[Cialug] OT: Daydreaming out loud

[Dave J. Hala Jr.]

I agree, this is a bummer....  But did you see the Open Office USB thumb
drive? Wow... you plug in the thumb drive and load OO, and work on and
save your docs all on the same drive.... Now that's brilliant!


On Wed, 2006-01-04 at 13:22, Nathan C. Smith wrote:
> I saw that and I was a little disheartened.  I was hoping it was true,
> just like rumors of a web-based office suite a month or two ago.  At
> least Google is keeping Microsoft on its toes.
>  
> The enemy of my enemy is my friend?
>  
> I was thinking something more like Google's compute experiment or
> SETI at home might be useful on the Google PC.  Google could fragment a
> problem - for example - OCRing all the text in images on the web by
> breaking it down into pieces and having each machine work through a
> fraction of an image as time and CPU permits.  Nothing too time
> sensitive.  Of course you would have to have an algorithm to
> prioritize which images were OCR'd first, and a way to break them down
> and distribute them etc. etc.  I've heard there are a few good minds a
> Google.
>  
>  
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Roach [mailto:jroach at eastersealsia.org] 
> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 1:05 PM
> To: Central Iowa Linux Users Group
> Subject: RE: [Cialug] OT: Daydreaming out loud
> 
> 
> 
> From: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/04/google_denies_pc/
> 
> Google has quashed a rumor that it plans to enter the ultra low-margin
> PC business. The denial will surprise few given the speculative nature
> of the original LA Times piece that made the Google PC claim.
> 
> In a 2006 technology predictions story, the Times declared, "Sources
> say Google has been in negotiations with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., among
> other retailers, to sell a Google PC. The machine would run an
> operating system created by Google, not Microsoft's Windows, which is
> one reason it would be so cheap - perhaps as little as a couple of
> hundred dollars.
> 
> Er, not so fast.
> 
> Reporters calling Google's public relations staff about the rumor were
> told it is "wholly inaccurate." Similarly, Wal-Mart's rather busy PR
> team classified the Times speculation as "a rumor without any truth to
> it at all."
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> John Roach
> Information Technology
> Easter Seals Iowa
> (515) 309-1780
> 
> This electronic transmission and any documents accompanying this
> electronic transmission contain confidential information belonging to
> the sender. This information may be legally privileged. The
> information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity
> named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby
> notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or the taking of
> any action in reliance on or regarding the contents of this
> electronically transmitted information is strictly prohibited. 
> 
> 
>                                    
> ______________________________________________________________________
> 
> From: cialug-bounces at cialug.org [mailto:cialug-bounces at cialug.org] On
> Behalf Of Aaron Porter
> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 12:57 PM
> To: Central Iowa Linux Users Group
> Subject: Re: [Cialug] OT: Daydreaming out loud
> 
> 
>  
> 
> On 1/3/06, Nathan C. Smith <smith at ipmvs.com> wrote:
> 
>         So I'm thinking about this "Google PC" at Wal-Mart, and I'm
>         thinking about
>         Google's giant search engine machine and I'm wondering "can
>         they extend this
>         to the computers they sell?"  So everyone's computer
>         contributes a little to 
>         either the processing, the knowledge, or both at Google
>         Corporate?
>         1) it would be really clever and interesting if they pulled it
>         off
>         
> 
> But I somehow doubt that most consumers of a $200 "PC like device"
> have reliable enough broadband to make it appealing to google. Having
> vast cpu power paid for (and powered) by someone else is nifty, but
> not so cool when you can't get to it. 
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________
> _______________________________________________
> Cialug mailing list
> Cialug at cialug.org
> http://cialug.org/mailman/listinfo/cialug
-- 

Open Source Information Systems, Inc. (OSIS)
Dave J. Hala Jr., President <dave at osis.us>
641.485.1606