Chrome OS: Google to Build Its Own Operating System
In the official Google blog, VP of product management Sundar Pichai and engineering director Linus Upson announce plans to develop a Google Chrome OS.
Operating systems that run on browsers today often come from the pre-Web era, such is the basis behind Google's step. Chrome OS should be resource-sensitive and user friendly, faster, easier to operate and more secure, among the core goals. The idea is to "start up and get you onto the Web in a few seconds," with a miminal yet intuitive user interface. Netbooks with x86 or ARM processors count among the first hardware platforms, with desktops soon to follow. Chrome OS thereby distinguishes itself from Android, which is primarily geared to mobile phones and portable devices. The second half of 2010 should begin showing preinstalled Chrome OS on devices, with the source code opened later this year. Google is negotiating with still unnamed OEMs for release to market, with further announcements to the community.
The blog indicates, "The software architecture is simple (...) Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel." Google will not be relying on X11, but will develop its own window management. The Web is the primary development platform for Chrome OS and existing Web applications should run out-of-the-box. The Chrome OS name is key: the OS is the browser. Applications written for Chrome OS should nonetheless still run on standard browsers on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Issue 269/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
Kubuntu Focus Announces XE Gen 2 Linux Laptop
Another Kubuntu-based laptop has arrived to be your next ultra-portable powerhouse with a Linux heart.
-
MNT Seeks Financial Backing for New Seven-Inch Linux Laptop
MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny laptop that is modular, upgradable, recyclable, reusable, and ships with Debian Linux.
-
Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled
If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that includes Flatpak support out of the box, there's one clear option.
-
Gnome 44 Release Candidate Now Available
The Gnome 44 release candidate has officially arrived and adds a few changes into the mix.
-
Flathub Vying to Become the Standard Linux App Store
If the Flathub team has any say in the matter, their product will become the default tool for installing Linux apps in 2023.
-
Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
-
Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
The firm that originally released a line of mobile keyboards has taken a different direction and has developed a new line of out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop computers.
-
Ubuntu No Longer Shipping with Flatpak
In a move that probably won’t come as a shock to many, Ubuntu and all of its official spins will no longer ship with Flatpak installed.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available
The final version of the Leap 15 series of openSUSE is available for beta testing and offers only new software versions.
-
Linux Kernel 6.2 Released with New Hardware Support
Find out what's new in the most recent release from Linus Torvalds and the Linux kernel team.