This could be a game changer in my opinion. And it forces Microsoft to think harder about performance issues on their Windows OS, which is still very slow and clumsy.

We could be seeing a major shift to lighter, more web oriented operating systems, keeping all major software on the cloud and giving you a faster, more responsive UI - specially when doing most of our work on the browser.

If they make it free and open source it will be great. Although there is always the problem with software compatibility, specially when it comes to the millions of programs (freeware, shareware, etc) that only run on Windows, and that most users like.

One more question that I see is that it could impact negatively the way Google is increasingly beeing seen as a monopoly... still it will be interesting to see what happens.
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It would be nice to have Google Chrome OS competing with Mac and Windows systems. The best part is, it's free! I have used Linux and Windows, and I think Linux is the better option for running on consumer computers, computers for people like you and me. It never became a reality though, because Linux didn't have the money and status to fight Microsoft. Google does, and it'll surely come on top.
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I think it's a risky move in a market segment that Google isn't successful in.

Generally, a custom Linux windowing system sounds like a good idea. However, users can already customize Linux and Linux is quite fast on Netbooks.

I'm a little confused why they're not at least branding this as "Android Netbook". Android was initially released (in part) as a Netbook OS and not extending development of their cross-device OS seems negative.

See where it goes I guess but I think that Ubuntu and Microsoft are in a much better position for this. It will all come down to functionality and features though.
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Aw, I was just hitting "ask question". You stole my question!

Anyway, I think that Google needs to be careful about the whole "don't be evil" motto, when it has tentacles in everything. Disclaimer, I have not yet used Chrome (browser).Even newer computers bundled with different OS have not made huge inroads into Windows domination of the market, so I expect this OS will take another little % but I don't expect an instant upset.

I saw someone else comment that this may be a good OS for netbooks, which seems like a smart move.
Source(s):
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/08/google-chrome-redefining-the-operating...
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=4877

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It's the first I've heard of it and I am *so* excited. That blog post gives me goosebumps.

"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."
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What do I think of the Google Chrome OS announcement?

In a word: Meh.

Does the world need another OS? I don't think so.

Is there any reason why Google would be especially good at building OSes? Not as far as I know.

Do I care if an OS is a little bit faster or slower? No.

Do I want to learn a new OS? You must be kidding.

Do I want to run different apps on a netbook than I am used to on a desktop? Not if I can possibly help it.

Will developers jump for joy that they have yet another platform to develop for? I'm sure they'll be as wildly excited (not) as they were for Android.

Does this smack of a successful company getting carried away and over-reaching into areas it doesn't really understand? Mmm... now that you mention it...

Maybe I'll change my mind when I see it, but at the moment, it's one big "Meh". :)
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I think its a very smart move for Google to do a Google Chrome OS.

What Google doesn't have a lack of is engineers. Armed 20% paid time free to work on with "any" projects (not limited or exclusive to Google). A lot of the Google Labs project we enjoy today like Gmail was created that way.

Another advantage is netbooks are designed for used online. So a lot of cloud computing stuff like. Gmail, GoogleDocs and Picasa are just a click away. Yes they are also free so you don't have to buy MS Office.

It was rumored for a very long time that Google was developing an OS in secret. Some people thought it might be the Andriod OS ported into netbooks After discovering how easy it was to port from a Smartphone to a PC.

The Google Chrome OS however has a disadvantage for non-technical users since it Linux based. But if all you ever do revolves around the web browser. You are pretty much safe and would care less about its complexity.

Microsoft is probably running scared today. Since its hard to compete with FREE. MS might probably now have to re-think their Win7 pricing strategy

On a netbook MS is just earning $15 for an XP license. For Win7 they want to earn more and expand their monopoly. But the strategy to achieve that puzzles me. They want to restrict features on the Netbook Starter edition. Forcing you to upgrade and pay more. Without going to specifics. They initially plan to limit 3 apps to run simultaneously. Due to public outcry they have since retracted. But silly things like you wont be able to change your wallpaper on a netbook could happen. You just have to wait and see until its release.

To sum it all up. The big winner of all this is us consumers. Increased competition results into better products. Cheaper netbooks too.
Source(s):
WSJ: Microsoft makes $15 per Windows XP netbook licensehttp://techreport.com/discussions.x/16784
Report: Windows 7 Netbook price tied to size
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10249250-64.html
Microsoft kills Windows 7 Starter's 3-app limit
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9133694/Microsoft_kills_Windows_7_St...

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I think its about time. Google needs to be very successful at supporting this product and making sure its affordable for all.
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Chrome OS is primary a "Web" based operating system more then likey best used for things like netbooks. Google has all sorts of web apps that work very well for the most part, and Microsoft is trying to get people to move on to their "Mesh" cloud computing. If one company can move people to the cloud it's google. I don't personally like having everything on the internet but that is just me, I like having access to my files locally. For people that want a low powered computer that comes with everything that will more then likely work well (as in not vista) and not paying a premium (apple) then I think Google with dominate. Poor Ubuntu, I really like that version of linux. We will have to see if I need to add a 4th OS to my list.
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I feel like I'm missing out. I'm on a mac so I havn't got to try chrome yet. But considering Google does well with all there other ventures...Gmail, google books, orkut, knol, google health......etc, they will definately do well. There are the big ones like Mac Os, windox XP, linux and smaller ones like Ubuntu and solaris, Google will immediately at the top.
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Will it be a major competitor to Windows 7 or OS X, simply, no. Not in computers used for businesses or in industry. And not in the near future for most home based systems/desktops. It will be a competitor (at least) in the netbook style computer market. Windows does not have a great OS for netbooks and Apple has nothing (besides rumors of MAYBE making a netbook). Apple will not be running OS X on non-Apple computer and they most certainly will not be running Chrome OS on Apple computers.

With time, Chrome could develop into a competitor against Windows. Apple is not even a competitor against Windows for a couple of reasons (and yes I know they are gaining market share on Windows). OS X is made to run on Apple computers only and they have sued companies that sold 'PCs' that ran OS X. Windows can run on either a 'PC' or an Apple. Apple will eventually hit its market cap as there are only a limited amount of individuals that can afford their computers, and still to this day, they are not very prevalent in industry/businesses (I know they are useful in art/image/video related industries). Apple's market share gain is a hardware sales increase with OS X going along for the ride.

Chrome OS's biggest hurdle in becoming a threat to Windows will be to get hardware/software/vendor support. There will need to be software written for their OS and drivers for hardware will have to be re-worked to run on Chrome OS.

Light weight computers that do just basic functions (internet, email, word processing, spreadsheets, watch video, etc) seem to make more and more sense everyday. These aforementioned computers are slowly being (partially) incorporated into cell phones and other small hand held devices. If Chrome OS can be the OS of choice for the market of computers from cell phones all the way through to netbooks, they will have a formidable market in years to come. (And again, Apple will not be a huge factor as its iPhone OS is made for its hardware only and, like everything else, there is no guarantee that the iPhone will be as popular in a few years as it is now is still only a small fraction on total cell phone sales.)
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I think it's risky, especially since they will never convince business to change from what they know. Even if Googles OS is free the expense in converting OS is high for business because the specialized programs that various businesses run have to be rewritten for the new OS. I still have to use XP because I can't get my vendors to rewrite for Vista or Linux etc.
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I like the idea, I think that for netbooks chrome would be a good option. I have been running the Chrome browser on my netbook for a few weeks now and really like the full screen option, it makes the best use of the small screen for web browsing. If Google puts as much thought into the OS then it will be a good option for small and low end machines. Another thought is that Google Wave would make a good start screen for giving you all of your personal info such as mail, contacts, social, and discussions in one place. kind of like what the Moblin OS does now but hopefully better.
Source(s):
http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=4493
http://www.itworld.com/small-business/70891/intels-moblin-netbook-os-enters...
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39672883,00.htm
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/07/10/dell-may-test-googles-chrome-os

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