Google Chrome OS, Google’s open-source, web-based operating system has been revealed in a special event at Google headquarters. It’s mission? To kill the desktop.
While we’d previously seen snapshots of the Google Chrome OS interface, this is the first time we’ve got a proper look at Google Chrome OS. The main thing is that it’s entirely web-based, storing your apps in the cloud. It’s the first time a browser has entirely ditched the traditional desktop.
All applications in Google Chrome OS are web apps meaning there’s no need to install, manage and update programmes. It also means that Google Chrome OS should quickly have a wide-range of applications available.
Google claims that Google Chrome OS will be more secure than a traditional operating system. Chrome OS places each application in its own “security sandbox” keeping it isolated from the rest of the OS and theoretically making it harder for malware and viruses to infect your computer.
The security measures go even further. Google says “Chrome OS barely trusts itself.” Each time you restart your computer, Google Chrome OS will check its code, if it believes it has been compromised, it’s designed to fix itself and reboot the system.
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Besides security, Google’s biggest boast about Google Chrome OS is its speed. The current beta developer version apparently boots in around 7 seconds and Google has declared that it is “running every possible process in parallel.”
It may take as long as a year for the first Google Chrome OS sporting hardware to emerge but Google is working with manufacturers like Asus to develop new netbooks designed for Google Chrome OS. It’s developed a list of “reference hardware components” to ensure that the hardware works smoothly with the new OS.
Watch the video above for more of Google’s tour around the Google Chrome OS and check out our reviews of Windows 7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard to see how traditional operating systems differ.
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Google Chrome OS kills the desktop: first totally web-based OS was originally published on Electricpig.co.uk at Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:45:47
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