Google Chrome-esque OS is the future!!

Always a bit surprised how much debate there is on defining "the cloud". I suppose there are various ways it can be defined. To me its simple it is "working and living on the internet". Using applications that are hosted on the web and storing and sharing files that are hosted as well with the ability to access them from wherever, whenever. Plain and simple.

Google is hitting the nail square on the head with Chrome OS or Chromium or whatever they want to call it. Here is an explanation..

I love the idea. Whether it is Google or someone else, I love the whole concept of being connected and interacting with applications on the web. I have been preaching it for awhile now and see it as the future. At least for me. There are clearly applications near and dear to me that require a local installation- for now.

I feel like I am working in a hybrid environment of web based and local. I have a netbook that has a 16GB hard drive (SSD), so I use web based applications as much as possible. Not only to save space, but plain and simple I want to be able to access them from wherever, whenever.

95% of my time on my netbook, I am using a single application - Firefox! I leverage a handful of addons and other applications to access my data.. Such, as..

1. Gmail - for personal email
2. Outlook web access - for work email
3. Evernote web - for all of my evernote data (although web exp isnt the best)
4. Dropbox web- for all my work data
5. Echofon- FF twitter addon that sits in the taskbar
6. Identifox- FF indenti.ca addon that sits in the taskbar
7. Mozilla Weave- FF addon for synching all of my FF activities
8. Google docs for basic word proc & spreadsheets
9. Visual Studio web access - for dev-based activities for work
10. Lala- to play my entire music library
11. Hulu for tv/movies

Ok, I think you get the idea. I.m sure there are others that I am missing.

Right now, my biggest struggle is having a "web-based music mgmt" program. Lala is great for uploading and purchasing, but not for managing mp3 players or downloading, once its been uploaded. I'm pretty amazed that someone hasn't jumped on this. Seems like a logical perpetual revenue stream. I would love to be able to access my music, download, transfer it to my own machines (realize that policing this isn't easy) but I am willing to pay for it. I hate itunes and think that songbird, banshee and others could pick up significant share of the party if they hook this up. I hate lugging my music around and transferring it from machine to machine.

Anyway, a bit of a rant here on a Sunday...