that the company intends to update every 20 minutes. A match will trigger a warning that will pop up within the browser.

Finally, if no match is found at Microsoft, a sophisticated filter built into the browser will compare characteristics of the suspect website to characteristics common to phishing sites. Under some circumstances, this too could trigger an alert to appear.

Privacy advocates were surprised to learn that Microsoft would be using this method in an effort to protect its customers. Kevin Bankston, a lawyer and internet privacy expert with the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, worries that this is potentially "a wholesale handing over of one's privacy to Microsoft. I would say, right now, definitely don't use this. If you're careful, you don't need this."

The filter is designed as an opt-in feature. The first time computer users attempt to visit a website that is not included on the list of "legitimate" websites, they will be asked whether they wish to enable the Phishing Filter.

Users will also be presented with the following on-screen notice, "website addresses will be sent to Microsoft to be checked against a list of reported phishing web sites. Information received will not be used to personally identify you." Users also have the option of turning the filter off.

What happens to data? Microsoft officials say the company has no plans to retain information contained in those queries, which company officials say will be encrypted and limited to the domain and path of the website being called.

"We don't store that information," said Greg Sullivan, Microsoft Windows group product manager. "There is no server event log, no data base, no hosted event file."

But Bankston said the information may be too valuable for the company to ignore in the long run. "There are clear financial imperatives for them to choose to make use of this information in the future and start logging it," he said. "It is not hard to imagine the gold that could be mined out of that information."

What is unclear is just how frequently website addresses will be sent to Microsoft. The answer appears to depend, in part, upon how often consumers surf to sites contained in the list of legitimate websites as opposed to sites not on that list.

Microsoft officials say the list of approved sites, which they are referring to as "the list of highly trafficked legitimate websites," will number in the "tens of thousands." Company officials declined to provide an exact number.

Michael Aldridge, a product planner with Microsoft's technology care and safety group, said the company would not be vetting which websites are contained on the list. "It is based ... purely on traffic. We make no judgments on content."

That list is being provided by Nielsen NetRatings, which measures internet traffic. Tracy Yen, a company official, also declined to provide the number of names on the list. ICANN, the internet Corporation for Assigned Names And Numbers, reported in August that there are 43 million active registered domain names worldwide.

Todd Bransford, vice-president of marketing with internet security firm Cyveillance, referred to the Nielsen list to be used by Microsoft as a "complete drop in the bucket."

Bransford said he believes that most internet surfing will ultimately prove to be to sites not on the Microsoft list. That would mean those users who opt in will be sending a majority of their surfing locations to Microsoft.

He said the Microsoft Phishing Filter may prove ineffective and could provide a false sense of security for many users.

"Phishers are evolving very quickly," he said, "and making sites look different. So with this approach you have a problem where the technology may not know what a phishing site looks like. It may miss a lot of stuff."

A further concern is that since the list of legitimate websites is limited, the Phishing Filter may mistakenly identify numerous safe sites as phishing sites.

"That's definitely a worry," according to Bankston. Microsoft officials say the Phishing Filter will contain an error reporting link, allowing business and users to quickly inform the company of any errors.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/microsoft-to-track-internet-use/2005/09/08/1125772633503.html?oneclick=true

[KingBahamut]

information is the goldmine of the future, ...look how M$ is behaving -->

September 9, 2005

Microsoft to track internet use

"Microsoft Corp will soon release a security tool for its internet browser that privacy advocates say could allow the company to track the surfing habits of computer users. Microsoft officials say the company has no intention of doing so.

The new feature, which Microsoft will make available as a free download within the next few weeks, is prompting some controversy, as it will inform the company of websites that users are visiting.

The browser tool is being called a Phishing Filter. It is designed to warn computer users about "phishing," an online identity theft scam. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that about 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2005, costing the economy $US52.6 billion ($A69.11 billion).

But privacy groups are already raising questions about how this feature will work, and some computer security experts are questioning whether it will be effective.

Phishing fraud normally begins when computer users receive emails appearing to be from banks, eBay or credit card companies requesting account updates. Links are provided to websites that seem legitimate. Unwary users are then duped into giving up their Social Security, credit card and banking account information."

n an effort to protect internet users, Microsoft's anti-phishing tool is designed to verify the safety of every website, and to issue warnings if users encounter a suspected or known phishing site.

It will use a three-step process. First, the browser will automatically compare the address of every website a user visits to a list of sites Microsoft has verified to be legitimate. This list will be kept on users' computers.

If no match is found, the Phishing Filter will send the address to Microsoft where it will be compared to a list of known phishing sites that the company intends to update every 20 minutes. A match will trigger a warning that will pop up within the browser.

Finally, if no match is found at Microsoft, a sophisticated filter built into the browser will compare characteristics of the suspect website to characteristics common to phishing sites. Under some circumstances, this too could trigger an alert to appear.

Privacy advocates were surprised to learn that Microsoft would be using this method in an effort to protect its customers. Kevin Bankston, a lawyer and internet privacy expert with the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, worries that this is potentially "a wholesale handing over of one's privacy to Microsoft. I would say, right now, definitely don't use this. If you're careful, you don't need this."

The filter is designed as an opt-in feature. The first time computer users attempt to visit a website that is not included on the list of "legitimate" websites, they will be asked whether they wish to enable the Phishing Filter.

Users will also be presented with the following on-screen notice, "website addresses will be sent to Microsoft to be checked against a list of reported phishing web sites. Information received will not be used to personally identify you." Users also have the option of turning the filter off.

What happens to data? Microsoft officials say the company has no plans to retain information contained in those queries, which company officials say will be encrypted and limited to the domain and path of the website being called.

"We don't store that information," said Greg Sullivan, Microsoft Windows group product manager. "There is no server event log, no data base, no hosted event file."

But Bankston said the information may be too valuable for the company to ignore in the long run. "There are clear financial imperatives for them to choose to make use of this information in the future and start logging it," he said. "It is not hard to imagine the gold that could be mined out of that information."

What is unclear is just how frequently website addresses will be sent to Microsoft. The answer appears to depend, in part, upon how often consumers surf to sites contained in the list of legitimate websites as opposed to sites not on that list.

Microsoft officials say the list of approved sites, which they are referring to as "the list of highly trafficked legitimate websites," will number in the "tens of thousands." Company officials declined to provide an exact number.

Michael Aldridge, a product planner with Microsoft's technology care and safety group, said the company would not be vetting which websites are contained on the list. "It is based ... purely on traffic. We make no judgments on content."

That list is being provided by Nielsen NetRatings, which measures internet traffic. Tracy Yen, a company official, also declined to provide the number of names on the list. ICANN, the internet Corporation for Assigned Names And Numbers, reported in August that there are 43 million active registered domain names worldwide.

Todd Bransford, vice-president of marketing with internet security firm Cyveillance, referred to the Nielsen list to be used by Microsoft as a "complete drop in the bucket."

Bransford said he believes that most internet surfing will ultimately prove to be to sites not on the Microsoft list. That would mean those users who opt in will be sending a majority of their surfing locations to Microsoft.

He said the Microsoft Phishing Filter may prove ineffective and could provide a false sense of security for many users.

"Phishers are evolving very quickly," he said, "and making sites look different. So with this approach you have a problem where the technology may not know what a phishing site looks like. It may miss a lot of stuff."

A further concern is that since the list of legitimate websites is limited, the Phishing Filter may mistakenly identify numerous safe sites as phishing sites.

"That's definitely a worry," according to Bankston. Microsoft officials say the Phishing Filter will contain an error reporting link, allowing business and users to quickly inform the company of any errors.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/microsoft-to-track-internet-use/2005/09/08/1125772633503.html?oneclick=true
While the Idea of capturing and stopping the Phishing craze is important, I think at the risk of privacy, as stated here, is too great. At what point does it become a need to collect data about a consumers behavior et al? It doesnt. And I feel this is a clear violation of the right to privacy.

They state they will not collect, garner or gather said data. When has MS ever done what it says its going to do? Rare....very rare indeed. The Obelisk that is MS is going to fall, and if they arent careful, they arent going to be able to put it back up.

[Magadass]

As unlikely as this is mainly because I dont see how they would profit from such a move, it would be one hell of an awesome movoe for linux. But another Fork? The Forks need to stop!!! All efforts need to be focused and forks minimized by nearly 80%, if these efforts were taken to absorb all the smaller forks by a larger one than productivity and design implementation including innovation can be maximized x10 fold.

On that note, it would be cool to have Google build their search technology into Linux so you can search your linux box much like you can now with Desktop search for windows, aside from that its just another fork and I dont see anything except a logo change and another linux name being out there - whoopie....

[BoyOfDestiny]

I'm guessing you are referring to different distro's as forks... Anyway...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month

As for desktop search, have you tried Beagle?

http://beagle-project.org/Main_Page

Is there anything about it that would make you prefer google's?

[croak77]

Nice bump.:D