Content-Type: RST

I was going to write the sequel to my `last post`_, but then I got
sidetracked by school and other issues, so it got postponed for a
bit. In the meantime, a much more important development came to light:
`Chromium OS`_.

.. _`last post`: http://blog.opensourcenerd.com/open-source-gaming-part-1
.. _`Chromium OS`: http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os

Well, more specifically, the first *development* release. There was
big excitement about it, and it's all about "hey look a fast
Chromium-based instant-on Linux OS". So, you know, being an *open
source* nerd, I should probably mention it.

... And how it doesn't live up to expectations.

.. figure :: http://blog.opensourcenerd.com/upload/sad-cat

   B-but isn't everything Google makes m-magical?

See, in its introductory videos, Google promises an operating system
that would be really quick to load and get on the web, and that would
be optimal for netbooks. It cites the fact that the whole world is
migrating to the web as the counterweight for the fact that Chromium
OS is in fact rather feature-lacking. What do I mean by
feature-lacking? Well, imagine an operating system that is *literally*
just your browser. Forget Windows compatibility, this is running on a
Linux kernel. But here's some essentials I found missing:

 - **Terminal access**: I wanted to see what environment Chromium set
   up for itself! No use. The default X screen is on TTY1 (accessed by
   ``ctrl+alt+F1``), and the other TTYs just give me series of random
   colored ASCII characters. I mention just TTYs because its
   ``Ctrl+Alt+T`` supposed terminal shortcut didn't work, and:
 - **It has no GUI apps**: Even though GTK is clearly installed (for
   menus, the network manager interface, etc.) no GTK windows can ever
   be opened. Even the interface menus and popups appear
   fullscreen. Does Chromium not have a *window manager*?!
 - **Package manager**: Okay, maybe it doesn't come preloaded with
   Solitaire, but how the heck do I install it? Chromium used a
   bootstrapped chroot environment to compile, and installed a ton of
   stuff using APT, but inside Chromium itself... there seems to be no
   such ability to install anything.
 - **Application-ish things**: Right now Chromium OS is the Chromium
   browser with no window border, surrounding programs, operating
   system, or anything else to tie it down. That's fine, but if you're
   going to not allow me to use Pidgin, at least give me some sort of
   Google Chat across all tabs, maybe with a notification icon... or
   that sort of thing? Don't make me use Google Talk through GMail,
   Google. 
 - **Addons, addons, addons**: (general complaint about Chromium
   Browser, also applies to OS) It may not be in Google's best interest
   to push for an open addon architecture, which would allow things
   like AdBlock, which lessen its profits. Maybe just something like
   the iTunes App Store? Everyone likes customizations.

The former three make it a pretty sad excuse for a "Linux" OS,
although they may deserve an award for making Linux more useless than
a `USB Pet Rock`_.

.. _`USB Pet Rock`: http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/usb-gadgets-the-usb-pet-rock/

.. figure :: http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/usb-pet-rock.jpg

   It doesn't not do anything, it has a very Zen outlook on life!
   
I'll leave the more advanced reviews for people who actually know
their operating system, and finish off with one last
observation. Chromium is supposed to be fast, right? Well, on my
laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, 2 GB RAM, for a gauge of specs) it
was taking around 2 seconds to respond to a mouseover, or a simple
click. **Two seconds!** The mouse was responsive enough, but Chromium
itself was lagging. So badly, in fact, that despite the wifi working
right off the bat, I wasn't even able to say "hi" to my friends on AIM
or Google Talk from within Chromium. It was running off a USB drive.

For those **tl;dr** people out there, in short: Chromium is premature,
and some plain design choices of how to use Linux to its full
potential for its use may just be wrong... IMHO_.

.. _IMHO: http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3A+imho

---------------------

A small mention of an instant-on Linux OS that seems to guarantee
*faster speeds* and *more usability* than Chromium is Splashtop_. I
just ran across it while reading responses by users and competitors to
Chromium, and it seems like a great open source option for instant-on
computing.

.. _Splashtop: http://www.splashtop.com