JoliCloud is now available for the public–the cloud OS version 1.0 has been lauded as a great example of how HTML5 and web-based access will drive innovation around netbooks in the future. Now that JoliCloud is available for download, we’ll be able to see how the Linux-based cloud client holds up to the hype.

Started by former Netvibes founder Tariq Krim, the Paris-based Jolicloud includes an app-oriented user interface with its OS. Combining some of the better aspects of current smart phone app markets and web browsers, the JoliCloud experience is streamlined and rather straightforward. For netbook users, the simplified process of accessing the sites and services they already use is a welcomed upgrade. I’ve even recommended it to my mother for photo-sharing across her favorite networks, as she almost immediately regretted the purchase of her netbook after realizing its OS limitations.

Having already gone through a few renovations, JoliCloud’s long road includes an abandoning of Mozilla’s Prism open-source OS in favor of Chrome’s. In that regard, JoliCloud’s release is also a chance to familiarize yourself with some Chrome browser and OS features, as Google’s own launch is likely months away. JoliCloud is also a staunch supporter of HTML5, utilizing its expanded support through Chrome’s OS.

This all speaks to the cloud-oriented position of JoliCloud, looking to make a more seamless user experience. With the deluge of consumer electronics, cloud access becomes more important than ever. Social networks and other services with associated accounts are being built into many mobile devices, making data immediately accessible for populating that device. Centralizing several of these apps within a web-based OS gives a more fluid feel to the personal cloud, and makes the entire OS itself a movable “object.”

Though JoliCloud’s early iteration is only a baby step in the grand scheme of things, it demonstrates more ways in which cloud-based markets will grow. The app format used by JoliCloud is an interface concept being applied to several devices where a web-based OS will suffice. Television sets now come with app stores, instantly gratifying consumer access to their email, movie queues and VoIP chat tools.

It’s evident that this account-oriented approach to the cloud will only grow in the coming year or two. This is important for developers and publishers to keep in mind, as OS’s like JoliCloud will generate more distribution channels across consumer devices. They will need to be as centralized as possible, with seamless integration from a consumer-facing and development standpoint, with web-based OS’s acting as stabilizing forces for expected growth in these areas.