Dell confirms talks with Google about Chrome OS
By Tim Stevens 
posted June 21st 2010 8:34AM
posted June 21st 2010 8:34AM
posted June 21st 2010 8:34AM
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Good god that Chrome icon is horrid.
@Android looks Hacked Together
yeah, good luck with Safari or IE....
The only other Browser I'd use is Opera. FF is becoming too "bloated" lately.
Oh, and on the OS part, I'd like a WebOS or Windows Embedded 7 device to compare to, but right now I'd take Chrome OS over CE anyday....
@Android looks Hacked Together "Its the fastest browser - but don't try and give me evidence to suggest otherwise or I will simply ignore it"
IE8 is fine, it just feels and looks terrible. I use Safari 5, which is great apart from Flash, and Chrome - equally great, but it doesn't quite work with the left handed window buttons on OS X.
I hate FF, the add-ons are mostly crappy, the odd one is very useful but its nothing I can't live without.
@Android looks Hacked Together
A lot of it is personal preference, AND IE8 is leaps and bounds ahead of IE6 but...
Security
Layout
Load Time
Crashing
Those are my big 4 against IE8.... However I will say that it's still ages ahead of Safari in my opinion.
@First 3 commenters
Have fun in oblivion!
@Android looks Hacked Together
Wow, Bill you work as a graphic designer after retiring from micro$oft now?
@Android looks Hacked Together
I used IE 8 for a while on my mom's computer because she didn't bother to install any other browsers. It kept freezing up and when I was trying to load multiple text documents for classes. And the search function was frighteningly slow too.
@Android looks Hacked Together :: How dare you make fun of the all-seeing eye! As ugly as that icon is.. I love it.
@Oli D
I really like Chrome but until it supports NoScript, RequestPolicy, and AdBlock Plus with advanced element hider, I'm sticking with Firefox.
Further proof that Dell has become a really, really cool company. They listen to their customers, both for Home and Business, and act on feedback, and they're in touch with the fact that not all consumers want the same thing. They provide a fantastic mix of software and hardware using mostly the latest components at a a fair price.
Keep up the good work Dell! Staying ahead of the curve like this reinforces my idea that this is still the best PC manufacturer out there, give or take.
@barbsN Michael Dell has been vocal from quite a while back about wanting to give customers as much freedom as possible in configuring the hardware and peripherals for their computers and operating systems as well.
Thats when they started putting on Ubuntu and FreeDOS as options on their machines. Great news for Ubuntu fans, as Dell was churning out needed drivers and increasing adoption.
At the same time he had even approached Steve Jobs and offered to pay any reasonable royalties and would handle all support internally to put OSX as another OS option for their devices.
This could have made OSX an actual competitor to Windows, and increased OSX userbase while giving OSX fans a broader pallet of devices to choose from, but Jobs shot it down for fear of cannibalizing Mac sales. Ugh.
@Ducman69
Michael Dell is such a helpful guy. He even offered to help another country with his fine products and services.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/28/news/companies/dell.davos.fortune/
Give Jobs credit, his response was private.
@Ed T
Ouch!
@Ducman69 You mean like the last time Apple licensed out Mac OS and it nearly bankrupted the company? Yeah, why would Jobs shoot that down.
How about a 9 inch Chrome OS Dell Streak.
@Edobe also bump up the resolution, otherwise some people at engadget won't be happy with the pixel density..
Hopefully a tablet as good as the iPad is around the corner, but with none of the stupidity. Eg USB. Duh! Duh brain! Brain training!
C'mon North Korea! Don't want Portugal to win!
@Apple Google Microsoft
Well it's 4-0 to Portugal now so I guess that dream is over *sobs a little*
Anyway yeah I've always liked Dell, kind lost interest in their products for a few months but the images of their up and coming phones have got me really enthusiastic again!
@ChrisMav
Mate 7-0...
I jinxed them. I'm sorry North Korea :(
So, Google has been found stealing passwords and email data via open Wireless connections, twice, but people STILL want Chrome on their desktop pcs/netbooks? Does anyone remember the EULA for Chrome that basically stated that they own you and whatever you do via their browser?
Seriously, people, come on. If you so desperately want something different so say that you're cool and have the latest wares, at least go with something like Ubuntu!
@Excalibur
Will you take off the tin foil hat already? The aliens aren't coming, and if they do that tin foil is not going to protect you. EVERYONE, again *EVERYONE* "steals" your data. Google just happens to own up to it. You think Microsoft or Yahoo! don't? I don't care what their EULA says, they do it.
Oh, and P.S. at least Google gives you something USEFULL in return for it, unlike Yahoo! I won't say much about MS, because they do have decent free products, but come one MS, is Hotmail (Live Mail) REALLY the best you can do? For crying out loud, even ZOHO is better. Props for Office Live, Sync, and Sky Drive though!
/rant
@Drey Please don't feed the obvious troll.
@Excalibur Apple's legal team is notorious for intimidation and strong arm tactics, insisting falsely that they invented everything while creating vague patents on anything for more anti-competition lawyer ammo down the road, and more.
Other than lingering propensity towards anti-competitive standards avoidance created by their mass, Microsoft may have been good in recent years due to relentless government pressure and scrutiny for every hickup, but back in the day MS's exploits are well known.
Basically, big corporations are all self serving and do evil things if they are allowed to get away with it, and its not feasible to try and boycott them all for things they have done.
Don't trust em, expect em to look out for #1 not you, and hit em when they cross the line. As long as there are a few players in the game though, they are kept in line from the worst offenses and their competition improves the breed. =)
@Android looks Hacked Together
Google has no idea where/what *I* (Cody) browse. They know what my username on google might do and go, so yeah, they can serve up ads that relate.
*yawn* Big deal...
@Excalibur
Yea have u checked ur windoze craptop lately review the cached data and what it sends to m$ when windoze 7 crashes evry 30 mins
@Android looks Hacked Together
Um, like bing AND yahoo! aren't? They're all into advertising. At least Google allows me to erase the data they have on me, unlike some others. Oh, and should I add how long Hotmail added that sig after you sent out emails? THEY ALL ADVERTISE. However, all Google knows about is some guys who's email address is something and he lives somewhere in the urban areas of Maryland.
P.S.... If you want to compare Google to Yahoo! to Hotmail. I've got one comparison for you:
Google: 1 single line ads in Gmail which you CAN turn off
Hotmail, Yahoo!: Huge, picture ad which you CAN'T turn off
'nuff said.
@Ducman69
Why are you bringing Apple to this conversation?
@Android looks Hacked Together Can you name one major computer company that doesn't?
@bfdhud or rather one comparable computer company that doesn't?
MS does, yahoo, Apple, Google, aol, they all monitor where you go, and most do it for the same reason (targeted ads)
@Drey How do I turn off ads in my Gmail?
@Spindel
Settings >> Web Clips >> Uncheck the "show webclips" >> Save... voila, no more webclips up top
If there are any more ads in Gmail, I've never seen 'em
@Drey
You can 'turn off' the ads in Hotmail with Webmail Ad Blocker in Firefox (and perhaps other browsers too).
@David V
Yeah, and the point is that Google provides an easy way for you to do it as a part of their settings.....
What you mention requires add-on's in FF... You just made my point stronger. I don't want to use some "hack" to disable ads when I can go into settings and turn it off regardless of what brower/os/whatever I use.
@Vuke The same reason I brought Microsoft into this conversation.
Cliffs Notes: Big corporations, Apple, Microsoft, Google, have all done some arguably "evil" things, and will likely continue to. Can't boycott em all.
It's funny how open the major hardware companies have become. I remember back a few years it was unheard of to imagine them even releasing a computer with an AMD chip, and now they're looking into alternative OS? This is what many people were hoping for 10 years ago.
http://www.professorhobo.com/2010/06/21/a-third
@Elwood731
Uh, what? Dell have been offering Linux for years. It's hardly a sign of them becoming open, it's a chance to increase profit margins.
And HPQ spends billions (*) for webOS while the world goes free software.
DUHmb.
{(*) $1.2 (or $1.4) billion PLUS "doubling down" to develop it}
@Freakin Ijit
Considering HP's record streak for utterly dominating worldwide computer sales, they must be doing something right, so I wouldn't jump the gun yet.
Dell is still a innovative adaptive company kudos to them
Dell is only trying to give Microsoft a hard time. Dell wants cheaper windows licenses. Chrome is a terminal client and Android is half assed for anything more than a phone. I don't think Microsoft is stupid enough to cave.
I still don't get why someone wouldn't want to just run Win7 with a browser (it can be chrome)? Google is saying how everything is done in the browser now so why not make it the OS. Okay, well why not run a REAL OS so you get real non-web apps since that doesn't prevent you from ALSO running a browser.
If you want lightweight, why don't they push Andriod on little tablet like devices?
@CodyTech
Because everyone wants to pretend like they are cool using a google product and freely giving away their privacy. The reality is once this vaporware OS ever releases (if it does) and people use it; they realize it just makes more sense to buy a Windows or Ubuntu netbook - they will be released at very similar price points; why bother with a toy when you can get a full computer. From early indications you don't get any better battery life or video power so what kind of bloat is in this OS that it runs equal as a Windows 7 machine - afterall all this is; is a dumb down terminal window but it uses as much power as a full OS? Google doesn't know what they are doing and thats the reality.
You mean Round Rock, right?
@TheKingOfHyrule Yep, got it fixed.
Anti-Google comments are so boring. In my opinion, Chrome makes even Safari look old. At one time, all browsers were basically IE clones. Now, pretty much everything new in IE has been inspired by other, more innovative browsers. Google, by competing with Microsoft and Apple, will result in one thing: more innovative products from all three companies! SO STOP COMPLAINING! :)
@usrname
You do know that Chrome and Safari are virtually identical? And that now all browsers are basically Safari clones?
@pukerocket I agree that Chrome is similar in many ways to Safari, but not that Chrome is a Safari clone. Safari still has separate text fields for search and URL. Chrome's single text field works flawlessly. The more I use Chrome, the more subtle innovations I discover. I quite like Safari, but I find the new intro over-elaborate and the UI ugly. I hear that Internet Exploder 8 is pretty good too.
@pukerocket You are worse than Steve Jobs. xD
LOL More good news for Ballmer...
Redmond Chair Co. Stock just jumped.
I still don't get how a web browser as an o/s is going to be any use at all ... if you are such a microsoft hater move into your mom's basement and use linux.
Google's web apps/service are still lame by any modern standards ... google docs is a bigger joke than open office. Microsoft's office.live.com they just launched seems a better solution.
Mainstream people are going to buy a pc running chrome o/s unless they don't know any better.
Also netbooks are a dying bread which is the only place chrome o/s can go ... unless it's touch friendly and can go on a tablet ... then you might as well just use android.
google is a bunch of engineers that don't get regular folk.