I wrote this review a while ago and have had a really hard time getting myself to publish it.  For the life of me I can’t be nice to gOS no matter how hard I try.  So please remember that while your reading this that it is from a very biased point of view. – Paul

gOS Gadgets

Good OS released their newest iteration of gOS earlier this month, version 3.1 Gadgets.  gOS is based on Ubuntu and as such can be a very powerful release.  Designed for beginner users many features are trimmed down and simplified so that new Linux users are not overwhelmed.

Introducing gOS

Features in gOS 3.1

  • Google Desktop Gadgets
  • Wine (allows some Windows applications to run in Linux)
  • Mozilla Prism (brings web applications out of their browser and installs them directly to gOS)
  • Google Mail, Google Calendar, Google Documents by using Mozilla Prism
  • Open Office
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Skype

The really big thing with gOS 3.1 is the addition of Mozilla Prism.  This has allowed them to bring the interface a little closer to that of a Windows machine as well as integrate Google further into the OS.  The Google applications such as Mail, Calendar and Documents function very well and enhances the overall experience of using gOS.

gOS’s original release was in 2007 where they made a lot of publicity due to it being sold in Walmart on Everex computers for only $199.  The computers are still for sale at Walmart but now for an even cheaper price of $130 (on clearance).

Using gOS 3.1 Gadgets

I started my gOS 3.1 Gadgets experience as any typical user would.  I downloaded the ISO and burned it without any problems.  Booting off of the CD was very painless and booted right in without any problems at all.  But that was about where the fun stopped.

When the desktop was fully loaded I started to play with the gadgets that are scattered across the desktop.  After clicking on the flowers and thinking “How pointless” I saw the pretty little water drops fall down.  There is a nice icon in the taskbar that even toggles on and off the gadgets.  I play with it a couple times  and decide to leave the gadgets enabled so I can absorb “The Experience”.  Then I got a nice little message on one of the gadgets stating that it needs to be connected to the Internet in order to function.

After clicking on the network connection icon in the taskbar to enter in my network details, a little pop-up opens.  I start typing in my information only to realize that the dialog box is not in focus.  Ok no big deal small oversight on the developers part.  Once the details are entered I select OK and then wait for it to connect.  The connection goes smoothly (as it should seeing as it is based on Ubuntu) but I notice the gadget stating it needs an Internet connection is not updating.  I click on it and get no response. Then I click on another gadget and get no response. Apparently all of the gadgets are dead.  The button in the taskbar to turn them on and off is no longer working either.

Ok now I am a little bothered by this point.  It’s supposed to be called gOS 3.1 GADGETS and the gadget part doesn’t work?  Kind of a big oversight on both the developers side and the testers side of things.   But maybe there are updates available for it?  I decided to do a full gOS install to make sure it’s not just a Live disk problem.

I proceed through the installation which was relatively quick (again Ubuntu’s side of things).  Once the process is completed and I have entered in my details I am again brought to the desktop.  The gadgets are of course there and “functional” with one stating it needs an Internet connection.  I follow the same process of connecting to my wireless network (the pop-up issue was still occurring) and then go to click on a gadget.  The gadget was dead.  All of them are non-functional and basically just glued to the wallpaper.

I disconnect from the wireless and then reboot machine and verified it again.  Any time a user connects to a wireless network the gadgets hard-lock.  Maybe there is an update available that will fix the problem?  Nope.  After a fully updated OS I am still presented with the same problem.

Maybe the problem was just due to hardware issues?  Perhaps there is a component that it doesn’t like?  Well after the 4th machine with the same exact problem easily replicated on each of them I found myself more frustrated than anything else.

Other applications

One thing that gOS did right was it’s Mozilla Prism implementation (aside from the gadget part) which allow for apps such as Google Docs to be installed directly to the machine independent of the Internet.  The applications for the most part worked as expected and were relatively fast.  Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar are really nice additions to the OS and make it feel more full.

Criticisms/Complaints

My personal feelings are that gOS 3.1 Gadgets was poorly tested and even more poorly named.  A better name that might have bought you some forgiveness regarding parts not working would have been “gOS 3.1 Prism”.  Having the most prominent component of your OS be Gadgets that don’t work is a horrible way to gain customer loyalty.  Next time please keep the gadgets in your testing labs a little longer and stick to things that will gain you respect such as gOS Cloud.

At the bottom of the main desktop the applications are launched from a very OSX type dock.  This dock appears to be transparent however it is merely skinned to be the same as the default gOS wallpaper.  When a user changes the wallpaper they still have a menu bar that is green.

Final Verdict

I am admittedly biased in this review due to my experience but if your looking for my advice, RUN FROM gOS! If  your looking for a nice easy to use Linux distro then please do both of us a favor and download either Ubuntu 8.10 or OpenSolaris 2008.11 which are excellent operating systems with few if any problems.

Maybe others will have a better experience than I did.  Feel free to give it a try and let me know what you discover.  Perhaps things will be better for you than they were for me.

To get additional details about gOS you can check them out at ThinkgOS.com