Friday, June 3, 2011

Concerns for Chromebook

I think I share a few concerns...

What about Excel & PPT?
Google's answer to Excel and PPT is Google Docs. Personally, I haven't been impressed. I like that I can share spreadsheets with colleagues. For example, I have a small business and my colleague in Thailand can edit orders and I can update payments, etc. Really cool business solution. Being browser-based, it is much more practical than Dropbox or SugarSync, both of which are file-sharing sites but mostly not used via the browser. So, Google Docs is nice for collaboration.

But for so many people, Excel and PPT are critical parts of life, especially office life. Consultants, for example, are likely to stay with PPT. Corporate people who make reports and presentations will also likely stay with Microsoft.

Fortunately, I stumbled upon this article that Chromebook will have Citrix. What is Citrix? Imagine a window where you can log in to your remote desktop/laptop. So, you can access your other computer via Chromebook and use whatever programs are installed in there. Joy!

However, doesn't having to login to another computer defeat the whole purpose of cloud computing and the Chromebook? Yes and no. Yes, it does defeat the main tagline of the Chromebook - that you can do everything you want on the web. And no, because remote desktop/ remote server logins are totally common. I for one will be using my Chromebook to login to my company server to access some stuff there (e.g., analysis software). I might as well set up my work laptop for remote access as well, and I can use Chromebook which is much lighter and better with battery.

How slow will 3G be if I have to connect to VPN or Citrix?
Kinda scared of the answer here. Last time I used Citrix five years ago (via wired connection), I wanted to pull my hair out. Hopefully, 3G and other auxiliary technology have improved to the point that things feel seamless. I hope VPN also works fine.

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