For most computer users – at least those of us who use Windows-based PCs – hardware drivers are a part of our lives for the foreseeable future. Google, however, says that when it introduces its Chrome OS at the end of 2010, they won’t be relying on printer drivers to transfer information between computers and printers. Google also says that the architecture of the OS will enable users to print to their “home” printer without being attached to the home network. For example, you could print something from your BlackBerry device to your home printer while you’re out shopping.

What Would A World Without Drivers Look Like?

If Google doesn’t plan do introduce drivers into its OS, how will it supply (and receive) information to (and from) peripherals? Google introduced its “cloud printing” plans earlier this week. The plan is to replace myriad printer drivers that are designed only to work with a specific piece of hardware with a printing infrastructure that can talk to anything from anything, anywhere, anytime.

This sounds like a dream come true for Windows PC users who have valiantly battled stubborn hardware drivers for years. But what exactly is “the Cloud” Google refers to. The applications that operate in the Chrome OS are all Web apps, which means that they don’t reside on the user’s computer in the first place. Essentially, Google will take care of getting it to the right place. The trick for Google will be to identify and deliver the print job to the user’s printer. Google does battle with the printers and users just get their stuff.

Will it work? Cloud computing isn’t new, so there’s a good bet that it will. The question for users becomes one of trust. Do you trust Google with your information? If so, then carry on. If not, you’re probably not likely to be using the Chrome OS much anyway given that you’ll be accessing all of your applications and documents on the Web.

Will the cloud approach extend to everything? That remains to be seen, but there’s no reason it couldn’t. The centralized control of hardware functions would mean less overall work for the end user, but it would also mean less overall control for those in this world who support IT.

Personally, I don’t see a major shift away from Windows anytime in the near future. Businesses simply don’t operate that quickly. I do see that Software as a Service (SaaS) may play a larger role, which may mean that users will need to get much cozier with software publishers in the not-so-distant future.

Photo Credit: Jason Rogers, via Flickr