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Can Chrome steal Windows’ thunder?

Google has spoken of a new project to develop a lightweight operating system which could rival Microsoft Windows. But the company says it requires help from the open source community.
 


Google is big and Google news is big news. These days, any pronouncement made by the Internet search giant attracts its fair share of media coverage so just imagine the furore earlier this month when Google confirmed it was developing an operating system to rival Microsoft Windows.

 Building on the success of Chrome
 

The product will be called Google Chrome OS. In fact, the system is far from finished and detractors are already referring to it as ‘vapourware’ but Google maintains this project will build on the undeniable success of its Chrome browser, which has attracted over 30 million regular users in the nine months since its launch.

The rationale behind the new system will certainly strike a chord with many. In a statement, Engineering Director Sundar Pichai, spoke of the feedback that had lead to this reassessment by Google of what an operating system should be.

"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.”

Sundar Pichai,
Engineering Director


Pichai explained: “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.”

Google Chrome OS is an open source project that will be targeting netbook computers first. Its code will be made available to software developers later this year and the company admits it will need a lot of help from this online community to help accomplish its vision. Speed, simplicity and security are its main objectives with Google speaking of a lightweight system and a simple user interface that will “stay out of your way” to enable rapid access to the Internet.

It should just work

Pichai added: “…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 estimates the system will be available for netbook users in the second half of 2010.
 

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