Stallman slams Chrome OS as “careless computing”

Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Federation (FSF), has slammed Google’s new operating system as "careless computing”.

In an interview with The Guardian Stallman said that the new operating system would be a hindrance, not a help to many users since its raison d'etre was to promote cloud computing and remove users from having control of their own data.

"In the US, you even lose legal rights if you store your data in a company's machines instead of your own,” he said.

“The police need to present you with a search warrant to get your data from you; but if they are stored in a company's server, the police can get it without showing you anything. They may not even have to give the company a search warrant."

He said that the term cloud computing was essentially a meaningless marketing slogan designed to distract people from the reality of handing data over to third parties.

Stallman said Google was taking users down a worrying path with the new operating system.

"In essence, Chrome OS is the GNU/Linux operating system. However, it is delivered without the usual applications, and rigged up to impede and discourage installing applications," he said.

"I'd say the problem is in the nature of the job Chrome OS is designed to do. Namely, encourage you to keep your data elsewhere, and do your computing elsewhere, instead of doing it in your own computer."

Stallman was joined in his criticism by Gmail and Google AdSense creator Paul Buchheit, who also coined the company's slogan "Don't be evil".

"ChromeOS will be killed next year – or 'merged' with Android," he said in a Friendfeed posting.