<nettime> Google officially released the open source code for its Chrome OS, an operating system

[Patrice Riemens <patrice@xs4all.nl>]

Bwo BytesforAll list/ George Lessard


Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) just keeps invading new territories, and its latest
target is your computer's operating system. It's officially released the
open source code for its Chrome OS, an operating system that will turn up
in third-party vendors' netbooks. Those devices should start selling next
year.

With Chrome, Google takes a very different approach than major OSes like
Windows, Mac OS, or even most Linux distributions. It's sort of like what
would happen if an Ubuntu mated with a Firefox. It's basically a browser
that does not run on an operating system -- it is an operating system. All
its apps are Web apps, and all the data you save using it is stored in the
cloud, in a state of statelessness, as Google puts it. Very little data is
actually saved on the computer's hard drive.

The advantage, as Google describes it, is that boot-up times are extremely
quick. Security is also easier to handle. If you aren't hosting any data
yourself, you also aren't hosting any malware. Finally, if someone steals
your Chrome netbook, and your password is nice and safe, then you'll be
able to reclaim all your data and settings simply by signing on to another
Chrome netbook -- which you'll have to buy, of course, but some data's
worth more than a few hundred bucks.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Googles-Strange-and-Shiny-New-OS-68707.html?wlc=1258823023


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