Quote:
Originally Posted by Matteob
I am sorry but I would not pay this for a chromebook. It is the most restrictive machine out there in what you can run on it due to its walled garden.
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Restrictive, yes, in that you can't run Windows or Mac software on it, or indeed iOS or Android apps, but that's kind of the point - to push the delivery of applications out to the cloud. But walled garden?
While the chrome store itself is an option for apps, I don't see how you can describe this concept as being in a walled garden. The chromebook is based around an industry-standard browser which gives you access to web apps and HTML5 cloud-based services from any provider.
For example, Kindle's web version direct from Amazon would run, or leading industry solutions such as
SalesForce. To dismiss such powerful web applications as 'net-browsing' is to close your eyes to what a browser can achieve.
I can see the argument that a good browser on an Android tablet or the iPad would give you the same functionality while also providing a source of local apps, but I think chromebooks aren't competing with tablets. They're pitched more against netbooks and laptops running traditional OSes.
That loss of local processing flexibility is their trade-off for ease-of-maintenance and a simple front end, as Google are reinforcing with their advertising campaign. Where your own needs fall on that scale will ultimately determine whether a chromebook would work for you.
Graham