July 7, 2009 — Mark today’s date on your calendars
July 4th may be Independence Day for the American people, but computer users may come to see Tuesday, July 7, 2009 as a standard for independence in the future. Google has just announced a new project of theirs, to develop an open-source Operating System called Chrome OS that will be available in the second half of 2010. It should boot up and run fast, be lightweight, and “start you up and get you on the web in a few seconds” as Google’s official blog says in its July 7th blog post describing the project and why they launched it.
You’ll see it first in netbooks, but with the clout of Google behind it to push industry-compatible solutions for all kinds of related software, this is a major strategic kick in the pants to both Microsoft and Apple. It is going to move fast into all the other places PC Operating Systems show up, with the only major exception probably being in the server market.
What Apple will probably do is focus yet again on its tight integration and brilliantly user-friendly applications. Based on past history, they’ll also probably find a way to create some important strategic partnerships with Google on this, at least as much as they can without — not kidding here — getting inadvertently accused of an antitrust action. This kind of approach is something Apple is very good at.
The fun begins with the other guys. So do watch carefully for what Redmond does here, and know that what they may say at the beginning of the public discourse on this is going to mean little. Because this is an even bigger threat than being “asleep at the switch” when Microsoft way-too-calmly watched Netscape almost take over the Internet browsing business. And remember how methodically and, many would say, ruthlessly Microsoft devoured its competitor.
Also note I’m not exactly rooting for Google on this either. Like Microsoft, they have their own agenda for world domination also, just of a different sort. But this is the kind of street fight that could, as they say elsewhere, make things very interesting for all of us.
