Google Chrome OS 'business version' coming in 2011
By Donald Melanson 
posted March 8th 2010 8:18AM
posted March 8th 2010 8:18AM
Are two (or more) versions of an OS better than one? Some say yes, and it looks like you can now count Google among them. Speaking at this week's RSA Conference, Google software security engineer Will Drewry revealed, seemingly for the first, that Google will be releasing a "business version" of Chrome OS for netbooks sometime in 2011. Details on it are still pretty light at the moment, as you might expect, but it will supposedly offer more "management muscle" than the consumer version. Drewry did drop a few more details about Chrome OS for netbooks in general, however, including the interesting tidbit that you'll be able to enable a development mode by flipping a switch located under the battery.
[Thanks, Amrita]
[Thanks, Amrita]
I wasn't expecting that!
Does the business version mean that it will have no flash support? No games no online solitaire?
@gargle
Yes it will compete with IE6 for minimum features
@OCEAN CLAK IE 6, blah blah, here and below. Troll.
@juanvaldez
Well not my fault I use the lastest version of chrome and firefox, maybe you should upgrade from IE6
@juanvaldez Yepp this guy is a damn troll. Look at his profile for example:
"Windows 7 needs 16GB of memory just to run, this netbook only has 4GB of memory"
@joshl
YEAH FOR A FULL INSTALLATION
@joshl
If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:
1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/system-requirements.aspx
@OCEAN CLAK Memory and storage space are usually considered different by people who don't use IE 6.
@juanvaldez
Agreed the fact that joshl cant tell the difference between Ram, Solid State Drive, Hard Disk Drive, Microsofts Windows 7 Requirement for FULL installations (not the nlited versions) is worrying and proves he still uses IE6.
there I Said it
@juanvaldez
hehe. ZING!
@joshl On can install Win 7 on a machine with 4 GB HD and most netbooks have way more than that. Its not the full install but unless you need windows media center on your netbook you should be fine.
I use a lot of Google products, but the chrome OS is a joke, its a damn browser with your entire life (and in case of an enterprise the entire company) is running on Google. Remember when some Chinese guy hacked into Google's network, imagine if they were able to take done Google and you are running Chrome. Connecting, please wait......
@OCEAN CLAK Didn't they get rid of you a few years ago?
@telepheedian
ive had 35 acounts since
@Scouse Pricey the new OS will all be about cloud base computing and the 1st device wherein this technology will be implemented is with the chrome netbook. More: http://bit.ly/chrome-netbook-cloud-examined
"Yes it will compete with IE6 for minimum features"
Er, IE6 runs more flash than... now what was it? What is that product that can't run flash?
Google about to get real serious. My question to MS and Apple...
U MAD??????
@UMAD They have been "trying" to get serious for a while. Google's lax quality (beta tag for 5 years) as evident by its recent buzz launch doesn't work well with enterprise nor does the fact that they recently got hacked all the way into their network by some collage kid based on china help (Google can try to pass blame all they want but its their network, they better take responsibility)
@engado
Funny how you take one simple meaningless example of a failure, but at the same time you ignore the whole array of products and services Google successfully opens.
That would be a nice sweetener to their google enterprise docs/mail. Imagine being able to deploy 200$ netbooks (vs 600-1800$ laptops, once you get Windows, Office, AV loaded up).
@THJ
Except most business will go with old school desktops instead of flashy laptops
@OCEAN CLAK Except anything running Chrome OS won't be flashy. Even small business like the portability of a laptop that can cheaply be docked and connected to a monitor, it can increase productivity of salaried workers while decreasing overhead by getting them to get to do more work away from the office.
@THJ You get what you pay for, also Google for enterprise is not free.
@engado Yeah, it's about five bucks a seat a month, much better than the 10+ for most exchange based solutions (hosted or on-site).
A business browser, so this version going to be like a striped down version of chrome like Internet Explorer 6 which dosent support modern standards or modern websites, which a lot of busineses require to stop employee from enjoying the web at work, and with poor security all viruses, trojans, malware compatible to make life a living hell
Business level software and hardware is always welcome. I stopped buying consumer computers because the business targeted ones are simply much better. Better materials, better hardware, better quality, better warranty, better everything. Consumer devices on the other hand must be cheap, usually some 20% cheaper than equivalent corporate grade hardware. Quality? You get what you pay for. Plastic bodies resulting in flexing and breaking motherboards, poor Linux compatiblity, WiFis from obscure vendors like Broadcom, lack of Centrino platform and so on and so on. Long live ThinkPads, Latitudes and EliteBooks.
The concept of the OS is brilliant, but this is on theory, in real world I really doubt its' efficiency, at least for the current time.
Bottom line, I see this "type" of OS in the future, but definitely not in the couple of years to come, you need to have a superb internet connection for this beast.
I can't get excited about a browser based OS. I personally don't want to trust all my data to the cloud...
@dxdragon
Especially a marketing corporation's cloud.
Very Interesting. But I still doubt they would achieve great success in penetrating the business sector. People who use microsoft software dont even upgrade to the new micorosft software when it comes out just cause of the change. So this happening will be very very slim!
But its google..so you'd never know.
Hmm... I was at the Chrome OS session on Thursday, and while he said that Google would be "targeting" business customers in 2011, I don't recall him mentioning a specific version for them. If anything, he was trying to emphasize that 2010 was the year of consumer access to Chrome OS.
For those who weren't there, the talk was very interesting and the slides are worth checking out. I like that they plan on using multiple root partitions to ensure against corruption.
And each business must sign a deal that gives Google rights to all their confidential documents and intellectual property. No thanks big brother.
Did I miss the launch of the original version? I know the VM Ware version is out but it wasn't really marketed as anything than a geek's alternate OS that's not really an OS at all.
It will be annoying to swap Apple laptops into development mode.
@Maxwell
LOL
on a more serious note... The dev mode was actually the most interesting part of the article, suprised you're the first to mention
Google: You don't need to re-invent the wheel here (at least on the windows side). Simply build in good Active Directory Group Policy support and you'll be in great shape.
The last thing we admin need is another management console for an app or service.
I'm still not convinced ChromeOS is even needed - for consumers or business users. If you carefully look at the key features that will be in most smartphones of 2011, they easily provide everything a netbook has. If you could only add a small accessory that provides a larger display & keyboard, then you dont need to mess around with another device.... See more detailed analysis here:
http://navanee.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/the-smartphone-of-2011-can-it-be-your-netbook-ebook-reader-digital-media-receiver-apple-tv-roku-digicam-as-well/
That's what we all need...
Chrome starter
chrome basic
chrome home premium
chrome business
chrome ultimate
Dear MS....
Scram
@Wesscoast
Yeah, I'm pretty sure everybody in Redmond is soiling their tighty whities right about now, all because of a poorly detailed browser OS.
So, ChromeOS is gonna be free, right? So then why not just throw everything into one version?
Wait, I thought the only special hardware was that it needed flash based storage. Now there has to be a mystical developer button built into the hardware too?
I don't see Chrome OS taking over corporate portables in the near future, if at all. It's a neat idea, access to your docs from anywhere, but that's really already possible with Windows-based devices. If you have the internet connection to use Chrome OS, you have the internet connection to use VPN. And you don't have to store your confidential documents on someone else's server.