Create Virtual Online Computer (Cloudo)

Introducing Cloudo

 JUST EASY
The Cloudo company started in Stockholm, Sweden by 4 guys with the idea of developing a new Cloud based operating system.  Now 3 years later they have officially introduced it and are offering an open beta to anyone that wants to try it out.

Written in javascript and XML/XSLT, Cloudo can run on any computing platform as long as it has a broadband Internet connection and a compatible Internet browser.  Anyone can develop for the platform with the built in development tools and provided documentation.

Not like the others

I have used a couple of cloud based operating systems in the last year and they were all very unappealing to me.  They were slow, ugly, boring, and to finish it off you need to have a really good Internet connection to make it work.  Operating systems are supposed to help you to be more productive and make your life easier, and if they don’t they are only a novelty and have no place in today’s fast paced world.

Most Cloud OS companies are marketing the convenience of having your OS available anywhere with an Internet connection.  While the convenience of having your files anywhere on the Internet and easily accessible can be attractive, why wouldn’t you use one of the many services that backup your data to the Internet?

What’s Different?

The biggest change from other Cloud OS’s that I have seen is that Cloudo is simply beautiful.  The graphical appeal is not only there it makes me want to ditch Windows 7, no questions asked.

Performance is far better than any other Cloud OS I have tried and that is really saying something.  My current Internet connection is via satellite and can be painfully slow at times.  Prior to accessing Cloudo for the first time I needed to download Firefox as Cloudo does not work with IE 8 or Opera (my personal preference).  The Firefox download at 7.2 MB took about 5 minutes to download.  Accessing Cloudo immediately after only took 10 seconds.

One of the most refreshing things about Cloudo is that it doesn’t have the feeling of imitating another OS.  The skins are there if you want it to look like a multitude of different operating systems but none of them have the appeal of Cloudo’s looks.

Applications

The majority of applications currently available are basic games such as Sudoku, Solitaire and Snake.  Many of the applications such as the Weather app are essentially gadgets like those found in OSX or Windows Vista/7.  One thing in common that most of the applications have is that they are aesthetically pleasing.  This is a very consistent theme all throughout Cloudo.

There is a distinct lack of applications for things such as email and Internet browsing.  An RSS reader is included but I find that to almost be a teaser and have no purpose without a way to surf the Internet and remain in the OS.  It consistently bothered me the more I used it that if I needed to do something on the Internet I had to leave Cloudo.

The Cloudo Company is a Swedish start-up, a 5 man team, with an interesting product: a virtual operating system ““ like running Linux inside VMware, but their servers do all the legwork for you.  It’s got another another advantage: all of your documents are accessible from any computer connected to the internet.

Don’t worry about the price, it is supported by advertising and for those interested in developing apps for it, there’s a ‘revenue share’ program. They are also really nice about getting you started ““ offering free support via chat or email.

The user interface is quite modern and beautiful ““ with a lot of features in common with KDE ““ transparent menus, big icons, a built-in search tool in the Menu and one click access to frequently used apps. You can run Cloudo in full screen by selecting View> Fullscreen in Firefox or just press F11.