Google Chrome OS, Google’s open-source, web-based operating system has been revealed in a special event at Google headquarters. It’s mission? To kill the desktop.

While we’d previously seen snapshots of the Google Chrome OS interface, this is the first time we’ve got a proper look at Google Chrome OS. The main thing is that it’s entirely web-based, storing your apps in the cloud. It’s the first time a browser has entirely ditched the traditional desktop.

All applications in Google Chrome OS are web apps meaning there’s no need to install, manage and update programmes. It also means that Google Chrome OS should quickly have a wide-range of applications available.

Google claims that Google Chrome OS will be more secure than a traditional operating system. Chrome OS places each application in its own “security sandbox” keeping it isolated from the rest of the OS and theoretically making it harder for malware and viruses to infect your computer.

The security measures go even further. Google says “Chrome OS barely trusts itself.” Each time you restart your computer, Google Chrome OS will check its code, if it believes it has been compromised, it’s designed to fix itself and reboot the system.

Besides security, Google’s biggest boast about Google Chrome OS is its speed. The current beta developer version apparently boots in around 7 seconds and Google has declared that it is “running every possible process in parallel.”

It may take as long as a year for the first Google Chrome OS sporting hardware to emerge but Google is working with manufacturers like Asus to develop new netbooks designed for Google Chrome OS. It’s developed a list of “reference hardware components” to ensure that the hardware works smoothly with the new OS.

Watch the video above for more of Google’s tour around the Google Chrome OS and check out our reviews of Windows 7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard to see how traditional operating systems differ.

TBA | £free | Google

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  • http://www.electricpig.co.uk Joe Minihane

    I think this looks and sounds great. Ok, if you use stuff like Photoshop and Final Cut a lot, it’s not for you. But for basic browsing and tinkering, it’s ideal.

  • http://litl.com litl_phil

    Hi

    We at litl think it’s great that Google shares some points in common with our vision for a cloud-based operating system. After all, this is the next step in consumer computing after nearly 30 years of the standard desktop model, it’s not surprising that different companies are arriving at some similar conclusions.

    Nonetheless people might be interested to know that you don’t have to wait 12 months to join the cloud-based netbook revolution. We’re already shipping ours! You can buy our new high quality litl webbook featuring our unique interface and specialized content channels right now at litl.com!

    While we like the fact that companies like Google are investing in ideas that have commonalities with ours, it’s worth noting that we have some important differences, too:

    1. Our market and use cases at litl are quite tightly defined. We’re pointedly a device for the home – we’re changing the way people use the web at home. This provides definition to our product and a focus that generic systems may lack.

    2. Our guiding theme, if you like, is simplicity. We’ve already integrated our hardware and software – we control both and we don’t have the complexity of enlisting the support of separate hardware manufacturers.

    3. litl has worked hard for the last two years on our interface and design. Our whole point is web computing – that’s all we do – and we don’t use a standard browser interface. Our interface is the browser but it doesn’t look like one. Our decisions were driven first by the experience we wanted users to have.

    4. Our os includes value-adding in the form of our Mediawall and our channels. Litl channels are applications that shape the experience of streaming media or other content to fit logically with our UI. We have many channels in the pipeline.

    So, while we’re interested and supportive of what Google are doing, in some core areas we have already done it. And over the next 12 months we will be building and extending our platform, automatically updated on our device in your home, in exciting ways.

    Come and see our product at litl.com

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