Jolicloud: the cloud computing operating system

A free OS completely cloud oriented
Jolicloud is an operating system based on the Ubuntu (9.04) and Debian distributions. In its latest stable version 1.1, it is particularly addressed at netbook users, but PC and Mac users can also give it a go. The project began in 2008, with Tariq Krim as founder and CEO of the group which wanted to create a "natural" portable computer which equally mixes together green technologies and commerce. Jolicloud looks a lot like the future Google Chrome OS with an interface made very simple with large icons. It is completely Web 2.0 and cloud computing oriented (information stored in the cloud) with no data stored locally on your computer, but rather on web servers.

The idea is to offer the Internet connected user an open and free system associated with a range of free online services like OpenOffice, Gmail, Google Documents, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Firefox, Skype, Deezer and Office Live. These services are just as easy to install as Android or iOS. The advantage here, as you would have surely understood, is that you don’t need to have a powerful hardware configuration. The inconvenience, if there is one, is data security – although this is the same as with all online services (webmail, online shopping, internet banking, etc.).

Installing, running from removable media, virtualisation…
There are numerous ways that you can test Jolicloud before deciding whether you want to make the change. You can install it on a memory stick, run it from a LiveCD or create a virtual machine (VirtualBox, for example). It is also possible to install the OS on its own machine or as a dual boot Windows + Jolicloud, with the boot choice allowing you to load one or the other operating system. Finally, the internet user can try Jolicloud online, although this is only available with the Chrome browser and its "app" available on the Chrome web store. You could also decide to get a Jolibook (Jolicloud netbook).