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Google pulled the wraps off of Chrome OS today, and while there isn't a general availability announcement today, they spoke briefly about the Chrome browser (Linux and Mac versions due this year, along with support for extensions) before diving into the nascent OS. You can expect to see Chrome ship in about a year, and showed the first glimpses of the new OS, details about the architecture, the hardware it will run on, and gave us the first hints about what the Google Cloud OS will really look like.
Here's why Chrome OS won't be replacing Windows anytime soon.
Chrome will have very specific platform requirements. It won’t run on machines with physical hard drives, only SSDs. Only certain Wi-Fi chipsets will be supported. Chrome OS will also have requirements for screen size, a full-sized keyboard, and a decent sized touchpad. They demoed Chrome OS working on an eeePC today, and said that you'd be able to upgrade some netbooks on the market today using a screwdriver.
Google didn't announce hardware specs, but confirmed that Chrome OS will work with x86 and ARM-based machines, and is designed with the 802.11n Wi-Fi spec in mind.
Chrome OS uses code from Linux, Webkit, Ubuntu, and Moblin. It's based on what seems like a heavily modified Linux kernel. While there's no beta announcement today, the code is open source as of today, so people can download and work on the code, as well as contribute submissions back to the project.
If you've used the Chrome browser, Chrome OS will look very familiar to you. There is no conventional Desktop, so to speak. The browser window is your web interface, file explorer, and web app launcher. You can open multiple Chrome windows (think multiple desktops), each with their own set of tabs and swap between them from an even zoomed out further desktop.
While the user can save data locally, whether it's photos, videos, etc, everything in the user's /home folder is synced to the cloud. The local copy is just a cache, presumably to allow you to use the netbook offline or where there's poor Internet. This is very similar to the thin clients that Sun pushed in the late 90s, in that there are relatively slow computers with ubiquitous network connections that rely on the Internet for most of their usability.
When you use any Chrome OS device, you log in and all of your data is there immediately. This means that presumably you log into your Chrome machine using your Google account. Of course, the big question is what happens when Google's servers go down. How accessible will your data be when you're away from the Internet for a few days?
Because the Chrome browser is the OS, users don't have access to the root folders of the machine. You won't be able to install applications on the OS, but there will be a plugin/extension architecture, presumably that works with extensions similar to the Chrome browser.
The OS kernel and browser will be digitally signed, so the OS will be able to check itself at boot. (Web apps won't require digital signatures.) If it detects something amiss, it will simply restore the affected areas of the OS, leaving your home partition alone. The OS will also automatically update at launch, during its verified boot.
Google doesn't anticipate Chrome OS being used on your desktop PCs (at least, not yet). Dual-boot will not be possible, and it won't work with your third-party peripherals that use non-standard drivers. Keyboards, mice, and USB hard drives will work, but it's extremely unlikely that you'll be able to sync your iPhone with Chrome OS. They say that they'll have a novel solution for printing in the future.
We've said it before, but we'll say it again now. The only native app for Chrome OS is the browser. There's no mail application, no control panels, no application launcher outside of the browser. The OS is the Chrome browser--anything you can run in the Chrome browser runs inside that. Google showed web Excel from Microsoft and specifically mentioned Yahoo and other providers during the demo. Anything that runs in the Chrome browser on Windows, will run on Chrome OS. All of the applications you'll run on Chrome OS are web applications.
During the Q&A Michael Arrington explicitly pointed out that this strategy exactly mirrors Steve Jobs' comments during the initial iPhone launch. The response? The iPhone has native apps, Chrome OS only has a browser.
It's instant-on, cold booting in about 7 seconds, and on the desktop about 3 seconds after that. This is why they're using a unique platform, so they control the hardware and software and can get performance and experience they need.
Here's Google's over-simplified explanation of Chrome OS:
Image credits: Gizmodo and Google
Comments are closed on this article
Philips
October 06, 2011 at 2:21pm
I so much like the OS Chrome. It is easy to work with and remarkably awesome. Thank you for the relative post about it.
LordTyrans
November 09, 2010 at 4:28pm
Well, annoying 13 year old kid, i disagree with your views, you say google will become a big company because of chrome, yet you state yourself that "there will be many knockoff versions", which seems contradictory to me, as well as the fact that it is unlikely they will make money from chrome os considering it is open source. Chrome os is googles stab at cloud computing, it is not meant to replace a normal machine, but to be an alternative when you do not require other features. There is a considerable probability that you will see my point of view if you decide to use chrome, if you want to use a non browser based game or application, if you can't connect to the internet, if you have to pay for your internet. Not to mention that as said it is being developed for specific hardware, so no support when you decide to put it on your old netbook or whatever you decide to put it on.
But the fact of the matter is, Unless reliable and low cost internet connections can be provided to mass amounts of users, whenever they may need to use their devices Chrome Os will always be unsuitable for every day use by mass amounts of people. Also, i believe you are smart enough to realise the security implications of the OS being open source if it became widely used.
Then when you consider the rate at which technology is advancing and the rate at which the speed of advancement increases, there will be little need for a lightweight operating system. You may consider this to be true with the internet, and it may, but it is extremely unlikely as unless the internet becomes free, masses of people will still have to pay to get connected to the internet, where as with the advancement of the technology in our devices, the price generally stays the same, or even goes down.
Support the reasons that:
1. The majority of Users will have access to the internet almost all of the time.
2. Current applications will be able to run in a web browser.
3. The OS being Open Source will not be a security risk.
And you will be able to make a fair argument, without them your doomed to fail before you start.
Now i cba to carry on this long post, why should i waste my time obliterating some child's argument that was based on carelessly thought out reasons that contradict themselves and some of which have no relevance to the conclusion.
LordTyrans
November 09, 2010 at 4:28pm
Well, annoying 13 year old kid, i disagree with your views, you say google will become a big company because of chrome, yet you state yourself that "there will be many knockoff versions", which seems contradictory to me, as well as the fact that it is unlikely they will make money from chrome os considering it is open source. Chrome os is googles stab at cloud computing, it is not meant to replace a normal machine, but to be an alternative when you do not require other features. There is a considerable probability that you will see my point of view if you decide to use chrome, if you want to use a non browser based game or application, if you can't connect to the internet, if you have to pay for your internet. Not to mention that as said it is being developed for specific hardware, so no support when you decide to put it on your old netbook or whatever you decide to put it on.
But the fact of the matter is, Unless reliable and low cost internet connections can be provided to mass amounts of users, whenever they may need to use their devices Chrome Os will always be unsuitable for every day use by mass amounts of people. Also, i believe you are smart enough to realise the security implications of the OS being open source if it became widely used.
Then when you consider the rate at which technology is advancing and the rate at which the speed of advancement increases, there will be little need for a lightweight operating system. You may consider this to be true with the internet, and it may, but it is extremely unlikely as unless the internet becomes free, masses of people will still have to pay to get connected to the internet, where as with the advancement of the technology in our devices, the price generally stays the same, or even goes down.
Support the reasons that:
1. The majority of Users will have access to the internet almost all of the time.
2. Current applications will be able to run in a web browser.
3. The OS being Open Source will not be a security risk.
And you will be able to make a fair argument, without them your doomed to fail before you start.
Now i cba to carry on this long post, why should i waste my time obliterating some child's argument that was based on carelessly thought out reasons that contradict themselves and some of which have no relevance to the conclusion.
monkeykid753
March 11, 2010 at 8:15pm
Silly people, Google invented Google Gears! Remember? You can go to websites and use some web apps offline! Chrome OS won't fail! You can open lots of things in a browser, you know. And do you think the browser will stay in this great state its in? NO! It's only in a great state, not in an amazing state! Google will make it better. Also, remember that if this is a success, Google will quickly become such a big company. They are going to invest so much into it! And it's also open source, so there will be knockoff versions of it (like how we have Linux Mint or Kubuntu).
Thanks for reading, but don't be so "ign'ant" next time!
A 13 year old kid who just showed you all up!
brianj
November 25, 2009 at 3:12pm
Because all the apps, data, personal stuff, is on the cloud, say you loose your Google OS netbook, say its stolen. You just buy another one and, if you know a password, you are good to go again. I think I have spent years, at least months, of my life getting various new computers up and running and acceptable to me (over 20+ years around PCs...).
But I think Google OS will allow you to just buy a new machine and the rest is done because everything is in the cloud, all the info is there already.
10 second, or so, boots. I'm salivating just thinking about it. After so many years around computers, I am so sick of the boot I could do something rash.
I can see where this Google Chrome OS might fail, I can also see where it could be wonderful. For people who aren't computer literate, it might be perfect. And that is, as far as I can see, the remaining market.
I'll always have some off-line machines with important files on them, as I do now. But for non mission critical type information, it might end up being perfect. (I already wear "5 computer hats", I can see this satisfying 3 of them...)
Who knows? Maybe it won't work worth a darn. But who knows? Maybe it will. It is an interesting idea.
yu_buffon
November 22, 2009 at 11:24pm
Google r coming up with a new OS, with a great idea. They said b4 that its no gonna compete with the mighty Windows. Its targeted at those who r new to PCs, like children, old people. There are still people who dont know how to use a computer. This OS might be the 'beginner" version for them.
Engineers Rule the World!
Bluntknife
November 22, 2009 at 6:52am
I can't believe everyone is being so paranoid and skeptical with chrome OS.
It's not going to be used for desktop PC's. It's not going to be used for gaming. Not for power users, and not for anything harder than browsing the web.
Lets remember that netbook were originally deigned for just browsing the web, emails, etc. Before they just started being small form factor notebooks.
So Google is getting back to what netbooks are supposed to do. If anyone can make a success of a cloud based PC it's Google.
For all those worried about your data being stored on the could...I hope your tin foil helmet is keeping your ears warm.
You already have your data stored on clouds, your personal info on facebook, your Youtube account, Dropbox.
Unless you have alot of illegal material, I don't think you have much to worry about.
fusobotic
November 23, 2009 at 9:23am
Why waste money on a laptop, when you can do the same things with a much cheaper ipod touch (if you have wi-fi), or a cell phone. The only kind of person that I can invision using this OS, is some very old (or very, very young) person who has an old, piece of crap laptop, has high-speed wi-fi, is obsessed with the internet, (somehow) stumbled upon the chrome OS, and knows how to install a new operating system. And if you look around, that's close to 0% of the world's population. If you say that the majority of the people using the Chrome OS are not "Power Users" how can they even figure out how it works or how to install it?
I'm just saying, It doesn't make sense for google to make this OS, when the people that it's geared towards (that is, not very tech savy individuals), won't even learn about it, let alone be able to install it and understand how to use it. Besides, with chrome, you have to be connected to the internet anytime you want to use it, which could get to be very frustrating.
It could have potential though, if people used it for public computers at libraries and colleges, but besides that, it's not too practical for everyday users.
rhsquad
November 20, 2009 at 5:11pm
@FO3H4MM3R ----------> You have more typos than a spam email. I agree with you, but learn how to type man.
fusobotic
November 20, 2009 at 2:59pm
Obviously this OS is for dumb people who don't know how to use a PC correctly. And from the video, the google executives are some of those dumb people. ;-)
F03H4MM3R
November 20, 2009 at 9:06am
Remember not to long ago? Every T-Mobile Sidekick user lost
everything they had because the servers that host all the Sidekick's
information went down.So what happens if I adopt Google's Chrome OS, spend a couple
years using it, storing pictures, documents, videos, personal
information, and then one day I log in to find it all gone. I turn on
the TV and the news is blasting "Google Servers Crash, Millions
of People Loose Everything"? A little extreme, I know, but do
you see the point?I know most of us already upload info onto other providers
servers, but if you're like me, you also keep a copy on your own PC,
as well as a back up on an external HDD or media. Ok, lets try a
different one.You're a student writing your graduate thesis, you log in to
Chrome, it's gone. Now what? Or. Your and executive, working on your
presentation, your job is riding on it. The morning of the
presentation you log in and, ta da, it's gone. Is your boss gonna
care that it's not your fault Google lost all your work?On a side note, what happens if, like a previous person pointed
out, your Internet goes out. Since Chrome is an OS that functions on
cloud based computing, do we get to blame our ISP if either one of
the above scenarios happens because we couldn't get connected to the
Internet?Don't get me wrong, I love and use a lot of Google apps. I own a
G1, use Google Voice, Listen, Maps, Calendar, Docs, Mail, so on and
so on, almost all my life is attached to one Google app or
another. But I also have everything backed up on a separate HDD
and media. So where's the security and guarantee from Google if I
adopt their cloud based OS? Are they ready to take on the "legal"
responsibilities that "I" would want them to? Or will I see
an EULA that states this is open source software and they are not
responsible for bla bla bla. I know that I can't go after Microsoft
if either one of the above scenarios happens, but their OS does allow
me to redundantly back up all my info so I have no one to blame but
myself.I'm curious to see where this
goes...but I leaves me with a lot of questions and concerns.
pcfxer
November 20, 2009 at 6:57am
It's more of an OS than Windows is. Operating system seperate the hardware from the user or, at least that is their primary goal. "People don't use an operating system, they use applications."
This is more evident when dealing with MS-DOS. Application is on-disk, "mount" disk and run executable. The OS just serves as the launch pad. Oh and of course, MaxPC "forgot" to mention FreeBSD lol.
It seems no one cares about true ease of use. www.pcbsd.org
zezzex
November 20, 2009 at 5:46am
I think a lot of us are missing the poing of this OS. If you visit maximum pc you are probably a power user. Think of someone you know that knows nothing about computers. There are people out there that do nothing except check their emails, visit some websites and thats it. This OS is for them. Not for us power users. I don't see a use for it, I think it's gonna be great for what it is.
ahroogahh
November 20, 2009 at 2:11am
I think most of the comments here have missed the big picture.
This is really the start of a new era for computing. Google Chrome OS marks the
beginning of the death of the personal computer.Someday in the not too distant future, all most people will have is a screen which connects to a (very) high speed internet connection. All computing will be done in the "cloud", including
graphics processing by the way, and transmitted via the net to your screen.Whether you like it or not, and I'm not saying I necessarily
do, this scenario seems inevitable to me.
mdkplus
November 20, 2009 at 2:58am
I wouldn't say ALL computing... the cloud has to still exist on a backbone of physical hardwere, i.e. Servers with hard drives and physical ram. There will always be PCs. The corporate world runs on PCs. No web browser is going to take over digital platemaking. No web browser is going to run Autocad. Thinking that way is just a pipe dream, Chrome is just going to be another internet appliance used for nothing more than reading e-mail and playing Tard World on facebook
Whatme45
November 20, 2009 at 12:15am
I believe some of the sony vaios had a button to boot just to a web browser and skip the whole windows and linux operating systems. I would only use this as a secondary operating system not at all a main one; it would be used on the days I just feel like surfing the internet.
JDorfler
November 19, 2009 at 10:34pm
I'm not really liking how if everything is synced with the "cloud" (Some server somewhere that holds your crap.) And anyone who can hack my credentials can have access to my personal stuff. I prefer to have a robust OS, or OSes, and keep my stuff on physical media in my own home. This is just nuts.
I can see a Chrome add-in to say Explorer or another file browser where you can sync certain things to your Google account, but a whole OS dedicated to putting you on the Web if you like it or not. I'm not sure about that.
Sager NP5797 (Clevo)
nVidia GeForce 9800 GTX/Intel QX9300/4GB DDR3 1066
Vista/Ubuntu/Fedora OSes
razr90
November 22, 2009 at 10:07am
razr90-IT Student
Sager NP8690
Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M / Intel core i7 720QM / 4GB DDR3 1333
Windows 7 64 bit.
Black Lable 69
November 19, 2009 at 10:26pm
Google, since you obviously have oodles of cash to burn, you might as well have spent money on a new game console before you wasted your time on this "Near Useless" design.
Csharma.uc
November 19, 2009 at 7:26pm
Google Search > Best
Google Maps > Amazing
Google Voice > incredibe
Google Wave > Awesome
Google Networking > (Orkut) Somewhat popular in South Asia
Youtube > Damn Good site to spend my free time
And
Google Os > .............what wait a min
Are you crazy? going through this 8 things i should know about Google OS.. I'm so mad now, that i had to sign up an account on Maximum PC to reply to this thing. Wtf is wrong with Google people.. They are damn good in the other things..why they dont let Microsoft, apple and linux do this Os things... According to the given description and working format of OS.. it sounds absurd that actually they working on this Project. Wi-fi will not be compatible with exisiting chipsets, & just a Browser based Operating system. Even if its gonna be freely available in market its not gonna do to much in Os sector..even they are targeting the netbooks.. com'n who will get rid of preinstalled Vista or Windows 7 to Get a Dedicated Browser Operating System for old netbook. And If i'll have to buy a new Netbook with a new Os I would be looking for as much as possible stuff in it.. not just a web browser. My Iphone's Safari browser will be much better than those netbooks then. It sounds more like only a web browser will control the hardware... Still a big number of people use firefox and then internet exploere and some where in the end some people use google browser..
Regards
C.Sharma
Looksback
November 19, 2009 at 6:14pm
And if so, will everyone in the world sue them and force them to remove it?
It's deja vu all over again!
mdkplus
November 20, 2009 at 2:45am
The browser IS the OS. Obviously you will need a internet connection 100% of the time, unless I missed something there seems to be no offline apps running on this thing. If it craps out it more or less will be a piece of toast.
EarthBoundMisfit
November 19, 2009 at 6:11pm
Registered Linux User #404122 Microsoft has encountered a critical system error and must now shut down. Better get Bill Gate$ on the phone for this one.......
One of the posters makes it sound like Kentucky is back in the Stone Age.
I also live in Kentucky. Msdisonville to be exact.
Its not as modernized as say my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee....but I do happen to get nice internet service from Newwave Communications....15 megs a month for 49.95 a month.
I like where Google is taking this somewhat, but they need to understand that not everyone uses the browser all the time on their computer.
Some folks log onto their PC's to play games or listen to music they have saved....edit photos etc etc.
Yeah I know you can go online and do all those things....but sometimes..I just want to access whats on MY harddrive....not some cloud storage God knows where....
Raspop
November 19, 2009 at 6:11pm
Proprietary hardware and hip like Apple, yet one-upping MS by including spyware in a box that you don't even have to download yourself.
"Chrome OS - free with barcode tattoo!"
JohnP
November 19, 2009 at 5:38pm
This sounds more like a phone operating system than a computer operating system. Does this thing even support a hard wired network? Web apps only? And if it does not play games, forget about it. If you are out of range of WiFi, what exactly does this nice operating system DO? Does it do anything at all? Does not sound like it. Boy, this sounds even bad for a phone operating system let alone a netbook or tablet.
45 seconds to boot up? OMG, that is about the same amount of time as a traffic light. Google, ever heard of... SLEEP? And if folks think that there will be no upgrades, HAH!
So what does this have over Win7 on a netbook? Well, its cheaper and, uhh, its cheaper, but best of all, it's a lot cheaper!
razr90
November 22, 2009 at 10:19am
razr90-IT Student
You have posted the best comment I have seen yet. I am in agreement with you on the only advantage this OS seems to have. "It's cheaper".
I also was wondering what good the computer is when you are not able to connect to the internet. It sounds like it would be a useless piece of hardware. What happens if Google happens to lose all your data? What happens if your ISP goes down? What happens if you can't get to a wi-fi spot?
I don't like googles browser, and I sure as hell wouldn't buy their OS. I don't even know if I would call it an OS. How about their "Internet Connector"??
45 seconds? Since when is 45 seconds a long time? Hibernate or sleep? I really think this will fail.
1337Goose
November 22, 2009 at 5:08pm
You'd think it'd come with Gears installed and a local cache so that it can keep working in offline mode.
I think your "I really think this will fail" statement was a bit rash.
Is it a new idea? Yes. Is it something that we're not quite used to yet? Yes. Could it have potential benefits that we're overlooking? Definitely.
I think there is a market for this OS; it's just not a mature or mainstream market yet.
~Goose
The_Dez
November 19, 2009 at 5:22pm
I remember this back from last decade when it was called an "Internet Applicance"
Baer
November 19, 2009 at 3:56pm
I have absolutly no interest in messing with another Windows wannabe. In fact with that damn Google toolbar getting shoved down the throught of me and my clients I tend to trust Google less and less.
I must admit having a lot of interest in the Verizon Droid phone however :-)
razr90
November 22, 2009 at 10:24am
razr90-IT Student
I also hate having that stupid Google toolbar shoved down my throat. I would rather use Bing. I also am very interested in the Droid phone.
I have to ask, since you must be an IT guy if you have clients; do you think the Droid will make it? I read an article today about how Gameloft and some other software providers are backing away from the Droid because they don't think their apps can compete with the iphone. Heres the link:
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5AJ1EU20091120?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&rpc=76
Please tell me what you think. Is it safe to get the Droid or will it fade away in the shadow of the iphone?
1337Goose
November 19, 2009 at 3:32pm
It's a hardware platform as well, so many people will have to buy a new computer to take advantage of it.
I don't think there's enough appeal to go out and by a new computer just for the sake of Chrome OS.
~Goose
w2ed
November 19, 2009 at 2:38pm
I'm split on this. On the one hand, there's a lot to like about this, especially the simplicity involved - since it sounds like it's targeted towards netbooks, it sounds like the best option for them. On the other hand, some of its limitations makes it very dislikable for me - I'd rather use Cloud-based computing for multi-partner projects where I can back up to my own machine and as backup for the files I have on my machine, and limiting me to flash-based disks, while making it faster, limits my usage. There's some potential, but again I see it as they see it: as a secondary OS.
chris.peplin
November 19, 2009 at 1:43pm
Hm, this all sounds very Apple. It'll be a cute fad, but a completely crippled OS does not a good idea make.
This is the direction that Android should have gone, since we have a much more limited number of hardware options, and if all mobile apps were webapps they could be completely universal. As it stands now, you can run a larger variety of software on your phone than your netobook using Chrome OS.
PawBear
November 19, 2009 at 1:40pm
Paw Bear
I've given Microsoft years to resolve what to me are obvious issues with their os and still they let me down. Linux is far from easy to use for most people and not likely to ever be mainstream.
I'll give Google a chance to show other options. With encryption and strong security I'd welcome the potential simplicity of this. Minimal maintenance and hardware configuration, wireless connectivity, and local backup to me would be a relief from my present experiences. Hey, somthing out of the box that just works... I'm all for it! So are my non-tecie friends, ALL of them.
Ilander
November 19, 2009 at 1:27pm
Well, I love the Chrome browser, but no thank you, Chrome OS...they went the direction I figured they would, and I just don't like it when a company tells me what hardware to use. Freedom of choice in hardware is why I use Windows and occasionally "regular" Linux.
...and cloud computing just isn't practical in Kentucky, where you simply won't have access to the internet all the time, no matter what telecom you use.
Maybe this would work in a big market area, but most Americans don't live in "big markets."
Who
November 19, 2009 at 1:22pm
what if i need to open a word document and edit it, and send it back? Would chrome os support that? My laptop is mainly used for schoolwork and i use it basically for internet (so okay) and writing papers (maybe ok) and engr stuffs like matlab (probly not ok).
samduhman
November 19, 2009 at 1:18pm
Maybe I don't understand the whole concept behind Chrome but.........
I don't trust saving personal info no matter how unimportant to someone elses server/computer or "cloud" in this case. They are a corporation and all corporations have an end goal and usually the end goal is to milk people for money.
NO thanks google/chrome, I'll keep saving my files to my own computer/servers.
