Background information
Eight browser extensions that make your life easier
by Dominik Bärlocher
Chrome OS - So Bitzli Linux
1.12.2016
Translation: machine translated
Remix OS brings Android to the PC. Andromeda is set to unite Chrome OS and Android. But before that happens, let's take a look at Chrome OS. Because somehow nobody knows it yet.
You know Chromebooks, right? Because that's probably the place where you're most likely to come across Chrome OS. In other words, laptops that are primarily designed to run cloud applications. They run Chrome OS, probably the strangest operating system I've seen so far, if we disregard the fully functional 64bit bible-based operating system called TempleOS.
Good, weirdness aside, Chrome OS. There's actually not much to say, because there's not much to Chrome OS itself. So let's start with the history of the operating system, which is quite exciting.
Chrome kills them all
In 2008, Google released the browser Google Chrome, which you are hopefully using right now to read this article. The browser took users' hearts by storm more or less from the very beginning and has never fallen out of favour to this day.
Chrome is available on MacOS and runs on Windows. There are even offshoots for Linux distros. In short: no computer has to do without Chrome.
Over the years, Google has expanded its browser to such an extent that it can do practically everything that an operating system with an office suite can do.
- Text processing: Google Docs
- Table data processing: Google Sheets
- Presentations: Google Slides
- Questionnaires: Google Forms
In exchange for pretty much all of your personal data, all of these programmes are free to use. The decision of whether it's worth it to you is up to you, but it's definitely something that should be a conscious decision and not just "Hihi, how funny".
In addition to all this, Chrome can take on all kinds of functions, from internet security to gaming, thanks to an almost infinite number of extensions.
I often tell the joke that Windows and MacOS are only there to open a browser. In addition to all the extensions and Office applications, many programmers and software developers were fed up with always having to develop two programmes - one for Windows and one for MacOS - because that takes time and time is money. They therefore utilised the possibilities of the new generation of browsers and created so-called web apps. If Google and Mozilla are already doing the work of creating a platform for both operating systems and opening it up to everyone and everything... why shouldn't developers take advantage of this?
The one thing Google doesn't do
Enough praise for the latest generation of browsers. Let's look at what's missing. Some people have always found it strange that Google does everything, but has never dared to do one thing: Google's operating system for computers is missing.
Aside from "We want your data so that we can trade it and give you free things in return", the company is generally silent about the reasons why Google does what it does. "Because we can" often seems to be the explanation. We can therefore only speculate about the reasons why the internet giant does not develop its own operating system for computers. Is it because it is not possible to build an operating system that is large and effective enough to justify the investment? Is it because Google just doesn't feel like it when they do fun things like Project Loon?
One of the most plausible theories is that Google simply doesn't need it. According to this theory, Google has managed to create a platform with the Chrome browser that actually makes an operating system unnecessary. Because the browser can do everything anyway. So where is the benefit in developing a thing that can't really offer anything more?
Chrome OS - the unnecessary operating system
And then there's Chrome OS, an operating system. From Google. It is "the other operating system" alongside Windows, MacOS and possibly even Linux distributions such as Fedora or Ubuntu. Just the familiar ones. Chrome OS has a loyal following. For reasons that are not really obvious at first glance.
In the early versions, Chrome OS does exactly one thing on its own: It launches Chrome. The browser. That's all it actually does. Because the concept of the operating system is clear: it is all about working in the cloud, i.e. with web apps from Google and other suppliers. The device doesn't want to go offline at all, there is no button or setting for this.
Of course, there is a minimalist file manager, but why would you want to use it if everything is in the cloud anyway?
In later versions - which version you are using is difficult to track and you cannot control whether you want to install an update - it is possible to install Android applications on Chrome OS. However, this is only possible on certain models of the Chromebook series, which are manufactured exclusively by Google and selected partners, provided the software version is higher than version 53. If your Chromebook is online and therefore up to date, versioning is not a problem that you need to actively deal with.
A complete list of Chromebooks that support Android apps is kindly provided by Google developers.
The competitor that isn't one
I recently wrote about Remix OS from Jide. The project, which is a sister project of the Android x86 project, boasts that it is finally bringing Android to the PC.
The following comments appeared on the article.
And what exactly is the advantage over chrome os? - John.francis
So it's just a copy of Chrome OS... Where was the innovation again? Or the difference? - MamiUs57
You can decide whether the advantages or disadvantages of Chrome OS or Remix OS suit you better. Because that's why we have the choice. Determining an objective "better" or "worse" is damn difficult, which is why I like to leave the choice up to the users themselves. After all, it's you who ultimately have to work with the operating system.
Remix OS is not a copy of Google's Chrome OS and vice versa. The two pursue completely different goals and have completely different approaches. Remix OS is trying to adapt the model of Windows and MacOS. Jide wants to offer the user an offline experience as well as a fully functioning user environment without internet access. Just like your Android phone can work offline.
Chrome OS also has offline features, but is clearly designed to launch the Chrome browser and apps that access cloud services. Whether Jide was inspired by Chrome OS cannot be said conclusively. It is certainly possible. But purely from a user experience point of view, Remix OS feels more like an operating system and less like a launchpad.
Chrome OS is essentially a Linux kernel and a browser. Then mix in some Android and somehow the whole thing works quite well, even if the operating system as a construct seems quite strange. It feels less like an operating system and more like the Internet giant Google's minimalist attempt to outbid Microsoft and Apple. This is a completely legitimate train of thought, but if the above thesis is correct, then Chrome OS is deliberately kept minimalist so that Chrome, the browser, can continue to do its job very well. <p
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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