Google unveils its desktop strategy

[Richard Rowland]

Google have finally revealed their long awaited desktop strategy and in many ways it is not particularly surprising. Take the core of the Linux operating system and stick it's chrome web browser on top. When chrome was released there was some speculation that certain aspects of its design meant it might grow to become more than just a browser, and this appears to be the case. The real question is what does this mean for us users.

What are the positives for you and I? The obvious is a well designed and maintained operating system. However, they aren't providing anything particularly new, you can use the chrome browser in Linux today, but they are streamlining the packaging. Perhaps the most important benefit is the pressure this will put on Microsoft to sort itself out, preventing some of the stupid polices it follow. We really don't need, or want, half a dozen versions of Windows 7.

What are the dangers? The biggest is really the potential Google overwhelming influence Google could gain, just as they have with the web. What Google want is you to use a Google operating system, with a Google browser, to access Google's online applications. I doubt it's a coincidence that Google has announced the same time that Gmail has finally official come out of testing, along with the rest of the applications suite. Google wants your email, your spreadsheets, and your desktop, and it wants them in the next 18 months.