Compiled by W.G.T.Fernando

On the 7^th of July 2009 Google announced some news which was sure to startle Microsoft corporation. First Google announced a new browser, now an OS! Even though little information has been released on exactly what the OS will feature, we do have bits and pieces of reliable information. Let’s take a look.

First and foremost, Google says 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.

"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," Google stated in its announcement.

Chrome OS is focused on people who spend most of their time on the web. As they say, the web is the OS of the future and hence they decided to base an OS built around the web.

Here are some more details about Chrome OS taken from Wikipedia:

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. Itis 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 announcement, 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"

Once we have more details on Chrome OS, we will include in a futre issue of diGIT. Be sure to check back.

References

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome_OS

http://www.pcworld.com/article/168028/google_announces_chrome_os.html

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/08/google-chrome-redefining-the-operating-system/

Image source

Pic1 http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/07/five-things-googles-chrome-os-will-do-for-your-netbook/