Google Chrome OS: A new interesting announcement

So, now it's official. Google is taking on Microsoft in operating systems. Google announced that it is developing a Google Chrome OS, an open source lightweight operating system aimed for net books and other low end devices.

It is quite simple system. A Google chrome web browser running on top of Linux kernel and a custom windom manager. Applications are basically implemented in web based techniques and work for all standard browsers on any platform. The OS runs both on ARM and x86 based platforms and makes it possible to use it in multiple different embedded devices as well as on net books.

Google emphasizes that Chrome OS and Android are two different products, as it has been rumored that Android will be used on net books too.

As a happy user of Google Android Dev Phone I feel like the new Chrome OS is something that makes me love net books even more. I'm happy with my Eee PC, but not as happy as with Android and I feel like the OS is making the difference. If Google reaches the same level with Chrome OS as it has reached with Android... I hope so as we need better user experiences at low cost to innovate more effectively in future.

This is also good news for companies like IT Mill, that develops a toolkit for web application development. Go guys!

Agile tour 2009

I just bumped into Agile Tour series of mini conferences. I love the idea of making a series of small free conferences to promote Agile development and the values of agile. Too bad I'm a bit late to propose Turku and Helsinki as possible venues as well as Tampere and Oulu. In Finland I guess these four cities all would benefit from the conference and there would be enough participants in each.

Anyways, next time Agile Tour is going to be organized, I try to notice it soon enough to propose my city/cities and to contribute to Finnish agile and software development community.

In case your interested in participating in this effort, please contact me by leaving e.g. comment to this post.

Rocks Into Gold by Clarke Ching

Check out this great book by Clarke Ching. It can be read without a cost as a slideshare presentation, but I would recommmend buying this book in order to support Clarke. All in all, lots of great thoughts in simple, little and powerful presentation.

Rocks Into Gold - Helping Programmers THRIVE through the Credit Crunch - by Clarke Ching

View more presentations from cching. (tags: crunch cashflow)

Now anyone can publish a book

I just found my way to a service that I had nearly forgotten. I've thought of writing a book that gives an easy and simple explanation on what agile development is about and why it is something everyone in software development industry should be familiar with. The easiest way to publish this kind of quite short and simple book is to use Lulu.

Lulu is an online publishing service, that lets you publish your own books and get some income from it too. Idea is simple and powerful: Upload your text, add some information and let Lulu do the publishing and manufacturing. Afterward you can let Lulu also sell your book or acquire a ISBN number for it and sell it e.g. in Amazon. Brilliant idea!

The best thing in this idea is that it really answers some need. People really want to publish their writings. Usually it is hard, and for most people finding a publisher would be a waste of time. Lulu makes it easy, gives a way to bring yourself out in hardcover format. As Time magazine stated: The person of the year is You. And Lulu brings you available to everyone.