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Mon. March 7, 2005, 12:44pm PST

Google OS - coming soon to a desktop near you?

Without knowing or ever knowingly having spoken to or had any contact with any employee of Google, Inc. the following is my prediction of things to come from the simple search engine turned empire. Google OS. Yup, you heard it here first (unless you read it somewhere else before this). I predict that Google is setting their sights high when it comes to their burgeoning and ever more intense competition with Microsoft. There's been speculation about Google creating or branding something like Firefox to create a powerful web browser with all sorts of integrated Google goodies. The signs for this are certainly there. They registered the domain gbrowser.com and have hired two Firefox developers into their fray. There's also a Firefox-branded start page Google put up when Firefox launched back in November. Haven't seen them extend this priviladge to any other product out there.

But I'm shooting for the sky, here. A browser would be nice but it's rather predictable, an attribute Google doesn't usually seem to subscribe to. A complete computer operating system, however, would truly establish their direct competition with our friends in Redmond. The pieces for a basic operating environment are really already there. Obvious is the desktop search that just came out of beta today and added full support to our favorite alternative browser and email client. They've also got Picasa to satisfy people's digital photo organizational needs. Google Maps helps people get where they want to go with a simple to use interface and printability. There's a local search that pulls up your favorite nearby pizza place and will surely integrate with their maps soon enough. For folks who dig web-based email there's Gmail that made waves when it first offered 1 gigabyte of storage for email encouraging folks to save and search rather than trash old email. Why not even make a pen pal or two combining Gmail and Google's language tools? You can get your fix of news and even play the part of informed consumer when comparing prices with Froogle. Gosh, what am I missing?

Office. For Google to create an user experience worthy of a useful OS it needs to add some kind of word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation option. They could cosey up with the folks over at OpenOffice.org poised to soon release version 2.0 of its product. There may also be other options like using WYSIWYG webpage editors or something from their Blogger site to make for decent word processing. They might also add features to something like Firefox to achieve this. For presentations there are plenty of web-based solutions that hum along nearly as well as a basic PowerPoint. Best example I've seen of this to date is Eric Meyer's S5.

So, with pretty much all the applications in place, what reasons would Google have to do this? Well, aside from the obvious ways to gain space for paid advertisements, they may have some shread of decency left that would call for an OS that's easy to use and could help drive the cost of PCs down.

Anyway, I don't have anything else to back this up but just wanted to get my idea out there. Hopefully, for my personal sake, this doesn't turn out to be the case since bloggers are now being prosecuted for such revelations. I can, however, assure you that I have no anonymous source behind this speculation. It's all me here, baby. Let any trade secrets I stumble upon be damned!

Mon. March 7, 2005, 08:13pm PST

House hunters seek opinions

We paid a visit to a place here in North Tacoma this afternoon and we're dealing with somewhat mixed, although mostly positive, emotions about it. Any help any of you can provide would be much appreciated. The house has recently updated electrical, plumbing, paint, and upstairs bathroom. The big, internal stuff seems in great shape as well as a nice kitchen with good appliances. Some paint and certainly new carpet or floors are the only major stoppers before moving in. The space in the main room is good as well as the dining room. Just off the kitchen is a laundry room with possible half bath not yet finished. Upstairs are three bedrooms. The master is a good size while the other two (one an office and one a guest room) have sloped ceilings but nothing too short. The bathroom up there is in great shape. The backyard isn't awful but certainly needs some clean-up work (Kelly? Portfolio project -- we pay!). Basement is strange and mostly unfinished although a good start was made on something akin to a rumpus room.

The neighbors and neighborhood are great! We chatted with a few folks outside and they said a lot of work went into this place before the owners packed up and left for Hawaii. They seemed like nice people and assured us that the neighborhood is a great one especially since they're both raising families here.

It's right in our price range and could turn out to be a great investment, like I said, without major internal or structural work. Don't worry, no money has exchanged hands but the next step would be a home inspection. So, what do you all think?

Comments (8) | To Top

3/8/2005 @ 2:33am

Not as nice as something you would get in Scotland...okay, I had to get that one in! Looks nice from the outside and the few pics of the inside. The question is, how does it feel to you, and how much time/money are you willing to spend getting it how you like? Imagine the time that you spend now doing the things you like to do in the evenings and on weekends, and would you like to replace that with yard work and other house projects? That rumpus room looks like a bit of work. How many bathrooms does it have for you and your guests? Just some questions off the top of my head! If the owners have run off to Hawaii and it has been on the market for a while, then perhaps you can get a deal. Very exciting times for you all!

by Toni

3/8/2005 @ 9:20am

Okay, so I looked this up online and it seems like a very good deal to me. However, one bathroom might be a little scary. The basement has a lot of potential, but would take mucho time and energy, as would the back yard. The house is really charming and looks like it's in good shape, which is hard to find in an older home. Your sister is right, how you and Sarah feel about it should be the deciding factor. When I first walked into the house I bought, I got really nervous and just knew. Which sounds stupid, but it's the truth.

by Britta

3/8/2005 @ 9:40am

I think it's pretty darn cute. One bathroom would not be my cup of tea, but it is not unusual in that age house. If one is already plumbed downstairs, that would be a plus and wouldn't take too much money to do. I like the pictures of the neighborhood -- looks pretty homey. Good luck making a decision. Buying is almost always a good investment.

by Mom Freitas

3/8/2005 @ 10:51am

One bathroom is liveable, I can attest to that. Looks good with lots or room and modern appliances. Paint and carpet are pretty standard fare for any older home, especially if you want to impart some color and your own style into the place. It can be whatever you want it to be depending on how much time, effort, and money you are willing to invest. Depending on how you do you home loan, you could get extra cash back to do big immediate jobs like carpet or a new deck. Good luck, have fun. Owning a home is a fun, never-ending story...

by Joe Bro

3/8/2005 @ 9:45pm

I love it!! It's quite charming... Once the deck is updated, it will make for a great star-gazing platform, I'm sure! Like Home Depot says, "You can do it, we can help." Also, I've been doing some painting lately, so you can always call on me. (I can just picture a painting party in the works!!)

Make sure that Fred (is that your realtor's name?) finds out all the assessor information I explained over the phone. It sounds like he knows a lot, so I feel comfortable that you're using him.

Hooray! Call me soon!

by Mandy

3/8/2005 @ 10:40pm

Wow, that is cute! Steve's house is very similar in time period and style (including the single bathroom), and it has worked out great for him. Does it have new windows, as that was something he had to install? Just fyi...

I'd say go for it!

by Dave

3/9/2005 @ 6:20am

All new windows already -- it'd be really cool if we can swing it! We're working on an offer this afternoon so stay tuned...

by KevinFreitas

3/11/2005 @ 12:54pm

It looks like a sure go from what I can see.
You can do a lot with the place.
Billyt

by Billy Champion