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Google is to follow up the success of the Chrome web browser with a new web based operating system.
Citing the fact that most modern systems were originally designed when there was no internet, Google says it is attempting to rethink how operating systems work.
Chrome OS is to be a lightweight, open source system that will initially be targeted at the netbook segment, with Google claiming that it will be fully compatible with ARM processors as well as x86 chips like AMD’s Geode or the Intel Atom.
As with the Chrome browser, Google says it will completely redesign the underlying architecture with an emphasis on speed, simplicity and security so that users can be on the internet with in a few seconds of boot up.
Interestingly, the system is intended to run as a windowed system over a Linux kernel and so for application developers – as with Google apps – the internet is the intended platform. This means that apps created for Chrome will be compatible with any other operating system that supports a browser.
“We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear – computers need to get better,” read Google’s official blog. “And any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.
“We have a lot of work to do, and we’re definitely going to need a lot of help from the open source community to accomplish this vision.”
Google is currently working with multiple OEM’s to bring a number of netbooks to market next year.
