Google Chrome OS News - Chrome Operating System from Google

Leaked Screenshots of Google Chrome - Google Chrome Video

2009-07-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

This is a Video I found of Youtube that 'claims' to have Screen Shots of the Google Chrome OS. Watch and decide:

Google Chrome OS : Bill Gates comments on Google Chrome

2009-07-16T00:47:00.001-07:00

Microsoft (MSFT) chairman Bill Gates is finally having his say on Google’s (GOOG) wonderfully overblown Chrome OS announcement.

His take: It’s just another Linux distro.

“There’s many, many forms of Linux operating systems out there and packaged in different ways and booted in different ways,” Gates told News.com’s Ina Fried. “In some ways, I am surprised people are acting like there’s something new. I mean, you’ve got Android running on Netbooks. It’s got a browser in it.”

Read article here

Google Vs Microsoft : From A Value Perspective

2009-07-16T00:45:00.000-07:00

As part of our weekly podcast, my colleagues -- myself, CGI co-founder and former Motley Fool analyst, Tom Jacobs, CGI Growth & Value Focus portfolio manager Jason Fitnich and former author of the Circle of Competence blog, Jeff Annello -- discussed the cold war, if you will, between Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG)

Google announced its new Chrome operating system, a Web-based application. Chrome's dependence on internet access may limit its ability to challenge Windows, as consumers still find on-site access to files and programs useful.

In any case, it seems as if Microsoft and Google are locked in a low-grade battle for supremacy as each challenges the other on its home turf. In addition to Chrome, Google has targeted Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform with Android and the MS Office productivity suite with the free Google Docs. Conversely, Microsoft has launched yet another new search iteration, Bing.

Read article here

Wikipedia info on Google Chrome OS

2009-07-16T00:40:00.001-07:00

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".

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.

Is Chrome OS a "Disruptive Innovation?"

2009-07-16T00:37:00.000-07:00

Last week Google sent shockwaves through the technology world when it announced plans to introduce an operating system in fall 2010. Pundits quickly termed Chrome OS "classic disruptive innovation" that promised to up-end historic market leader Microsoft. Do the pundits have it right?

Harvard Business School Professor and Innosight co-founder Clayton Christensen coined the term "disruptive innovation" to describe a pattern he observed across a range of industries where an entrant would transform what existed or create what didn't through simplicity, convenience, affordability, and accessibility.

Recent disruptive innovations include Nintendo's Wii gaming console, General Electric's $2,500 echocardiograph machine and Tata's $3,000 nano automobile.

At Innosight, we've helped dozens of companies recognize and respond to disruptive developments, and we've developed a straightforward set of tests to assess a strategy's disruptive potential. Running Chrome OS through the assessment suggests significant disruptive potential -- but some real questions as well.

Complete story here

Microsoft's Ballmer Dismisses Chrome : Information Week

2009-07-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

Information Weeks Coverage on Steve Ballmers comment on Google Chrome OS

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said he doesn't believe Google (NSDQ: GOOG)'s plans to introduce a computer operating system called Chrome poses a threat to his company's Windows franchise.


Windows 7 screen shot

"Who knows what that thing is," said Ballmer, speaking Tuesday at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner conference in New Orleans. "To me, this Chrome thing is highly interesting," said Ballmer, somewhat wryly.

Ballmer said Google's intention to market two operating systems—the search giant already has its Android OS for mobile devices—could confuse the marketplace.

"I don't know if they can't make up their mind or what the problem is over there, but the last time I checked, you don't need two client operating systems," said Ballmer. "It's good to have one," he said.

Read Entire Story

Google vs. Microsoft: The Operating System Battle - will Google win?

2009-07-16T00:25:00.000-07:00

CNNs Coverage of the OS War between Google and Microsoft:

Google vs. Microsoft: What you need to know

In less than a week, Google announced an operating system to compete with Windows, while Microsoft announced that Office 10 will include free, online versions of its four most popular software programs -- a shot at Google's suite of web-based office applications.

The fight between Microsoft and Google is over who'll be seen as the world's most important tech company.

And not more than a month and a half ago, Microsoft unveiled its new search engine Bing, which it hopes will steal market share from Google and finally make it real money online.

From the news of it, it's a full-blown tech battle, complete with behind-the-scenes machinations to sic government regulators on each other.

It is, however, not a death match -- it's more of an fight to see who will be the King of Technology, since both companies pull in their billions through completely different siphons and are unlikely to severely wound one another any time soon.

Google pulled in $22 billion in revenue in 2008, 97 percent of which came tiny text ads bought by the keyword and placed next to search results or on pages around the web. Google makes a negligible amount of money bundling its online apps for businesses, charging $50 a head annually -- but mostly it just gives its online text editor, email and spreadsheet programs away.

By contrast, Microsoft sold $14.3 billion worth of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and other business applications over the last nine months, making a profit of $9.3 billion. It made a further $16 billion in revenue in 2008 through sales of its operating systems, which range from XP installations on netbooks, to Vista, to Windows Mobile to its server software.

Google now plans its own range of operating systems, starting with Android, an open-source OS for small devices like smartphones, and Chrome OS, a browser-focused, open-source OS that will run on notebooks and desktops.

Read entire article on Microsoft v/s Google

Google announces Chrome OS, commences plan for world domination

2009-07-16T00:21:00.000-07:00

There are only two personal computer operating systems on the market today that really matter - the Windows operating system and the Mac operating system. There are many, many more (think hundreds and hundreds) thanks to open source projects that develop different flavors of the GNU/Linux operating system, but only one of those - Ubuntu - is really even being offered preinstalled on consumer PCs.

The market for netbook operating systems, previously predicted by enthusiasts and experts alike to be dominated by Linux, is instead being ruled by Windows - much like the rest of the computer market. Apple is nowhere to be seen in the netbook race, and company officials have said multiple times that they will never be in that market.

Online giant Google currently develops Android, an OS for smartphones, but other than that, they've been conspicuously absent from the OS market, despite speculation over the years. However, that's all about to change.

Last week, Google announced plans to release the Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system based on Linux that will be designed for browsing the Internet - of course, using Google's Chrome browser. The OS will first be targeted at netbooks and have a focus on simplicity, security and speed.

Read Entire Story here

Chrome OS - New York Times Coverage of Google Chrome OS Launch

2009-07-08T23:38:00.001-07:00

Here are some parts of the article that appeared in NY Times (New York Times) about the launch of Google Chrome OS

"With the software, Google is mounting a blunt challenge to the dominance of Microsoft, whose Windows operating system runs about 95 percent of PCs. Google promises that its Chrome operating system, which will be available on computers in the second half of next year, will put an emphasis on speed, simplicity and security.

Google faces enormous hurdles. Computing giants like I.B.M. and Sun Microsystems have spent years trying to dethrone Microsoft, with little to show for it.

But if it gains traction, Google’s plan could undermine not only Windows but also Microsoft’s other multibillion-dollar franchise, Office. Google is trying to put the Web browser at the center of people’s digital lives, relegating complicated operating systems like Windows to a secondary role."

more from the same article...

"“We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the Web in a few seconds,” Sundar Pichai, a vice president for product management, and Linus Upson, an engineering director, said in a blog post announcing the project late Tuesday. “We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better.”

The plan is part of Google’s bet that a huge shift in computing is under way. In Google’s view, Web connections will become so fast and browsers so powerful that most of the programs that currently run on PCs will be replaced by online applications. That would eliminate the need to install, upgrade and back up software. "

"Rather than buying bulky desktop computers, consumers have been turning recently toward small, low-cost laptops known as netbooks, which serve as little more than gateways to the Web. Google says its operating system will be initially aimed at netbooks, which are generally not powerful enough to handle the latest version of Windows.

Google’s fundamental business model, too, may play to its advantage. The company says it believes that making Chrome free to PC makers will be worthwhile because more people will spend more time online, using Google’s search service and its other Web-based applications like Google Docs, a Web rival to Microsoft Office. That will help Google make more money from advertising, which accounts for nearly all of its $22 billion in annual revenue.

That approach essentially reverses some of the dynamics used by Microsoft to crush Netscape. At the time, Netscape charged $50 for its Web browser, and Microsoft undermined its leadership by making its own browser, Internet Explorer, free. Now it is Microsoft that faces free rivals to both Windows and Office, its two biggest cash cows.

Under its model, Google could even afford to pay computer makers to install its software on their machines, essentially subsidizing their cost.

“If hardware is free and software is free, the only way you make money is off of services, and that is Google,” said Jim Zemlin, the executive director of the Linux Foundation."

Read the complete NY Times article here

Tech Crunch Editor Mechael Arrington on Google Chrome OS

2009-07-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

TechCrunch, Michael Arrington quotes Chrome not being an operating system :

Purists complained that a browser isn’t actually an operating system, and brought up mundane issues about hardware drivers, memory, and processor management and other red herrings. Sure, they were right - the Chrome browser isn’t an operating system...

Google just bolted a big ol’ bag of drivers (also known as the Linux kernel) to Chrome and are calling it the Google Chrome Operating System. It’s going to be hard for people to continue to deny its operating systemness now.

Google Introduces Google Chrome OS in Official Blog

2009-07-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

Google's Official Blog introduces Google Chrome OS as "Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks." As per the blog Google Chrome OS has been existing for almost 9 months!!

Here are some other key things mentioned in the blog:

"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. .....

....... Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the project.....

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. ........for 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...........

The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel...........

Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. .......

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...........

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."

Complete text of Official Google Blog on Google Chrome OS

Google Chrome - Google to launch Google Chrome OS soon

2009-07-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

Mashable today broke the story of the impending launch of Googles Next Big Product - Google Chrome Operating System which would probably be called Google Chrome OS. We will try to give you complete coverage of Google Chrome as it happens worldwide and will try and give you as much information as is possible.

Exerpt from Mashable

Google’s always been in heated competition with Microsoft. We thought that the competition was becoming hot again when the company behind the dominant Windows OS launched their new search engine Bing with much fanfare. But that may be nothing compared to the bombshell Google just dropped.

Google announced on their blog tonight that they’re releasing an operating system: Google Chrome OS. While the company already has a mobile operating system in Android, this new one will be based off of Chrome, Google’s web browser.

According to Google, the open source OS will available later next year and is primarily targeted at netbooks to start. From the Google blog:

“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.”

Read complete blog here