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According to Google, Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half Because we’re already talking to partners about the project, and we’ll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.

Company / developer: Google Inc. Programmed in: C, C++ OS family: Unix-like Working state: Source code released as Chromium OS Supported platforms:x86, ARM Kernel type: Linux Default user interface: Graphical (Web-based)

Design goals & direction User interface Design goals for Google Chrome OS's user interface include using minimal screen space by combining applications and standard Web pages into a single tab strip, rather than separating the two. Designers are considering a reduced window management scheme that would operate only in full-screen mode. Secondary tasks would be handled with "panels": floating windows that dock to the bottom of the screen for tasks like chat and music players. Split screens are also under consideration for viewing two pieces of content side-by-side. Google Chrome OS will follow the Chrome browser's practice of leveraging HTML5's offline modes, background processing, and notifications. Designers propose using search and pinned tabs as a way to quickly locate and access applications.

Architecture In preliminary design documents for the Chromium OS open source project, Google describes a three-tier architecture: firmware, browser and window manager, and system-level software and userland services. The firmware contributes to fast boot time by not probing for hardware, such as floppy disk drives, that are no longer common on computers, especially netbooks. The firmware also contributes to security by verifying each step in the boot process and incorporating system recovery. The window manager handles user interaction with multiple client windows much like other X window managers.

Hardware support Google Chrome OS is initially intended for secondary devices like netbooks, not a user's primary PC,and will run on hardware incorporating an x86 or ARM-based processor. Chrome OS will support hard disk drives, Google has requested that its hardware partners use solid-state drives due to their higher performance and reliability, as well as the lower capacity requirements inherent in an operating system that accesses applications and most user data on remote servers. Google Chrome OS consumes one-sixtieth as much drive space as Windows 7.

Integrated media player Google will integrate a media player into both Chrome OS and the Chrome browser, enabling users to play back MP3s, view JPEGs, and handle other multimedia files while offline Printing Google plans to create a service called Google “ Cloud Print ” which will help any application on any device to print on any printer. This method of printing does not require any drivers and therefore will be suitable for printing from Google Chrome OS.

Security All apps live within the browser, there are significant benefits to security. Unlike traditional operating systems, Chrome OS doesn’t trust the applications you run. Each app is contained within a security sandbox making it harder for malware and viruses to infect your computer. Furthermore, Chrome OS barely trusts itself. Every time you restart your computer the operating system verifies the integrity of its code. If your system has been compromised, it is designed to fix itself with a reboot. While no computer can be made completely secure, we’re going to make life much harder (and less profitable) for the bad guys.

Flash integration As with the Chrome browser, Google will integrate Adobe Flash into Chrome OS. Compatible hardware Companies developing hardware for the operating system include Hewlett-Packard Acer Adobe Asus Lenovo Texas Instruments Freescale Intel Samsung

 Cost Netbooks are cheap. So cheap that a disproportionately large chunk of the cost is made up of a Windows license. Chrome OS is based on Linux and will, like most Google products, be free, bringing the price of a netbook down by 10 percent.

 Speed Chrome OS is designed to run on low-powered Atom and ARM processors, and web-based applications don’t require that much horsepower on the client end so it should be faster still. Better, it will be small. Google is promising boot times measured in seconds, not minutes, so battery life should also get a boost

 Compatibility Google says that “[Users] don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates.” One of the big problems with using anything but Windows XP on a netbook has been drivers.  Portability Netbooks are meant for the road. At home, a bigger computer is almost always better but when traveling, a netbook shines. Swapping between the two is a pain, though. With Chrome, you can bet that all of Google’s service — Gmail, Google Docs, Picasa and so on — will be built-in and have offline access via Google Gears. If you are a good Google Citizen and use all these services, you’ll never have to worry about having all your latest data with you, whether you have a net connection or not.