Re: OE Is Deleting My NG Headers

On Sun, 1 Feb 2009 06:19:29 -0600, Neil wrote:

Sorry. My fingers typed other than my intentions. Google does not publish
an Operating System; which is the core business of Microsoft.

Microsoft's core businesses are Windows and Office. Losing Office would be a
very big deal to them. So important is Office that years ago they invested
in Apple Computer, their chief OS rival, to ensure that Apple didn't go
under, most likely because of all of the Apple Office users.

As I said, I use OpenOffice. Microsoft already faces competition in that
field, and has for a long time.

I am not really interested in web-based OSes. Those would require an
always on Internet connection. In the event that my Internet connection
dies (and it happens about once a month, whether I like it, or not), my
web-based OS would be useless; my computer nothing more than an expensive
doorstop. I'll stick to a disk-based OS, thank you.

You're completely mistaken here.

First, Chrome (or IE, or Firefox) is not "web-based." You can't have a
web-based browser that's used for browsing the web! The browser is itself
your window to the web. All browsers (including Chrome) are PC-based, and
are installed on the hard drive.

Which requires an Operating System to run.

Second, I did note that Google is giving their web-based applications an
offline mode, so that you can use them when there's no Internet connection.
That takes care of our "doorstop" scenario.

Assuming you really want to use Google. I don't. They are no better than
Microsoft WRT to concerns for your privacy.

Third, the distinction between online and offline is growing fainter every
day. Search tools routinely search your desktop or online resources or both.
Windows Explorer works with your computer's file system; but can also be
used for FTP access; etc. So the online world is more and more being seen as
an extension of the offline world, even though one might not always be
available to go online.

Maybe I am just a Luddite, but I stayed away from WebTV for the very reason
that I do make a distinction between "offline" and "online". The end of this
path is having one's brain wired with implants for a "virtual online"
experience. No thanks.

There is the "Web", and there is the "Internet". The two are not the same. I
don't want my 'Fridge taking with some government agency about its contents.
I don't want my thermostat talking with some government agency about the
household temperatures. I don't want my car talking with some government
agency about my driving patterns. I don't want to live in an intrusive
world, where I am under a microscope. If this is the direction which Google
is going, I don't want Google Apps.

So your concerns about a "web-based OS" are misguided. If Chrome eventually
did evolve into an OS, it would be hard-drive based, would work with both
online and offline elements, and would seamlessly connect the two. And, just
as Windows provided support for DOS apps (and still does), so the OS would
provide support for legacy Windows apps.

I'll take Linux, over a Google OS, any day of the week.

Whether or not this will happen remains to be seen. I'm just saying that I
believe that that's the direction Google is planning on going in with their
new browser. But one thing's for sure: if it does happen, given Google's
tendency to completely outdo the competition when it develops things, it's
doubtful that you'll be wanting to stick with Windows 2015 (or whatever
version they have out then), any more than DOS users wanted to stay with DOS
when Windows 3.0 came out.

Indeed. The Penguin is a very attractive alternative.

--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum
.

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