Google aiming to shatter Windows with Chrome OS

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 8 Jul 2009 at 08:35

Google is working on a fully-fledged desktop operating system as it looks to put a dent in the Windows hegemony.

The operating system will be based on Google's Chrome browser, rather than the Android mobile OS, and is being designed to run everything "from small netbooks to full-sized desktop systems" with an expected launch in 2010.

The search giant is claiming the operating system will address many of the frustrations users have with Windows, including the threat from viruses and slow boot times.

"We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear - computers need to get better," Google notes on its blog. "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.

Google has confirmed the Chrome OS will run on both x86 and ARM architecture, taking advantage of an area neglected by Windows 7 - which was briefly rumoured to be getting an ARM version.

And for anybody not already excited by Google's take on the OS, it signs off with a promise to create an "OS that's 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.

"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 will open-source the Chrome OS later this year, the company has promised.

"It's a huge announcement," says Rob Enderle, president of the Enderle analyst Group. "Google's really going after Microsoft. We've got a competitive OS market, possibly for the first time."