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When Google announced their ChromeOS there was a flurry of comment and opinion on what this could mean for the GNU/Linux user and the future of free software. Our esteemed editor, Tony Mobily made a bold statement (albeit framed as a question) at the time that Google’s ChromeOS could turn GNU/Linux into a “desktop winner”. I’m not sure that it’s true. Whatever happens of course the fact is that when somebody of Google’s size and impact enters a market, there will be winners and losers, losses and gains. Now that the dust has well and truly settled let’s have another look at the potential impact of ChromeOS. Read the full article at Freesoftware Magazine
I think Chrome OS is a net loss to the FOSS desktop. Increasingly, FOSS is used everywhere, but the freedom of FOSS and its benefits to the end user are heavily obscured. The Linux based offerings with the biggest commercial and public impact are in essence freeware, but the way the are delivered certainly doesn't make them FOSS in the normal sense of the word.
I've always been a bit afraid of a possible injection of closed source software into the plumbing of FOSS. An attack and errection of tollbooths from within. I never guessed that the real threat would be on the surface. On the verge of breakthrough GNU/Linux is being devoured whole by glitzy, (semi) proprietary interfaces like UI's and SaaS. Under the surface there is a whole universe of FOSS, but the end user never gets passed the controlled outer layer.
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I've always been a bit afraid of a possible injection of closed source software into the plumbing of FOSS. An attack and errection of tollbooths from within. I never guessed that the real threat would be on the surface. On the verge of breakthrough GNU/Linux is being devoured whole by glitzy, (semi) proprietary interfaces like UI's and SaaS. Under the surface there is a whole universe of FOSS, but the end user never gets passed the controlled outer layer.