NY Times: Google Plans to Introduce a PC Operating System [Google Confirms]

toxk_02

UPDATE: Google confirms

Google wrote:

7/07/2009 09:37:00 PM
It's been an exciting nine months since we launched the Google Chrome browser. Already, over 30 million people use it regularly. We designed Google Chrome for people who live on the web — searching for information, checking email, catching up on the news, shopping or just staying in touch with friends. However, the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web. So today, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System. It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.

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

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're 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 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 Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are 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. And of course, 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.

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. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.

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. 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. And any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.

We have a lot of work to do, and we're definitely going to need a lot of help from the open source community to accomplish this vision. We're excited for what's to come and we hope you are too. Stay tuned for more updates in the fall and have a great summer.

Posted by Sundar Pichai, VP Product Management and Linus Upson, Engineering Director

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I don't venture in here often though I believe this is the appropriate place for this news.

Google Plans to Introduce a PC Operating System

New York Times wrote:

By MIGUEL HELFT and ASHLEE VANCE


SAN FRANCISCO — In a direct challenge to Microsoft, Google is expected to announce on Wednesday that it is developing an operating system for a personal computer based on its Chrome browser, according to two people briefed on Google’s plans.

The details of the technology could not be learned, but Google plans to make the announcement on a company blog on Wednesday afternoon, this person said.

Google did not immediately return calls and e-mail messages seeking comment.

The move would sharpen the already intense competition between Google and Microsoft, whose Windows operating system controls the basic functions of the vast majority of personal computers.

Google could well be hoping to capitalize on the rise of netbooks, the compact, low-cost computers that have turned the PC world on its head.

Google already has already developed an operating system called Android, that is used for mobile phones. The software is also being built into lightweight PCs called netbooks by several manufacturers.

Google has not encouraged netbook makers to use Android as an operating system, and the Chrome-based operating system appears to be the company’s preferred software for operating netbooks.

Google has also long promoted a vision of computing in which applications delivered over the Web play an increasingly central role, replacing software programs that run on the desktop. In that world, applications run directly inside an Internet browser, rather than atop an operating system, the traditional software that controls most of the operations of a PC.

Last year, the company released the Chrome browser, which it described as a tool for users to interact with increasingly powerful Web programs, like Gmail, Google Docs and online applications created by other companies. Since then, Google has been adding capabilities to Chrome, like the ability to allow it to run applications even when a user is not connected to the Internet.

It is not clear how much work it would take for Google to turn Chrome into the central part of a full fledged operating system. But in a recent interview, Marc Andreessen, who developed the first commercial browser and co-founded Netscape, compared Chrome into an operating system

“Chrome is basically a modern operating system,” Mr. Andreessen said.

Google has also long customized a version of the Linux operating system for use internally.

The rise of netbooks has started to challenge some of Microsoft’s dominance in personal computing software. The first wave of netbooks relied on various versions of the open-source Linux operating system, and major PC makers like Hewlett-Packard and Dell have backed the Linux software.

In an unusual move, Intel, the world’s largest chip maker, has worked on developing a Linux-based operating system called Moblin as well.

The company has aimed the software at netbooks and smart phones in a bid to spur interest for its mobile device chip sold under the Atom brand.

To combat these efforts, Microsoft began offering its older Windows XP operating system for use on netbooks at a low price. In addition, the company has vowed that is upcoming Windows 7 software, due out this fall, will run well on the tiny laptops.

Netbooks have stood out as the brightest part of the PC market during the global economic downturn. Overall, PC sales have plummeted, while netbooks sales have surged.

I admit to not staying up-to-date on this type of thing but it seems like a major move on Google's part. I've never used Chrome, is it really something they could expand into an effective OS?

tofu

I dislike the Chrome moniker, I wish they would just name it Google Browser or Google OS.

Kaimaka

Really?
Internet Explorer is a better name than Microsoft Browser and Firefox is a better name than Mozilla Browser. Having actual name for a program that is not just 'Company Program Type' is necessary I think to disambiguate.

Say Chrome was called Google Browser.

Person A: "What browser do you use?"
Person B: "Google"
Person A: "No that is the search engine you use, what it the program?"
Person B: "I'm pretty sure it's I use Google Browser"

Thing it devolves into person A trying to explain what a browser is and person be trying to show they know what it is.

It would make the misconceptions in this video even more common

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MwTvtyrUQ

Lucky Cynic

I could care less what they name it. Just so long as it doesn't cause confusion.

"So wait, you are getting 404's on my website randomly?"

"Yeah, but only with Chrome."

"Wait, you mean the OS Chrome, or the browser?"

"Both."

"Wait, what does that mean?"

"It means I get the errors when using the chrome browser within the chrome OS."

JAEF

Yes the naming scheme is poorly thought out.

Frem

Well, if Chrome the operating system is just a shim to get Chrome the browser running, there hopefully won't be much functional difference.

If the user is interacting with all sorts of other things in the OS, I agree there's an issue.