Browser OS...the future?

[NintendoTogepi]

Nearly all of what I do on my computer besides gaming is done in Firefox. With the way the Internet is now, I am seeing little need for a (full featured) OS for most people. Firefox can do all of the work.

I could easily see a very simple OS with just the basic accessories, an IM client and Firefox, becoming very popular.

[pmlxuser]

Speak for your self :)

when they introduce that kind of OS i will go back the source and just use the text based OS. Just a browser you say?

[fatality_uk]

An operating system is just that. It make hardware calls, supplys resources etc. A browser can NOT do that.

But your idea already starting to make it's way into laptops, thanks to Linux. A fast boot small footprint OS to allow quick web surfing.

[billgoldberg]

Nearly all of what I do on my computer besides gaming is done in Firefox. With the way the Internet is now, I am seeing little need for a (full featured) OS for most people. Firefox can do all of the work.

I could easily see a very simple OS with just the basic accessories, an IM client and Firefox, becoming very popular.

It will never become popular.

Sure most of the time you only need a few applications like a browser, IM client, movie player, ...

But you know you could always do more advanced stuff when needed.

Sure there might be a market for such computers if they come really, really cheap.

But then again, with those netbooks they have now I don't see a reason for it at all.

[billgoldberg]

An operating system is just that. It make hardware calls, supplys resources etc. A browser can NOT do that.

But your idea already starting to make it's way into laptops, thanks to Linux. A fast boot small footprint OS to allow quick web surfing.

It think he meant a OS that only has a browser and nothing else (well besides the stuff to make it work).

You already have online desktops. And can play movies, music, create documents, store data,... from your browser.

[lisati]

There will always be a need for some kind of operating system, a systematic way of operating the system......

[bufsabre666]

i use both, in cloud and out, and i find both to be very nice and usable. ive been known to code my programs for class in google docs and send it directly to my professors in that forms and its very nice, i just never use it for extremely personal stuff, thats what computer based programs are for

[Metallion]

It will never become popular.

Sure most of the time you only need a few applications like a browser, IM client, movie player, ...

But you know you could always do more advanced stuff when needed.

Sure there might be a market for such computers if they come really, really cheap.

But then again, with those netbooks they have now I don't see a reason for it at all.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. As a matter of fact I think this is exactly what Google is working towards.

They start offering high quality office suites, video sites, chat clients, etc. all online with only a simple browser (and flash) required.

I'm not sure I'm very thrilled about this replacing your standard OS but I definitely think we'll be able to do A LOT using just a browser in the future. I also don't think it will replace the OS as we know it today. Rather run alongside of it and hopefully be somewhat intercompatible. One plus side this would definitely have is that it requires only minimal hardware to run the browser since the apps are running on some powerful server and only the front-end is displayed locally.

A local OS will always be required in one way or another though. Unless you want to make a different browser for every hardware configuration you will need something to act in between and do what fatality_uk says.

[billgoldberg]

I wouldn't be so sure about that. As a matter of fact I think this is exactly what Google is working towards.

They start offering high quality office suites, video sites, chat clients, etc. all online with only a simple browser (and flash) required.

I'm not sure I'm very thrilled about this replacing your standard OS but I definitely think we'll be able to do A LOT using just a browser in the future. I also don't think it will replace the OS as we know it today. Rather run alongside of it and hopefully be somewhat intercompatible. One plus side this would definitely have is that it requires only minimal hardware to run the browser since the apps are running on some powerful server and only the front-end is displayed locally.

A local OS will always be required in one way or another though. Unless you want to make a different browser for every hardware configuration you will need something to act in between and do what fatality_uk says.

I know that you can do loads of things only using your browser.

That doesn't mean I think people are willing to give up their real OS.

There is a lot of stuff you can do with only your browser, but just not enough.

That and the fact that you rely on others the manage your stuff is a big no-go for me.

[NintendoTogepi]

I'd be willing to get a Browser OS if they had it.

I'm already trying to make a custom-Linux with nothing but Firefox, an IM, Paint program, a Word processor....

[smoker]

there's this:
http://cl33n.com/

[Metallion]

there's this:
http://cl33n.com/

I've heard about this kind of thing before but I'll have to support billgoldberg's opinion of not wanting to give up a full OS since I do prefer to carry around Slax as my live OS. :)

I think these things will be there eventually and mostly on weaker things like handheld or expensive phones.

[bufsabre666]

this is like the 5th or 6th thread in like a week of people complaining about or arguing for cloud computing. you know why i support cloud computing? cause it give a lot of useful options, like access to files from any internet connected computer. for people who dont like it complaining does nothing, just dont use it, theres no reason cloud computing and regular os's cant co exist. differnt strokes for differnt fol.... computers

[Ioky]

It will ate your CPU (to manage all the streaming), a much faster internet, and you WILL need a mush faster computer to do the same stuff. especially Video play back.

I understand that It will be great for such thing to exist. It will be like, you have your own account and you can access your very own OS anyway in the world that have internet.

The true problem is, the tech today do not allow this to happen, simply because the hardware is not yet good enough or they are very expensive for most of us. If there is only few people are able to use it, then the OS wouldn't get as much development. A good example would be virtual machine. back to the day and it is not that long ago, NO computer in the city can run a VM because the CPU is not good enough, and RAM are expensive. And Now a lot of machine can use VM.

I am sure some point in own life and if the world didn't end like tomorrow, There will be a Browser OS, however, how good would it really be? It will be an open end question.

[Ioky]

Forget to mention that, people who maintain this OS will need much more resource. If the server is down. All of the user are death into the corner. There aren't much company can be like google and yahoo Keep their web up 247.

It would be better that just make web app. A CLI web OS would be also interesting. But would be very useful? that is another story.

Guess what, if you want something, Make it yourselves. hehe that is the way to go. If your idea really work, there will be people following it. And if no one following the idea, the idea might have some problem or you didn't do enough. I mean if you just say an idea, that you think that is great. and expect someone will make it for you? That is impossible because, people who have the skill, might already think of the idea, and if they can, they already made it, at least in some degree.

[billgoldberg]

this is like the 5th or 6th thread in like a week of people complaining about or arguing for cloud computing. you know why i support cloud computing? cause it give a lot of useful options, like access to files from any internet connected computer. for people who dont like it complaining does nothing, just dont use it, theres no reason cloud computing and regular os's cant co exist. differnt strokes for differnt fol.... computers

Complaining?

This is a discussion. If you are not familiar with that term, look it up.

[handy]

Long live the little fish.