Google's Rumored GDrive May 'Kill' the PC

Looks interesting, Scott, but I don't ever see anything like that ever replacing an actual PC or laptop permanently.

I see it complimenting the use of a PC or laptop though.

Wow. An interesting and relevant thread!

I think it could change a lot of things, yes. There are things I wouldn't mind storing on something like that and accessing from a smaller, portable device. And it could make project collaboration much easier in some respects.

I don't think it will kill the PC, though. There's stuff I'm not letting the Big G anywhere near. Even if I were to assume that this "drive" was any more secure than Gmail, an assumption I'm not prepared to make.

Games, dude. To really damage the PC market, they have to make the home computer extraneous for games.


Paul

It's been around for a while as Google already has Google apps which allows you to have all your documents, email etc online.

We have been using Amazon for ages to do offsite backups which I can access anywhere so nothing really new.

Maybe you were thinking it would run all your applications like Camtasia or something like this and thats not really what its all about.

Quentin

Can someone explain to me what a GDrive may be?

Well, it's pretty much a data storage service in fancy clothes. The data storage thing is already being done, and it's not gaining that much traction ... at least among home computer users, it's not exactly the hottest growing segment, shall we say. They don't want to pay for anything more than they have to.

Not to mention the security nightmare. How do you know your data is secure? As long as people work in data centers, you don't.

I'm also not excited about giving a server unabashed access to my computer from "anywhere," that's another sort of security issue, not to mention a great big opportunity for trojans, virii and the like.

Finally, I think the most critical bottleneck on the idea is that most people just don't have fast enough internet service to be able to support such a system. It would take much longer to access data on a remote server, than on a local HD, simply because of download and upload speeds. This kind of system might work for corporations with dedicated fiber, but it's not going to be a particularly accessible solution for the Mom & Pop home user on a limited cable or DSL connection.

It'll be interesting to see if Gdrive is for real!

Bailey

OMG...yawn.

Not wanting to go too off topic - but the same hype was there when JAVA came out.
My friend wanted to make me believe its the biggest revolution, since JAVA used a similar concept .

Eg. it is theoretical possible to have a "browser OS" totally independent of your hardware and OS, all done remotely via web browser.

>>
With the GDrive, a PC would be a device acting as a portal to the Web, enabling users to think of their computer as software rather than hardware
>>

very old concept

Also...how about the corrected sentence:

>>
With the GDrive, a PC would be a device acting as a portal to Google, enabling users to think of their computer as software rather than hardware
>>

Also..anyone remember a few years ago, there were some attempts by Microsoft to actually "overtake" and own the internet, with proprietary code in windows which would basically replace existing open TCP/IP stack...basically making anyone wanting to go online having to use MICROSOFT software and technology. I remember this vaguely.

Be careful since you do NOT want Google having a monopoly on the Web, no Google, no Microsoft, no Sun Microsystems. In parts its already too late - but the web needs to be open and NOT have a brand name on it!

Edit:

yes of course. I myself am thinking about such things once in while. How will the net look in 5, 10, 15 years?
STILL....it is a huge danger if one company would gain such a monopoly on the web, even bigger than the monopoly they already have. Think about it.

A great and interesting read! I think it would be really useful as an external storing source and if it had some form of fusion between itself and a smaller portable device. I would assume that accessing and exchanging project collaboration information would be much easier in some respects.

I don't thinks it sounds to secure though, you would have to take a big chance assuming that this "drive" is any more secure than say a Gmail account. Interesting points made with the posts though...

As some here have already said, this concept isn't new. Although I can see where it might come in handy sometimes, I wouldn't store anything of any significance there. Besides, I've already been doing something similar for years - I have a few hidden private directories on my web sites which I use to store things offsite sometimes, especially if I know that I might need access to them from anywhere.

Trust Google on that level?

No thanks...

Unlikely to happen. Google doesn't respect users privacy, in that every time you make a search, your IP is recorded, every GMail you send (included 'deleted'), is recorded, and the information is aggregated and used to personally identify you, especially when you have a google adsense account (easy ip tracking).

The first person to realize gmail hands over personal information to someone who applies a bit of pressure, more specifically, to someone who privacy matters and say sues google, popularity will drop.

pretty interesting stuff. thanks for finding that and sharing.

Google rules the internet world, but hey they are great so you can't be mad at them.

This is where computing is heading into the future...
But we are not there yet. We need much higher speed available
from providers before we could make use of this.

Computing in the cloud and storage is one of the ways we will actually be breaking out beyond what silicon can do. Everyone with a terminal will have access to a super computer with unlimited storage space, unlimited processing ability.

But we aren't there yet...Probably 10 years out.

Beowulf Linux Clusters are an example of this on a small scale...
You just take that type of idea and combine it to a planetary scale of computers...

Its mainly applications that drive computing. Applications feed the want/need in people and business. Often apps are written for the latest top spec pc's - so hardware was sucked along. This has been changing for several years with browser based solutions and new ways of using our connected machines (email/social networks). Top spec PC's use the latest OS's - creating a ned need for replacement apps that work with that os.

So look at google's toolbox to see if it will take over the world from Microsoft.

Most of the brilliant apps from the last few years and we now take for granted have been built on low entry cost software and OS's (php/mysql/ruby/linux). This has made the shift from the need to write for top spec machines - to the average spec. This is why cloud computing is sexy - it allows those guys to scale and build better apps without us needing more than a broswer.

In the games world - the Wii - a low powered machine has bucked the trend of targeting powerful devices to deliver top 10 games. It outsold its rivals at xmas and games companies are now looking to make games for it first and scale up to higher spec machines only if there's a need.

Rob.

The weak link in the chain is the telecom industry.

They are already starting to put limits on bandwith limits on their customers.

Users demand way to much from their computers now.

Dave

It would be a nice addition but it will not replace a hard drive or a computer. Also they would/ will have a problem when major ISP in the states starting charging for the traffic.

Timo

Great article Paul,

Here is where I would be looking to learn if I was worried about my job
getting cut or even building a business in the current economy:

"Linux has proved popular as well on a new crop of smarter devices -- be they phones, TVs or set-top boxes -- that have captured software developers' imaginations. The new products they build will undoubtedly challenge the status quo.

Companies like Intel, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments that make chips for these devices are hiring Linux talent as quick as they can," said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the nonprofit Linux Foundation. "They know the future is netbooks and mobile Internet devices."

Scot

I would have serious security concerns if I stored my data in remote storage sites such as this.

Backing everything up to my external hard drives works for me (I have NEVER lost any data) and if someone wants access to my data they'll have to go through me and my handguns to get to it.

I always like the WebTV concept, but the lack of storage and functionality
killed the deal for me.

This would be a perfect fit for that industry.

Imagine getting the lazy Americans in front of his TV and he's a click away
from either high speed internet or Dr Phil

Scot

Has anyone heard of "DropBox"?

Is this the new name for the rumored GDrive?

https://www.getdropbox.com/

Scot

###EDIT###
The two are not related, but DropBox is currently in Beta and giving away 2GB
accounts, cool deal.

The corporations will never buy it. Googles free "Office" products have bombed, especially with businesses.