Google Native Client - a step to browser as operating system

Google announced Native Client - a browser plugin technology that allows applications written in native code (as opposed to code requiring a virtual machine like Java or scripting languages that are interpreted at runtime like JavaScript) to run on your computer. This means much more powerful applications taking full advantage of the processing power modern computers provide. Security is a huge concern here but Google skirts the issue by claiming that potential benefits will outweigh the risks.

Seeing Google talk about browser plugins brings to mind its own Chrome browser. Chrome plus Native Client sounds to me like a giant step toward the idea of Web browser essentially replacing the local operating system. So we have Google already basically controlling the Web and now gaining a foothold on local devices! Cloud computing, here we come.