Wikipedia info on Google Chrome OS

Google Chrome OS is a project by Google to develop a light computer operating system devoted to using the World Wide Web.Announced on July 7, 2009, it is based on Google's Chrome web browser and the Linux kernel. It will initially be targeted at netbooks, and is set to be released during the second half of 2010. It will run on systems with either x86 or ARM processors.

Google has stated that the Google Chrome OS project will be open source by the end of 2009. Although it is based on the Linux kernel, it will use "a new windowing system".

Contents 1 Design principles 2 Market implications 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Design principles

Google states that Chrome is being designed in a minimalist way, much like its Chrome web browser. In this way, the company hopes to move much of the user interface from the desktop environment to the World Wide Web. Cloud computing will be a large part of its design. It has stated that, for developers, "the web is the platform". The Chrome OS is being targeted at users who spend most of their time on the Internet, and is designed to run on computers ranging from netbooks to desktop computers. Google has stated that the Chrome OS is separate from its Google Android operating system, which was designed primarily for use on smartphones.

Also, Google announced that the Chrome OS will feature a novel security architecture. According to Google's official annoucement, they will be "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".

Market implications

According to the analysis of PC World, Chrome OS represents the next step in the battle between Google and Microsoft ("the two giants of the digital revolution"). As of 2009^[update], Microsoft dominates the personal computer operating system market and the software market in word processing and spreadsheet applications. The operating system dominance may be challenged directly by Chrome OS, and the application dominance indirectly through a shift to cloud computing.