Google launched a brand new OS into the playing field. Dubbed ‘Chrome OS’, it is…just a browser. Just a browser. Chrome OS is an ultra-modified-ish version of Linux slapped with Chrome as your UI. The operating system will be designed for netbooks during the second half of next year and is only recommended for “secondary computers”. The OS has 3 partitions (that means no dual boot allowed), two for the file system and one for the user. Nothing (other than the file system) is stored on your hard drive. Okay, but where is it? The internet. You can use Google Docs or SkyDrive’s Office Web Apps to edit and save all your office files, use Lala for music, YouTube or Hulu for movies, and online flash sites for games. I’ve already obtained access to a developer build (courtesy of gdgt) and ran it on VMware Fusion 3. Besides being slow, I was able to dump Firefox and use the operating system as my browser. That’s huge. But could I could live with as my browser? The answer is no. As I said in a thread on Google Wave:
You see, based on the web right now, as-is, there’s not much chance for for Chrome OS to prosper. You’ll have to wait to see how the web evolves next year.
In essence, the web needs to grow big – and fast. There is no way Chrome OS could live against the big cat, Linux, or Windows right now. It probably won’t two years from now. Or if Google plays it’s cards bad, it won’t even see the light of the day. I hope it does – because I am in love with it. For a reason even unknown to myself, I want to run out to Fry’s, buy a netbook and install Chrome OS on it just for the fun of it.
Via YouTube (See above), Google Blog, Engagdet
