Jolicloud Cloud-Based Linux Desktop Review

Name: Jolicloud Cloud-Based Linux Desktop Review - Page 2
Brand: Jolicloud

by Jesse Litton — Monday, January 24, 2011, 12:30 PM EDT

Jolicloud 1.1 Computing Experience (cont.)

Like the phones you may be accustomed to using, Jolicloud sports a simplified “app center” that makes it easy to add hundreds of free Linux applications and web sites to the desktop. When an icon is added for these, there is a simple “Like” or “Unlike” option that updates your Jolicloud feed. This lets you and your friends keep abreast of which apps you do or do not prefer, allowing you to more readily learn about (or inform your friends of) new and popular apps/sites.

Jolicloud's application installer

Unlike ChromeOS and most phones, this OS is not locked down. Power-users can still get to a console, perform any tweaks, and install any native Linux apps they desire.

Access to all local system apps via GUI and terminal

Another interesting aspect of this OS, harkening back to the accessibility mentioned earlier, is that you can access your Jolicloud desktop from any computer with an HTML5 compliant browser (right now, that means Chrome or Chromium). Simply point your browser to my.jolicloud.com, login with either your Jolicloud or Facebook ID, and your desktop appears just as it would on any other synchronized Jolicloud device.

Cloud Access to Synchronized Desktop via a Web Browser

Improvements since version 1.0 include faster boot times, HD video and Flash improvements, as well as longer (15% more battery life). You can see the Jolicloud site for a list of additional features.

The future of this operating system is anything but certain, with ChromeOS sure to grab a large portion of the same target audience, but it's definitely worth a look.