Google’s Chrome OS offers a cheaper and easier alternative to Windows or the Mac OS, with a few key advantages and some real limitations. But it’s not for everyone. Here’s what makes it different.

With the Chrome OS, your software and data live in the cloud, accessible via the Chrome browser. Instead of loading software, you install Chrome apps and extensions that appear under separate tabs inside the browser. The OS comes with Google Apps, which you can use for word processing, spreadsheets, email, and the like. Many (though not all) of these apps can operate offline, so you can get work done even when an Internet connection is unavailable. Chrome devices also typically come with smallish solid-state hard drives, which you can download data to.

Having your stuff mostly in the cloud means it’s less likely to be infected with malware or other nastiness that uses your computer as a carrier. All the members of your family can also have their own log-ins (depending on their ages — more on that below), but you can also create things like shared calendars and to-do lists using Google Apps.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/chrome-al...177871144.html

Posted By: kf10
24 Jun 2014