Google says: Chrome for Christmas

Posted Nov 21st 2009 10:40AM by Tom Johansmeyer
Filed under: Internet, Competitive Strategy, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Technology

Google (GOOG) is letting a few developers peek behind the curtain. The early look the company's new operating system, Chrome, is happening in true Google style: by invitation only. When it's released, which should be in time for the holidays, developers will be able to bang away at an open source solution, tapping an army of volunteers who are eager to work for bragging rights.

The open source version is called Chromium OS, which will hit the market a year before the "consumer" version is ready, which is how Google will be able to tap the wisdom of developers around the world. In a blog entry, Google explained, "This means the code is free, accessible to anyone and open for contributions." The project includes the code base, user interface experiments and some preliminary designs, all of which can be used for ongoing development efforts. To energize the potential base of contributors, Google said that "development will be done in the open from this point on."

From the announcement, it's clear that Chromium OS is built around two principles: web-friendliness and speed. The company says, "All Apps are web apps. The entire experience takes place within the browser, and there are no conventional desktop applications." Installing and updating are destined for obsolescence. To make the system faster, Google is "taking out every unnecessary process" and is running as much as possible in parallel. The company's "obsession with speed," it says, "goes all the way down to the metal." Google will provide the hardware components that will deliver the fastest performance.

The goal, of course, is to get from the on button to the web in seconds -- specifically, seven seconds or less.

For Google, which has excelled at traditionally Internet tasks -- such as search, advertising and content aggregation -- and brought new tools to the Web like office productivity and email, the operating system has been the missing link. A successful launch would equip the company to compete more directly with Microsoft (MSFT) for ownership of the desktop.

Tags: chrome, ChromeOs, chromium, featured, goog, google, inthenews, open source, open source os, open source software, operating systems, source code

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-24-2009 @ 11:03AM

vicki said...

And I thought Chrome was just for guys with Harleys! 7 seconds to be on the Internet! SWEET! I just went out and purchased a high end 8 gig quad processor computer because I was tired of waiting for the old machines OS to run through start up. This is truly cutting edge technology and I can't wait to try it! I can't wait to tell hubby it's me that wants Chrome for Xmas! :)

Vicki Watzlawick
Broker Owner
Exit Platinum Realty