First Look at Google Chrome OS
Google today released the source code for Chrome OS (Googles new Web browser-based operating system) and explained how it’s different from the other operating systems. Being it is now open source, anyone can test and customize it. One of Chrome’s lead engineers, Idan Avraham, said said that it will not go to market for another year, and Google will not be offering Chrome OS as a download to install on any system you have.
The Chrome OS is a Web browser that is an operating system, unlike what you are using now – a operating system with a web browser to surf the Internet. This leaves Chrome OS with an entirely different approach to computing. Googles believes that most people use their computers primarley for Internet surfing, The new operating system is designed for using the Internet only. Google believes that users today can just about do anything or solve problems via the World Wide.
What this means is if you have a need for traditional software such as a video-editing program, then you’re going to need a traditional operating system such as Windows, Linux or Mac OSX. The bottom line here is Chrome OS will be focused on PCs that are primarily used for web surfing such as Netbooks.
How fast is it?
This chart shows how Google has reduced the number of processing layers between a computer's hardware and a Web browser
From what I have seen, it’s pretty damn fast. Just about seven seconds to boot-up the sign-on screen, then another three seconds to get on to the desktop. And the their working to make it even faster. Here is the short version via a video from Google on this new operating system.
