Google Chrome OS - A Review
Having already conquered the search engine market, Google, is all set to launch its own operating system, Google Chrome OS, which in Google’s term will be a natural extension to its web browser 'Google Chrome'. The Google Chrome OS is a Linux based, lightweight, open source operating system, designed specifically to work with web applications.
It’s actually designed keeping in mind the users who spend most of their time on the web aiming at providing them with better options to work faster. The users won’t have to install applications as all the applications will be web based i.e. they will run exclusively inside the browser. Moreover according to Google it will itself monitor the code to prevent malicious activities in the Chrome web applications and thus users won’t even have to bother about the antivirus softwares. Apart from this for security purpose the netbooks containing Chrome OS will be shipped with Trusted Platform Module that will reduce malware exposure. Also backup of data won’t be much of a problem as the data will be stored on the cloud.
Essentially programmed in C/C++, Chrome OS will run on hardwares which incorporate x86 or ARM based processors. As far as the User Interface is concerned, Google designers are aiming at combining applications and standard web pages into a single tab strip thus using minimal screen space.
In terms of architecture, it will be simply like a Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. According to the Google official blog “Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS”. Thus focusing strongly on speed, the Chrome OS promises nearly instant boot times of about 7 seconds for users to login to their computers.
Google has also planned to integrate a media player into both Chrome OS and the Chrome browser so that the users can play MP3 or view images even when offline. Another interesting feature that Google is going to inntroduce in its OS is a service called Google cloud Print which will enable the users to print any application on any device on any printer without having the need for any driver.
The Chrome OS is quite different from Android and Google’s sole attempt in launching the web browser is simply to strengthen the fact that the future is in the web.
For the users it might be a little disappointing as the Chrome OS will not be available as a download software to run and install, rather in the late half of 2010 it will be publicly available in specific Netbooks through Google partners. Also these Netbooks will not be supporting traditional hard drives but will rely on non-volatile flash memory and internet-based storage for saving the user’s data, just like cloud storage on Dropbox.
So for those who want to have a glimpse of the OS you will have to either buy one of those Netbooks from Google's partners or wait till Google plans it otherwise.
Video: Chrome OS live
