tiny core linux vs chrome OS

[julianb]

Is it just me, or is TinyCoreLinux everything Chrome OS wants-to-be?

Well, I'm kidding. Partly.

tinycore is super fast. It has the potential to be distributed with a super-easy installer if folks want that. It'll get you on the web and let you do nothing but the web. Easy-and-fast.

But it won't force that on you because you can use ordinary programs for offline computing if you like.

It doesn't need a virus checker and doesn't have known, real-life/in-the-wild security problems.

To add another level of ease-of-use, what if (i have no reason to believe this will actually happen) OEMs like Asus or Dell installed tinycore on some of their new machines?

[roberts]

Nice of you to notice.

I have been playing with Chromium OS Cherry (build) on my Dell Mini 9 and Asus S101 via pendrive. It is quite large, needs a 1 GB pendrive, has many processes running, hits the disk quite often. The wireless on Dell Mini 9 means wait 5 minutes.

Tiny Core boots quick and no wait for wireless, (when appropriate extension is loaded), gives you your choice of browser and with flash loaded it is pretty much what Chromium OS offers. I suppoe if  those Google Apps icons were in Tiny Core we would be pretty much there and at a fraction of their size.

As you say, not only is it your choice of browsers, but your choice of a wide collection of local apps.

[thane]

I first started using Tiny Core as an experiment to find out the minimum number of apps I could actually get by with. Basically have only a browser (Opera), pdf viewer (epdfview), and media player (MPlayer), plus supporting extensions and a few games etc.

FWIW my experience is that web-based apps are still "clunkier" than their desktop equivalents. For instance there are on-line pdf viewers but it's still less hassle to download a pdf and view it locally. The same is often true for audio and video. I use Google Docs occasionally but if I had a lot of writing to do I'd prefer a local app. GMail on the other hand works fine for me.

Part of it may be my location; internet to Hawaii has some bandwidth limitations that less remote areas may not have.

[julianb]

I really like the Chrome browser. Like, better than the other browsers (chrome doesn't waste screen space).

I also am not interested in having a computer that doesn't know how to do anything "off the cloud".

And I don't really see how Chrome OS has any useful advantages over tinycore. But then again, throw a few million bucks at improving Chrome OS and all kinds of things are possible. 

FWIW my experience is that web-based apps are still "clunkier" than their desktop equivalents.

In my experience, it is POSSIBLE to see web based apps run light-and-quick, but inevitably most present-day web apps run slow if you limit your processor-power+RAM.

[OldAdamUser2]

Like roberts, I have given Chrome OS a brief spin. In fairness I didn't use a new usb stick so I don't think I ever got a bug free boot. But I was amazed at the size of the OS. Its boot time wasn't particularly impressive. And its inability to connect to the web quickly (or consistently) was dismaying.

In my view Tiny Core is the clear winner. Why should Chrome have all that bulk just to do  one simple thing, which it doesn't yet do well?

[roberts]

I think Google is targeting it for net books. There is makes more sense. Still why they chose to strip Ubuntu instead of starting small or even from scratch. Still it is a very early pre-alpha, so things I am sure will improve.

But I like you have very fews apps on my net books. Every net book distro that I have seen TC beats it. When TC boots up it is ready to go, with Xandros and Ubuntu you wait for the desktop, then wait again for the wireless to make a connection, no so with TC. Of course TC is not trunkey, but still with a little effort you can get great results. On the otherhand, Xandros and Ubuntu remix are supposed to be tuned for netbooks. TC is not netboot tuned or centric.

[tclfan]

I think Google is targeting it for net books. There is makes more sense. Still why they chose to strip Ubuntu instead of starting small or even from scratch. Still it is a very early pre-alpha, so things I am sure will improve.

I think Google's project cycle for Chromeos started and continued before they had any awareness of TinyCore. IMHO TinyCore is superior for such project - it is fast, small and modular architecture. I suggest there should be an awareness effort so Google understands choice they have, that TinyCore arose quickly to a solid and mature system to suit such project the best of all alternatives.
On the assumption that Google targets Chromeos for netbooks: I do not think so. Google has much bigger picture in mind, and not just for netbooks but for all... Cloud computing or call it Virtual PC, which would be provided by Google infrastructure in the back end is core here, regardless what client system. Such infrastructure already started as Google Docs and is quietly evolving to encompass any files. Currently a few others provide Virtual Computer on the web such as G.ho.st and iCloud, where some key functionality is implemented in G.ho.st, where you get 25GB space and basic applications, but still way to go in terms of asynchronous processing in the backend.  Google wants to do it the right way and create a viable Virtual Computer infrastructure, where Chromeos would be free client OS available for this. Perhaps we will se a significant shift to cloud VC and Microsoft should take this very seriously...
If Google becomes aware of it, TinyCore may play a big role, the question is how to make Google notice...

[bmarkus]

This is worth to read: http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/google-chrome-os.html

[julianb]

I think Google is targeting it for net books. There is makes more sense. Still why they chose to strip Ubuntu instead of starting small or even from scratch. Still it is a very early pre-alpha, so things I am sure will improve.

Tinycore and Chrome OS both address the situation where the user wants high performance (user not waiting for computer very much) and where infinite processing power, infinite RAM, infinite software/hardware budget are not possible. ("the cloud" might seem to have infinite computing resources, but its advantage is really that computing resources are shared effectively, NOT that the resources available per-person are large.)

Netbooks are designed for the same user: the one who thinks that RAM is not infinite, software and hardware budget are not infinite.

TC is not netboot tuned or centric.

Seems to me the main thing to do to "tune something for netbooks" is to get rid of software bloat and GUI bloat. (GUI's that don't fit on screen). Tinycore succeeds at that, so it's fast on netbooks and it's fast on bigger machines too.

[bmarkus]

Seems to me the main thing to do to "tune something for netbooks" is to get rid of software bloat and GUI bloat. (GUI's that don't fit on screen).

Not only it means also:

- easy wireless setup (WIFI/3G/...)
- efficient power management
- GUI optimized for smaller screen size and for mobile use
- etc.

[tclfan]

Google has a record of planning well ahead and doing things right with big picture in mind. Factor aside that it may become a Big Brother, the convergence of services it has in mind is fantastic. In addition to already good Google Docs, email and other web based services, now it has a fantastic telefony in hand in result of aquisition of GrandCentral. You can have your own free telephone number and be in communication with the entire world without any more need for telephone company...
More and more people and companies start using Google Docs, instead of Office, etc. , etc...
To complement integration of all these services Google needs an independent OS to connect to all these services. Whether it is netbooks or any other PC's.
Personal Virtual PCs on the Internet will start working and be appreciated more and more in the future. Just imagine: how many times we lost some important files because our hard disk crashed and we did not back up on time? With Virtual Computer on the web, it would not be lost, it is safely where you stored it, backed up and updated...

[dlee]

Here's a good place that can consolidate this discussion: http://www.wikivs.com/wiki/Chromium_OS_vs_Tiny_Core_Linux