Google today is open-sourcing the Chromium OS project. Google Chrome OS will be ready for consumers this time next year. It’s designed to be an alternative to Microsoft’s Windows, Apple’s OS and Linux. As with the Google Chrome browser, development will be done in the open from this point on, and open source.
In Google’s vision, all apps are web apps. Chrome OS is the operating system. It can run on a variety of platforms, although netbooks are the first target. The Google Chrome browser runs atop Chrome OS. It provides the gateway through users will access Web applications like Google Web Apps.
Users won’t have to install programs or manage updates because the platform depends on the cloud. “The computer should just work.”
Developers can download the code and began working with Chrome OS free under the open source license. The idea is to get third-party developers designing applications to run on Chrome OS.
Google wants Chrome OS to be super-fast. To make that happen, it’s being extremely picky about the kinds of hardware Chrome OS will run on. On the consumer side, that means you won’t be able to just install Chrome OS on your computer; you’ll have to buy a Chrome OS netbook. On the developer side, that means that if you want to download and run the code, you’ll probably have to tinker with your hardware to meet Google’s specifications.
Chrome OS will run on both x86 and ARM chips – though it only runs on x86 today – and Google is working with multiple partners on commercial devices, including Acer, Asus, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba.
