Jolicloud, the custom OS designed and built specifically for netbooks, is quietly launching later this month in private alpha for a select number of early testers and people who put themselves on the waiting list. I had a long chat with founder Tariq Krim (of Netvibes fame) about the current status of Jolicloud and came away pretty impressed. You’ll need patience before you can give it a whirl, but the good news is that we got hold of some exclusive screenshots of the operating system in action so you can see how spectacular it (still) looks, at least.
First, the skinny about the project. Krim has always been bullish on the (open) Web in general and open source technology in particular, and when netbooks started to make their way into the low-cost computer market right about the time that cloud computing was clearly maturing, he thought it was a shame that the user experience on the small-screen computers was often below par. In an effort to change that, he sought to develop a custom-built OS using open source technology and betting big on open standards, that would basically make using netbooks sexy in the same way that Apple showed the world how a mobile phone should function when it introduced the iPhone. Michael made the same analogy when he first caught wind of Jolicloud back in December 2008.
Jolicloud is based on Ubuntu and Debian but is optimized significantly for use with netbooks that are permanently connected to the Internet, whether it’s over WiFi or 3G. It enables users to install a bunch of web applications that run as if they were installed natively, including Gmail, Skype, Boxee, Twitter, Facebook, DropBox, Meebo, and many more. This is made possible thanks to a close collaboration with the developers behind Mozilla’s Prism project and the open standards that live on the Web. While the Jolicloud team is pondering about some day developing a native Webkit client for the OS, it currently runs Firefox with Google Gears installed by default and supports both Adobe Flash and AIR, which means you can do virtually everything on Jolicloud that you can currently do with your current computer’s browser.
Interestingly, you can assign your Jolicloud profile (including all the applications you use) to multiple computers, which also means you can easily power up a brand new netbook, install the OS and use it exactly the same way you’re using it on any other netbook. There’s also a bit of a social layer baked into the system that lets you keep track of your installation history and displays updates in the style of Facebook’s News Feed. The system also feeds you updates on which software your friends are using (you can follow freinds who install it), so you can check if you’re using the most recent / optimized version for any tool based on their behavior. I think it would also make sense for Jolicloud to incorporate features from social network Wakoopa in there, so you could get recommendations based on what you use most, for example.
Below is a presentation with a collection of screenshots that reveal a lot about the functionality and design of the upcoming netbook OS (it works best if you view the slides in full-screen mode) as well as a video from netbooknews.com featuring a review of a slightly older version of Jolicloud.
Personally, I’m excited about the project’s potential and can’t wait to test the alpha version—dubbed Robby because of Krim’s fascination with Robby The Robot—on my Acer Aspire One later this month. At the same time, I have my reservations about the potential for Jolicloud to gain the necessary traction to make waves in the market, or the ability for the fledgling company to compete with other Linux-based operating systems, particularly Android which is rumored to be coming to netbooks in a big way in the future. But Krim is trying to invent the future here, and for that alone Jolicloud is worth keeping an eye on.
Very interesting, good to see an exciting alternative to the XP home edition that most netbox are running these days.
Alternative yes, exciting no.
I am looking forward to buying a SmartBook in Fall 2009
Watch this video http://www.GoSmartBook.com
Netbooks will fade away.
Yes a want a 11″ iPhone too
“Jolicloud is based on Ubuntu and Debian but is optimized significantly for use with netbooks that are permanently connected to the Internet, whether it’s over WiFi or 3G”
What if I don’t have internet signal for a few hours? Say I’m on a plane. Or somewhere without singal. From my read, it’s quite possible that I’d be left with an unusable product.
If so: FAIL.
It doesn’t *require* your netbook to be permanently connected to the Internet, it’s just *optimized* for it. So it won’t drain your battery life as quickly, for instance.
Wait, I take that back. You’re right. It runs apps online as if they were native. o.O That’s kind of weird! I guess you don’t need as many apps if you’re offline, though: some text editors and stuff.
Yes, it’s called a PAPERWEIGHT !!
that’s what my laptop computer became for a little while until I reinstalled XP-home (virus free) and restored all my settings and data
It’s not all that different when you’re not able to connect…
Product like these looks good only for people who use laptop/pc for internet surfing only.
OS such as XP, Vista etc are all specifically built for PC not for netbooks, so I definitely think this OS would be much better suited for Netbooks.
Can’t wait to try this alpha
I can’t wait to try this on my netbook!
I think there’s two crucial elements to keep in mind for anything like this to be successful:
a. ubiquitous connectivity (esp. wireless) is not a reality today. All the apps that don’t specifically require connectivity need to keep on working fine without connectivity.
b. however they do it, you need a proper powerpoint software. By proper I mean something that natively reads and plays powerpoint files exactly as intended. If not, the legacy of existing presentations alone will kill this.
A lot of people (myself included) use netbooks when traveling for work. I installed xp over the native linux solely for that reason…
Unless cloud-based presentation software does the job for you. If you need Office, I won’t try to argue that you should switch tools, but for a lot of younger people, native Office software’s inconveniences outweigh the benefits. The trend where I sit is for leaner, simpler presentations, anyway.
If you like using ineffective partially complete light weight web app alternatives to MS office, I won’t try to argue that you should change tools, but for all the wiser people, these half assed solutions just aren’t good enough.
Don’t forget Google and Zoho…. Online presentations work wonders for business travel. They import Powerpoint… I still kept Linux on my netbook for speed/power/personal preference reasons over Windows.
I love the innovation on the netbook OS front… Between this and Moblin, there’s definitely going to be some options for consumers, and innovation in this space is crucial.
Good work everyone!
Apple will DESTROY this when they come out with their netbook killer.
I agree with Apple Master. Apple will complete smash this new OS.
Apple doesn’t even have a netbook sized computer yet. When are they going to crush this? 2015? Their efforts are on Snow Leopard and some un-needed new version of the iPhone that still won’t play Flash and won’t have a removable/replaceable battery and will run one app at a time.
Whatever happened to TechCrunch’s own techboard? Development hell?
wow..the snaps look nice.But is this gonna be the best ? i guess not .
I’ve been following Jolicloud for a while and I’m ecstatic about the alpha release.
I really agree with the driving energy behind Jolicloud and I think that the people who are worried about the absence of “offline usage” will be surprised when they see how little it matters. We’re sprinting into a state where everyone is connected 24/7/365. Put the load on the servers and make it so that you can go from machine to machine and use each as if they were your own PC.
These new OS’ along with releases of things like Google Wave, tell me that we’re really starting to innovate with Web 2.0.
The Qualcomm/ Google joint venture with the unveiling of smart books will take over the market
Smartbook will be a device that has all the features of smartphones and more –
-instant-on
-Mobile TV
-3G wireless support for connectivity everywhere
- highly portable and provides all day battery usage.
These things you don’t get from a netbook or notebook computer
http://www.HelloSmartBook.com
uh… you DO get that from a netbook. depends which one (for 3g and battery).
the machines in that vide on the smart book site ARE netbooks or tablet MIDs. netbook is more of a size description, since they all come loaded with different operating systems and hardware. There are ones that have built in gps, 3g, and long battery life.
NO netbooks (smart books, tablets, MIDs) are NOT taking over the market. They are enhancing the MOBILE market of laptops and cell phones. I suppose re-categorizing the market to MIDs. You think netbooks are the only ones to sport built in GPS and cellular modems? Laptops too….Just bigger form factor. Which equals more power, bigger screen….A personal preference.
There’s no taking over any market. It’s just one big happy family!
I would hope to see Apple come out with something better. The MacBook air is going in the right direction, and so is the iPhone.
I think with the rise of web-based development environments, like AppJet and Heroku – We will see a boom in these sales. I know there are Photoshop ‘alternatives’ running on the web.
Once we get a faster internet, and move towards compliance and standards, these little ‘web os’ platforms and netbooks are gonna be all the rage among the ‘tech crunch’ style crowd.
It definitely looks cool, I’ve been following it for a while — but I don’t really care to know when my friends install/un-install apps. I also don’t really care (most times) who they are following. Plus they won’t have Jolicloud anyway….
It’s over-socialized in an empty room.
I tried out Moblin, which kicks arse. It’s buggy as hell, but it’ll get better.
I think Jolicloud is going to now be competing with Intel (Moblin) and Google (Android) in the upcoming months. VERY bad position to be in. Not to mention CloudOS.
I don’t like the word “cloud” in this sense because to me, it’s a network of servers that help hold up a service (usually a web site). Like Amazon, Rackspace, Google, Mesh, etc. NOT this mis-used version of it. I know it’s a network of computers…but they gotta use the word “social” more than “cloud” for what they’re talking about. It’s a network of people more than it is the computers. In my case, my friends mostly use OS X, so it’s a lonely network.