Sergey Brin: Windows Is "Torturing Users" 645
jbrodkin writes "Google created Chrome OS because Windows is 'torturing users,' Google co-founder Sergey Brin says. Only about 20% of Google employees use Windows, with the rest on Mac and Linux, and Brin hopes that by next year nearly all Googlers will be using Chromebooks. 'With Microsoft, and other operating system vendors, I think the complexity of managing your computer is really torturing users,' Brin told reporters at Google I/O. 'It's torturing everyone in this room. It's a flawed model fundamentally. Chromebooks are a new model that doesn't put the burden of managing the computer on yourself.' Google claims 75% of business users could be moved from Windows computers to Chrome laptops."
Re:Isn't leaving things out fun? (Score:2, Informative)
Think you'll get a command shell on that shiny new ChromeOS computer?
Yes, I do think that, because I've used ChromeOS, and it had a fully functional terminal.
Re:If Windows is torture (Score:3, Informative)
90% of the world MUST be masochists.
But seriously, until someone offers a better, cheaper, and more useful OS than Windows, people will use Windows.
What do you mean you can't install and configure Linux? What do you mean you don't have $1200 to drop on an Apple macbook?
Ubuntu:
- Installer asks me about my time zone, user name and password. Everything else can be done on autopilot.
- Once booted, if there are restricted drivers, I got a popup telling me to install them if I want. Install is a two button click: (1) Install, (2) Reboot. All this 'massive' configuration is done.
Windows:
- Installer is pretty much similar to Ubuntu, minor inquiries.
- Once booted, a lot of hardware doesn't work and I have to install drivers for everything including silly things like CPU driver and various system bus drivers and sometimes even sound cards.
- My other option is, to insert the motherboard's driver CD and pray to Jeebus that it doesn't install a bunch of bloatware and crapware along my drivers. Oops, too late, even Asus are bundling garbage like Symantec Total Absolute Maximum Super Duper Security suite (30 day trial version) with their driver CDs. Oh, and there is no way to skip this installation if you chose the CD way because Asus wants you to secure your computer, honest!
- Once drivers are taken care of, I have to get some security software and install it. I have to stop a bunch of services that are not needed (I am looking at you Remote Registry and Telephony!).
But yes, keep telling yourself that installing and configuring Linux is such a complicated task.
See x*yy*x's comment (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Isn't leaving things out fun? (Score:4, Informative)
> If Windows, by his definition, is torture, then Linux is doubly so.
I don't think so. Linux has is problems, but most distributions have a pretty sound "no none-sense" concept when it comes to PC maintenance. Automatic updates actually work, cover all applications (not just the OS), do not fail because of locked files, and reboots are rarely required. Linux viruses are very rare, even on Joe's and Jane's default Ubuntu installation round the corner.
MacOS is also doing much better, making this mostly a Windows problem.