Google Chrome OS; yet another threat to Microsoft

Google Chrome was designed for people who live on the web — searching for information, checking email, catching up on the news, shopping or just staying in touch with friends.

Today, Google announced a new project that’s a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System.

Company said:

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be launched at netbooks. Later this year code will be open-sourced, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010.

Key aspects of Google Chrome OS are Speed, simplicity and security. The OS is aimed to be fast and lightweight, to start up onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is simple and user experience takes place on the web.

Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year.

Google said:

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.

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 Chrome OS is separate from Android. Google Chrome OS is for those who spend most of their time on the web, and is designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems.