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.
Quick. Someone send a truckload of Tums over to Redmond.
Thanks, Mr. Justin
The big question is: Will it run World of Warcraft?
Just what I need, a netbook that cannot do anything when the internet is down…
This won’t necessarily require an itnernet connection. Google has had a thing called Gears for a while and one of the things it does is let you use things like google docs offline. So i’m sure that this mythical google os will have gears built into it.
This is the same load of nonsense everyone was saying when Android was announced. It’s going nowhere, it’s just another Linux, etc. I’ll take a bet with anyone who says this isn’t going to make a dent in the netbook market.
XBMC for Chrome OS… how long will it take?
I’d rip win XP off my media center in a heartbeat…
(incidentally XBMC running on Ubuntu sucks bigtime…)
Apple has as much to be credited for this development, as Linux. The iTMS and Apps Store centralized distribution models flew in the face of antitrust, and succeeded beyond everyone’s wildest expectations. If ChromeOS is a purely online, internet OS which treats the internet as an extension of the physical computer, then as #7 points out, access to the services will be critical to the success of the Chrome OS.
If it can work without an Internet connection so you can keep your info local to your own machine, it could have a chance.
I predict that in 10 years everyone will be using Google Chrome OS on their computers, while doing all their searches with BING.
An advertising company is going to make an operating system based on something that has already been around for years…..yay! If they manage to get enough people actually using the thing to find it’s flaws, people are going to wish they’d stuck with windows.
#38 that’s the very definiton of a conundrum…
Pulled from a buddies IM “All Google Fanboys Unite! Surely THIS Linux distro will suceed where others haven’t!”
I’ll admit that I’m a big fan of many things Google is doing. I don’t think this will change the world but it will kick the center of balance a little bit.
Google isn’t going for the big win on one product or service, they are going for dozens of little wins in lots of places. Some crash and burn, others take off.
The big difference between Google and Microsoft (or Apple and Microsoft, or Oracle and Microsoft, or…) is that they are willing to make mistakes. Microsoft has lost that gene.
I predict that second half of 2010 will finally be the year of desktop linux… Clearly Google will succeed in an area no one else has been able to for 15 years…
#42 – If you ask most people, they are willing to make big mistakes and then run with them (e.g. Windows Vista).
# 42 qb said, “The big difference between Google and Microsoft (or Apple and Microsoft, or Oracle and Microsoft, or…) is that they are willing to make mistakes. Microsoft has lost that gene.”
I disagree. Vista was an MS mistake of epic proportions. The “mistake gene” is dominant at MS…
I want my data and os on MY machine and encrypted. Google can go piss up a rope. The Internet is for sharing, browsing, communicating and maybe backup. Not apps, not yet, maybe not ever.
I smell first Google’s mistake and possibly giant flop in this Chrome OS.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against more OS choices. I just can’t imagine how the 2 generations of Windows users would jump ship and flock to Chrome OS. Ain’t gonna happen. People are hooked on windozes like on drugs.
The only way to get rid Microsoft’s crappy OSes is what Acer or Asus tried to do: have a tiny linux distro OS on the chip in every computer (on every motherboard). Maybe this way people *would* get used to linux and after a while they would prefer instant-on OS for all the basic tasks like browsing/mail/chat – and maybe later on they would get rid of the Windows bloatware entirely and simply stick to linux… Just maybe.
#45, Patrick
If you read qb’s post (#42) carefully, you will see that the gene in question was the *willingness* to make a mistake and not the fact of making one. Have you ever heard of Micro$oft admitting that they made a mistake?
“The big question is: Will it run World of Warcraft?”
With the second biggest being can you use it to look at porn
#48 You are confusing “admitting” with “willing”.
After working with MS dev on security issues for a decade, I can state with total confidence that they are willing to make mistakes over and over again…
#45 Patrick
I stand corrected.
Fred and Patrick,
When I think of mistakes, I think of things like Accelerator, Answers, Checkout, and Orkut. They don’t seem fazed by flops and will continue to try. If Chrome OS flops, it won’t stop them from trying something else.
Yawn…another mini-linux. So what? My Palm Pre is mini-linux. My TiVo is mini-linux. My iMac is full scale heavy Linux. For Google Chrome OS to ‘boot’ in 2 or 3 seconds means it can’t possibly allow any external peripheral drivers or add-ons. So if you JUST want a mini-linux to bring up a web browser and do email, GREAT! But my Palm Pre does that now…so…er….
Netbook and PC makers will jump on this. Eliminate the MSFT tax on the retail price and more units will sell. If one manufacturer does it, the rest will offer the option to stay competitive.
Linux has been stagnant because there is no major brand in the eye of the consumer. Add Google and now they’ll notice. Say “Red Hat” to a civilian and they think of some old ladies having tea.
My non-technical spouse is happily running Ubuntu on her Aspire. Faster, easy to use, has everything she needs.
Linux + Google Gears = Win.
Powered by Google
Google Inside
Designed for Google
#45
“I disagree. Vista was an MS mistake of epic proportions. The “mistake gene” is dominant at MS…”
Except Vista wasn’t a mistake. Its poor marketing and lack of support early on were certainly mistakes, but its actually a fantastic OS.
#54
“Netbook and PC makers will jump on this. Eliminate the MSFT tax on the retail price and more units will sell.”
No, they wont. Linux based netbooks have all but dissappeared due to high return rates and low demand. People want Windows, a new Linux distro with Google software isn’t going to change anything.
# 55
Never say never… 😉
People don’t complain their mobile phones run unix. Or as someone pointed out Tivos. Or macs for that matter. So ‘unix’ isn’t an issue from the average consumers perspective.
That said I agree there does seem to be a problem with unix on consumer netbooks. Would OSX be a problem on netbooks? Not if it was marketed as a small mac laptop. So the problem with netbooks I think is people see them as small factor/cheap laptop PCs, and therefore expect windows.
If they were seen as more as ‘larger more capable mobile phones’. Then perhaps that wouldn’t be an issue. If they had other advantages say very quick boot time, long battery life, built in mobile phone data connection, solid state hd, very light/thin, super cheap etc – some of which they already have, then the perception could shift.
So take all that – say with a price point of 100 – 200USD, the marketing of google… it might just work…. Although I’m not sure I’d bet money on it 😉
How the heck do you sell something that’s open source?
Even if they manage to pull it off, past experience with M$ tells me that they’ll flex their muscles at dell, hp, toshiba, acer, etc… and it’ll fail by not getting into a market that M$ has a stranglehold on.
The problem with Linux and the people’s perception is, that when it craps out (and crap out it will) you’re in darker waters the the average Windows user. At least the XP user will have in it’s relationships someone that will know enough to advise on a correction, or a cure for the problem. In the remote possibility you know someone that knows enough Linux to solve your problems you’ll be pulling your hair out just trying to follow it’s instructions over the phone…
“is it REALLY that hard to come up “with an entirely NEW OS without either having to rape some 30+ year old thing of the past?”
Well , I say UNIX and anything based on it is prefect like
a woman’s body, nothing to change , nothing to add.
# 52 qb said, “When I think of mistakes, I think of things like Accelerator…”
I see what you mean now.