Google Chrome is a
Web
browser developed by Google for
Windows
systems. The browser is designed to make Web surfing safer and faster. It offers users a
minimal design and what Google describes as "sophisticated technology" to
make the Web faster, safer and easier on Windows-based PCs.
Since Chrome's initial beta launch in September 2008, Google reports that more than 30
million people use it regularly.
Google Chrome features searching from the address bar, thumbnail
views of your favorite pages for quick access, a private browsing
function that opens an incognito window when you don't want to save
your browsing history, instant bookmarks, crash control and dynamic
tabs. The browser works with Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Now There's Google Chrome — the OS
On July 7, 2009, nine months after
the Chrome browser was released, Google announced an extension to Google
Chrome — the Google Chrome
Operating System.
According to Google, current
operating systems were originally designed in an era where there was no Web,
and Google Chrome is described as a lightweight operating system will make its debut
targeting netbook devices. |
Key Terms To
Understanding Google Chrome OS:
Related Articles
on Webopedia:
|
The new operating system, according to Google, will
focus on speed and simplicity. The goal will be to have users start-up and
get onto the Web in seconds. Like the Chrome browser interface, the OS
interface will also be minimal — Google said they want to OS to "stay out of
the user's way".
Being online, especially with a Windows-based system,
users are constantly targeted by malicious spyware, viruses and other
security issues. To prevent this, Google said that the Chrome OS
would have a completely redesigned security architecture so that users would
not need to deal with issues such as viruses, malware and security updates.
Google says that the Chrome OS should "just work."
Google also indicted that the OS would be able to run on
both x86 as well as ARM chips. Additionally, the company is working with
multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year.
The Architecture
Google says that the software architecture is simple
—Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a
Linux
kernel.
On
the official Google blog, Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management and Linus
Upson, engineering director posted, "For application developers, the Web is
the platform. All Web-based applications will automatically work and new
applications can be written using your favorite Web technologies. And of
course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any
standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers
the largest user base of any platform."
Google also said that they will
open-source the code later this year, and netbooks running the Google Chrome
OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010.
On the Google
blog, the two Google representatives said, "Because we're already talking to
partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the
open source
community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we
are trying to achieve".
|
DID YOU KNOW...
Web browsers, often referred to just as browsers, are software
applications used to locate and display Web pages on the World
Wide Web. While this is the most popular usage, browsers can
also be used to access and view content on a private or local
network as well. Find out more about different consumer Web
browsers in
this Webopedia Quick Reference. |
Based in Nova Scotia, Vangie Beal is has been
writing about technology for more than a decade. She is a frequent
contributor to
EcommerceGuide and
managing editor at
Webopedia. You can
tweet her online @AuroraGG
Last updated: July 10, 2009
Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS
Today, we're announcing a new project that's a
natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System.
It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.
Google Chrome: a new web
browser for Windows
Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with
sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.
Chrome OS: Weighing Google's Game Plan
From the blogs: The search giant births a new Linux distro -- and a new
combatant in the OS wars.
Google Chrome OS - a new open source Linux distro
Google's Android mobile OS is not the only OS up Google's sleeve. Google
announced late Tuesday that it is working on a Linux based Chrome OS as
an operating system for the web.
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