Google Chrome Operating System - Chromium OS

Google Chrome OS is an open source operating system which is designed by Google to work exclusively with web applications.

The operating system is based on Linux and will run only on specifically designed hardware.The user interface takes a minimalist approach, resembling that of the Chrome web browser. Because the browser will be the only application residing on the device, Google Chrome OS is aimed at users who spend most of their computer time on the Internet. So it is basically going to be targeted to the web users, if I can say that.

The lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year Google will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because Google is already talking to partners about the project, and will soon be working with the open source community, they wanted to share the vision now so everyone understands what they are trying to achieve.

The key aspects of Google Chrome OS would be:

• Speed,
• Simplicity, and
• Security

According to the information available on the official sites Google is designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds.

The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as with the Google Chrome browser, Google is 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.

Technical side of things:

• Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and Google is working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year.
• The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel.
• For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies.
• In addition to that these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform.

The psychology behind the concept:

Users world over demands computers 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. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files.

Even more importantly, they don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates. Google wants to give users a better computing experience, in turn Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.

Basic design dimensions of Google Chrome OS:

User Interface:

Google Chrome OS’s user interface is planned to be built on a design which include using minimal screen space by combining applications and standard Web pages into a single tab strip, rather than separating the two.

Reduced window management scheme is being used that would operate only in full-screen mode. Secondary tasks would be handled with “panels”: floating windows that dock to the bottom of the screen for tasks like chat and music players.

Split screens are also under consideration for viewing two pieces of content side-by-side.

Google Chrome OS will follow the Chrome browser’s practice of leveraging HTML5′s offline modes, background processing, and notifications. Designers propose using search and pinned tabs as a way to quickly locate and access applications

Architecture:

Preliminary design documents for the Chromium OS open source project describes a three-tier architecture: firmware, browser and window manager, and system-level software and userland services.

• The firmware contributes to fast boot time by not probing for hardware, such as floppy disk drives, that are no longer common on computers, especially netbooks.
• The firmware also contributes to security by verifying each step in the boot process and incorporating system recovery.
• System-level software includes the Linux kernel that has been patched to improve boot performance.
• Userland software has been trimmed to essentials, with management by Upstart, which can launch services in parallel, re-spawn crashed jobs, and defer services in the interest of faster booting.
• The window manager handles user interaction with multiple client windows much like other X window managers.

Google is also planning to integrate the media player with both the Chrome browser and Chrome OS. They are also looking seriously into one unresolved design problem related to both Chrome OS and the Chrome browser. It is the desired behavior for how Web applications handle specific link types.

In November 2009, Glyn Moody, writing for Linux Journal, predicted that Google’s market model for the Chrome OS will be to give the software and the netbook hardware that it will run on away for free, as a means of expanding its advertising-based model. He said: “The unexpected success of netbooks over the last two years shows there is a market for this new kind of computing; giving away systems for free would take it to the next level. Then, gradually, that instant-on, secure, secondary netbook might become the one you spend most time on, and Google’s ad revenues would climb even higher…

Many people are also raising questions about relationship of Chrome OS with Android. To that Google has this to say:

Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems.

There are two questions which needs to be answered here:

1. Is there a space for another OS in the already cluttered market place?
2. Is this the start of an OS War?

Only time will tell!!