First cloud operating system could lighten our laptop

If one cannot decide between Windows or Mac for a new laptop then an experimental new cloud-based operating system called TransOS could let one switch between them on a whim.More and more software is migrating to the cloud, but to make a computer run we still need a basic OS on its hard drive. China have claimed that they have the first cloud-only OS. It runs on remote servers and treats traditional OSes like Windows as a resource that can be streamed to a laptop - or even phone, smart TV, fridge or other appliance - on demand.

Instead of a full version of Windows, our laptop would need to run only enough software to get it started and connected to the internet - making it effectively a "dumb terminal". TransOS would then sit as a thin layer of software sandwiched between the laptop's bare essentials and a virtual version of a conventional OS - along with all the usual programs and applications - streamed from the cloud.

Since only the parts of the OS that are required at any given time are delivered to the machine, the researchers believe that TransOS could work with low-powered computing devices as well as powerful desktop boxes.