Monday, November 29, 2010

Google, Chrome, Cloud Conputing and the Future of Communication

It is fitting to post the 200th and end my blogging exercise with some note on Cloud Computing.

I was one who was always concerned with the bulk we carry to school and work.


Light weight and agility with nimble footing was something I liked to treasure when young and in old age.


When I see Sri-Lankan children carry gunny loads of books on their back. I pause to think of the wisdom of our Educationalists who do not understand the physical and physiological mechanics and making of a young child.

They also do not understand how the world is changing from factual world to interactive IT world and web utilities.

Big books bring fear in children and adults.

I can remember tearing off the big medicine book into its chapters and making it small and light weight (this was an advice I got from a senior medical student).

Like one step at a time on chapter at a time makes it easier to read.

This I stretched further in the final year (now the big books are coming in pocket editions and and data and evidence medicine are carried in palmtops) and I only carried smallest possible note in my hand (rest in the head) and only noted down the few things that I did not comprehend fully to revise (I do this to present day- come across a new word, in ENGLISH or MEDICINE, refer that in a dictionary and master the use of it, better still find a simple alternative word which simple people understand).

When you take the computer world operating systems are getting bloated by the day.

Even, the Linux derivatives are bloated in size and the KDE 4, I fondly call the Gorilla of Linux to drive my point.

Linux started with 4 to 32 MiB of code but now fills a DVD (42, 000 packages in Debian and not even itemized yet) without an effort.

They come neck and neck with Microsoft.

The bloating period is coming to an end with the entry of Chrome Browser and Chrome OS from Google.

Now chills are running down the spine of Microsoft and if this takes the center stage software era and profit making are going to be thing of the past.

Utilities and Services will count like Water, Electricity and Payphone.

In future it is Cloud Service and Google will carry the load.

Already cloudusb (a company name) and dropbox are established and they are platform independent.

Quoted from a web page published elsewhere!


"Google has said that Android is optimized for touchscreen interfaces, while Chrome is optimized for keyboards. It might be just as accurate to say that Android is optimized for consumption first, content creation second, while Chrome will be optimized for both consumption and content creation".

For some of us, the crucial difference is "play" and "work."

I am one who wants to outsmart even Google by carrying my operating system in a Pendrive (Flash drive). into my grave if that is allowed by the government.

This is what I want the education department to give serious thought.
The Jolicloud Manifesto

At Jolicloud we believe a movement has started. A movement that will change the computer industry forever: a world where computers are inexpensive, where operating systems are free and software is online. This is the world we dreamed of when we first discovered computers and the Internet. And this is why we wanted to build an operating system (OS) around a platform that gives everyone the opportunity to be part of this movement and access a whole new range of possibilities.

Jolicloud is an Internet operating system. It combines the two driving forces of the modern computing industry: the open source and the open web.

Jolicloud transforms your netbook into a sophisticated web device that taps into the cloud to expand your computing possibilities. The web already hosts a significant part of our lives: mails, photos, videos, and friends are already somewhere online. Jolicloud was built to make the computer and web part of the same experience.

The online world is taking processing power away from our computers, so we won't need expensive machines in the future. The web improves itself, so we don't need to replace machines all the time to be able to run newer versions of operating systems or office suites.

But the real catalyst of change has been the arrival of the netbooks: they started as an experimental low cost laptop for kids and they now radically change our views on how much we are willing to pay for personal computers. Think about it: computers are now becoming cheaper than mobile phones and MP3 players.

We feel privileged to witness this rebirth of the computer culture and are very excited about the world changes it can foster: More affordable means more people around the world connecting with knowledge, more communication between people and more balanced access to computing power with less cost, format or geographical limitations.

We come from the web, so we built our user interface mostly using its core technologies (HTML, javascript, CSS). We have integrated our web DNA into the OS to make it modular, social and personal. Our developer platform relies on the web and will let anyone or any service join in no time. With our API, developers will have the ability to let their website communicate with the computer directly with no need to code specific native applications.

Of course it's just the beginning. Netbooks are very new. They are still bulky, but they are making progress with better keyboards, better screens and battery time.

No one has yet entirely switched his or her life online, but everyday larger parts of our personal and business lives are relayed and stored via the web. Online connectivity is still expensive but prices are dropping as operators can't resist the global needs of the "always on" generation.

Legendary computer inventor Alan Kay once said, the best way to predict the future is to invent it. This is why we created Jolicloud. Like every project we can't do it by ourselves. We need your help and support to make this project a success. Together let's change the status quo and build the coolest OS for netbooks.



The future lies in the IT industry and not in heavy textbooks.

Less textbooks is environmentally friendly too.

We do not have to chop more and more trees to produce paper and textbooks which are getting outdated by the minute.

Cloud of computers can carry all the education material online.

Children should carry a Pendrive and few workbooks.

That is the future and it is next evolution of mankind.