I’ll use Google’s Chrome OS, sorta
From a PC gamer’s perspective, using Microsoft’s desktop is a necessary evil. Unless Google can magically port DirectX over seamlessly (I don’t think they even want to), I can already tell you I won’t be switching my main machine to Google’s Chrome OS. That’s not the only PC I use on a daily basis though.
Counting each PC I interact with daily, we’ve got 5:
- My PC = Windows 7 (RC1).
- Michelle’s PC = Windows 7 (RC1).
- Roommate’s PC = Ubuntu Linux.
- PVR / Media PC = Mythbuntu Linux (connected to a TV).
- Server = CentOS Linux (rack-mounted many miles away).
On this list, #3 will probably get switched to the Chrome OS. Our roommate only uses it for web browsing. Ubuntu has been decent, but her install is getting dated and isn’t upgrading cleanly, so a reinstall is in order. If Google’s Chrome OS is as clean and easy to use as their browser, it’ll be an easy choice.
The other PCs on the list are pretty much locked in with what’s installed. It’s a “don’t fix what ain’t broken” situation.
I don’t think it requires fully porting Direct X, but maybe I’m fooling myself. Plenty of Mac games are implemented in OpenGL, and you have to think the audience for an open-source Google OS would have at least as broad an interest as the Mac.
That said, i’m basically in your boat, Rog. I’ve got XP on the machine i’m KVM’d to at the moment, but a tiny button puts me in my Mac desktop or my Linux box.
In my backpack, the MacBook Pro rules. If I could run, say, 50 percent of the games I want to play seamlessly under WINE, i’d never boot into XP again. Maybe google can make that happen. Shrugs.
I’ll definitly be interested to hear how Chrome OS turns out. I played around with their Chrome browser for a little while, but a few of the features were annoying for me, and there was not yet a way to turn them off. So, hopefully their OS will be a bit more customizable, and if I hear good things from you and some others, I may give it a go myself.
Taek that’s pretty much how I see Chrome (the browser) too, the options are fairly small, although I’m sure there are a lot of command-line switches and there’s always plugins. For the browser though, I’m pretty happy with Firefox.
I can’t say that I’m as happy with my current OS. I feel more stuck with Windows than anything else. Even aside from the games, the other options aren’t great for the desktop. OS X would be like jumping out of the frying pan, I trust Apple’s idea of dominance even less than Microsoft’s. Linux is great server-wise, but desktop meh. That’s kinda what I’m hoping for out of Google, a better desktop on top of a Linux-based OS.