Posted on 07/08/2009 8:54:10 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
It's been an exciting nine months since we launched the Google Chrome browser. Already, over 30 million people use it regularly. We designed Google Chrome for people who live on the web searching for information, checking email, catching up on the news, shopping or just staying in touch with friends. However, the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web. So today, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension of Google Chrome the Google Chrome Operating System. It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.
Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.
Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.
Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year. The software architecture is simple Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies. And of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform.
Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.
We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files. Even more importantly, they don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates. And any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.
We have a lot of work to do, and we're definitely going to need a lot of help from the open source community to accomplish this vision. We're excited for what's to come and we hope you are too. Stay tuned for more updates in the fall and have a great summer.
Well,...it has been rumored about for a long time....
Take that Microsoft....now I am interested....
Uh, Linux has been around for years...
They didn’t say Linus,...they said open source...BSD is also opensource...as is Opensolaris....
But, will Google spy on us?
Five Questions About Google Chrome OS
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Ian Paul, PC World
Jul 8, 2009 6:23 am
The big news this morning is Google's Chrome OS: a Linux-based operating system designed specifically for getting to the Web and Web apps faster. If that sounds familiar, that's because Google's Web browser, Chrome, was built around the same idea of rendering Web pages and Web applications faster and better than traditional browsers. Those claims have since been put to the test, and the results for Chrome have so far been mixed.
So will Google Chrome OS be any better? Is it going to be a useful alternative or just another way for Google to pull more people into Google's suite of online products like Google Docs, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Reader?
There are still a lot of questions out there about this new OS, but here are the top five questions on my mind.
Is Google Chrome OS really practical for anything more powerful than a Mobile Internet Device (MID)?
Don’t be shocked should it happen.
Yep, but this is where I got my information...No thanks, Google--we've got Ubuntu. CNET's also on them...
Of course Google will spy on you! Thats the reason they exist: to control all information. Google is evil.
Sorry, I forgot the /sarc tag.
Google Chrome Operating System (OS) Release
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The rumors of a Google operating system looks as though it is coming true and is to be based on the Google Chrome Browser. Google announced on its blog on Tuesday that Google
According to Cnet News,
This latest move from Google has added more fuel to the fire that there will now be even lower prices for Netbooks, as it is a known fact that running
Google plans Chrome-based Web operating system
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July 7, 2009 10:16 PM PDT
"Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the Web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small Netbooks to full-size desktop systems," Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, engineering director, said in the blog post.
The move has widespread implications.
One is that it shows just how serious Google is about making the Web into a foundation not just for static pages but for active applications, notably its own such as Google Docs and Gmail. Another: it opens new competition with Microsoft and, potentially, a new reason for antitrust regulators to pay close attention to Google's moves.
Google’s Chrome OS will run up against the same issue the other Linux flavor’s have yet to deal with: Software that’s been used for years by home-based PC’s that’s not available for Linux except stripped down simplistic versions. It’s not the OS but the available applications that equal Windows versions that’s kept Linux from being more popular. That has also prevented its acceptance by commercial PC manufacturers.
As much as I loathe the libs at Google, the Chrome browser is the best one out there. I was a diehard Firefox user for years but got tired of the java quirks and memory hogging. Even tried Safari for a bit. But Chrome is my default now.
I’ve thought about Chrome. But having read an article on FR some months ago about the potential for Google to monitor activity, I opted against it. I do too much bill pay and stuff to take a chance. I just don’t trust Google.
I use FF to pay bills and Chrome for regular surfing.
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