Google's Chrome OS is an open source lightweight computer operating system designed for people who 'live on the web,' that is, people whose computer time is mostly spent interacting with the internet. Chrome OS will use mini-programs called web applications, or simply 'apps,' to:
- Search for information
- Read, write and send email, instant messages, and transact other communications
- Shop and bank online
- Create and edit word processing documents, spreadsheets and other productivity documents
- Create collaborative documents
- Watch videos, movies and 'tv'
- Listen to music and the 'radio'
- Accomplish other work/play/life tasks on a 'computing' device which primarily uses a keyboard and touchpad or mouse for user input
Chrome OS users will primarily store their files and their 'desktop' settings in the 'cloud' rather than on a hard drive on their computer. This means their files and a familiar, consistent user interface will be available from any computer that is connected to the internet, or at least from any 'net-connected Chrome OS computer.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to adequately describe Chrome OS in a few sentences. To grok, or more fully understand what Chrome OS is or wants to be, make time to listen to at least one video about Chrome OS and read the information at the resources linked below.
To have Google explain Chrome OS to you in less than four minutes, via a November 2009 YouTube video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QRO3gKj3qw. A December 2010 Google video showing both the Chrome OS and Chrome Notebook is at http://www.google.com/chromeos/features-guidedtour.html.
Three other web resources to better understand Google's Chrome OS are the Wikipedia Chrome OS entry, the initial official Google Chrome OS announcement, and Google's official Chrome website.
Google's naming conventions can be a wee bit confusing when it comes to Chrome. For example, the official Chrome website talks about both the Chrome web browser and the Chrome operating system. Then there's Chrome vs Chromium. Chrome is the proprietary flavor of Google's browser, while Chromium is the open source, roll-your-own version which Google supports and makes available to geeks and other interested people. Similarly, Chromium OS is the open source project behind Chrome OS. Maybe that's a result of many geeks being easily distracted (and confused?) by shiny objects...
The Chrome chronology highlights are:
- 07 Jul 2009 -- Official Google announcement of Chrome OS
- 19 Nov 2009 -- Google news conference to demo an early version of Chrome OS
- 07 Dec 2010 -- Official Google demo of Chrome OS on the Cr-48 Chrome Notebook
- Summer 2011 -- Project launch of consumer notebooks with Chrome OS
Research and writing down these milestone dates brings to mind the major milestones for Google's Chrome browser. After a late start, with Internet Explorer firmly in the market share lead and Firefox the only other mainstream browser with significant impact in the Windows OS market, the Chrome browser has come a long way in a short time. Its market share is now growing quickly, whereas Firefox appears to have plateaued and is probably even losing user base. Two reason for the Chrome/Firefox dynamic are likely that many Chrome users are the same early adopter geeks who switched from IE or Netscape to Firefox (cannibalization of Firefox user base) and because some Chrome users are non-geeks who are significantly more comfortable installing and using a Google product than a Mozilla product (Google brand awareness and trust).
As the Millenials and upcoming generations increasingly grow up in or adapt to a world with ubiquitous internet access and mobile computing devices, will they create a need for and ready market for a new OS such as Chrome? Will the market share of Windows OS fall dramatically in computing devices which are larger than a smartphone and use a physical keyboard for the primary input method, following the same technology trend which reduced the Microsoft Internet Explorer market share from 90+% down to ~60%? If that happens, it will no doubt wreak havoc on Microsoft's revenue for both Windows OS and its Office suite.
The long term impact of the Chrome OS is conjecture at this point. It could be wildly successful like Google's ubiquitous text ads and search engine. It could have a strong impact for a large number of internet denizens in the same way that Gmail is innovative and popular, or it could be ahead of its time or poorly implemented and marketed, resulting in a horrible or unremarkable death similar to one of its siblings -- Google Wave.
My guess and hope is that it will follow the Gmail path, being a truly innovative and useful product that is not the global market leader in operating systems but is the preferred system of knowledgeable tech nomads and a significant portion of smart, influential, non-tech internet citizens.
Chrome OS impact prediction: Thwack!!
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