If you’re running a browser on Microsoft Vista, XP, Linux, Mac OS X, or Solaris, the latest Glide OS browser add-on from TransMedia Corp. lets you extend your browser operating system with lots of little applications.

It’s cloud computing -- a widely misunderstood term -- made simple and painless. It takes advantage of the hardware installation on the host operating system for things like printers or external disks. In essence, Glide lets the cloud speak to your browser and your host operating system. Think of it as a completely portable flash RAM drive.

Cutting to the chase: The newest release, Glide OS 4.0, launched yesterday (Dec. 7), is basically flawless. And although additional storage and user space can be purchased for about five dollars per month, the 10-Gybte/6-user maximum on the freebie version should suffice for most users.

To get Glide OS, go to the standard login screen at the front door of the GlideOS homepage (shown below). The first time through, hit the Register button, fill out the resulting fields, and you’re done. Nothing to download, nothing to install.

The Glide 4.0 login screen.

It’s taken awhile for my mind to grasp the concept of a browser-based operating system. I’m used to operating system installation/upgrades taking a few hours, at least. I got Glide 4.0 up and operational in less than 10 minutes.

Once Glide OS 4.0 is installed, you’ll see a desktop very much like the screen shot below -- full of little applications that certainly should be giving “The Big Boys” serious cause for concern.

The Glide 4.0 desktop.

For example, see below what an empty spreadsheet looks like. It’s very similar to what Excel has to offer:

An empty Glide 4.0 spreadsheet.

There are some things you’ll need to get Glide OS up and running. Assuming that your operating system is up to date (in the case of Windows, running Windows Update assures this), you’ll still have to have the .NET Framework, a programming foundation staple.

You’ll also need a bunch of memory. I found at least 1 Gbyte was best when I tested Glide OS using Vista. And you'll need a high-resolution video display, preferably running Aero if you’re running Vista.

Finally, make sure you have plenty of free disk space: I found substantial differences in performance between 15 to 33 Mbytes and a system offering less than 10 free Mbytes. The more free disk, the faster Glide will run.

Glide comes configured for automatic synchronization of your files, media, and other information between your local hard disk and your Glide hard disk. For instance, I use a number of different browsers, such as Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and even SeaMonkey. I found it easy to keep my calendars and contact lists in sync, all easily and transparently. This was particularly important when I found a site in one browser I bookmarked and I was in sync with other browsers through the auspices of Glide. I tried a number of bookmarks in Firefox, for example, and found them to show up in Internet Explorer or the next time I synced with SeaMonkey.

One thing: It appears that files are transferred using XML and through the auspices of the Adobe PDF format: That’s pretty slow, but I can’t think of a more affordable way of doing things.

A final “selling” point for Glide OS is that it automatically converts about 250 to 300 formats for a number of devices, bringing the idea of device independence to a new level. Road warriors will find that many mobile devices, including cellphones, will mesh well with automatic synchronization.

I did find it disconcerting that the mouse cursor disappeared from time to time. And there are some inconsistencies related to poorly defined browser interfaces. These should be ironed out as the product matures. After all, Glide OS 4.0 is a new release.

Overall, though, cool stuff!

— Ross M. Greenberg is an experienced software author, journalist, technology writer, and online forum and community manager.