Skip to main content

Open Source Google Chrome OS to Target Netbooks

Open Source Google Chrome OS to Target Netbooks

Google has decided to open up another front in its competition with industry titan Microsoft—and this time, it’s attacking the heart of Microsoft’s business by launching its own operating system: Google Chrome OS. Google Chrome OS will be a lightweight, open source operating system initially intended for netbook computers. A separate project from Android, Google smartphone platform, Google Chrome OS will offer a windowing system running on top of a Linux kernel, and Google plans to support both x86 and ARM processor architectures with the new OS. Unsurprisingly, the main goal of the Chrome OS will be to get users into Google’s Chrome Web browser; from there, they will be able to access a wide variety of Web-based applications, rather than having to rely on native desktop applications.

"Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the Web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems," wrote Google engineering director Linus Upson and product management VP Sundar Pichai, in the company’s blog. "We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the Web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the Web."

Recommended Videos

Google says it is already talking to partners about Google Chrome OS, and will soon begin working with the open source community—the company hopes to have more detailed information about Google Chrome OS available this fall, and start getting products into consumers hands in the second half of 2010.

At the moment, netbooks are the only area of the general computing market experiencing significant growth, and the vast majority of netbooks purchased by consumers are currently running the ever-aging Windows XP. Microsoft hopes to transition the netbook markets to Windows 7 Basic beginning in October, giving Windows 7 roughly a one-year head start on Google Chrome OS in the netbook market…assuming Google can keep to its tentative timeframe. There’s no doubt Google would face an uphill battle attempting to establish market share, but if the company can deliver on its promise of a streamlined, high-performance operating system that does the basics without being subject to the security, maintenance, and malware headaches of Windows, it might be able to give Microsoft a run for its money in netbooks. And once Chrome proves viable there, it’s a small step to small form-factor PCs, media centers, lightweight "kitchen computers"…and even mainstream notebooks and desktops.

[Update 08-Jul-2008: Google has revealed its initial hardware partners for the Chrome platform: Acer, Adobe, Asus, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.]

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
DeepSeek invites users behind the curtain of its open source AI code
Phone running Deepseek on a laptop keyboard.

The Chinese startup, DeepSeek plans to become even more transparent about the technology behind its open-source AI models, such as its R1 reasoning model.

The company detailed in a post on X on Friday that it will make several code repositories available to the public, starting next week. This will give developers and researchers a deeper understanding of the nuances of the key parts of DeepSeek’s code. It is an especially bold move for a tech company. However, bold moves are already par for the course for DeepSeek, which entered the AI space as an industry disrupter. It has especially stood out because its models have performed as well, if not better than many of the top AI brands in the industry, such as OpenAI and Meta– that use proprietary technologies.

Read more
The Gemini app is now the only way to access Google’s AI on iOS
The Google Gemini AI logo.

Google announced Wednesday that it is removing its Gemini AI model from the Google app on iOS, meaning that Apple users will need to download the dedicated Gemini app in order to use it.

When Google first introduced its Gemini AI to the Apple product ecosystem, it did so through its existing Google App, which had been available on iPhones and iPads since 2008. It wasn't until last November that Google released its dedicated Gemini app. Over the past three months, iOS users had their choice of which app through which to access the chatbot, but that is no longer the case.

Read more
ChromeOS 133 features teased ahead of update
The ChromeOS welcome tour page.

ChromeOS 133 is set to be available soon, but the chromeOS.dev team has already published notes for the upcoming operating system that runs on popular Chromebook netbooks. The ChromeUnboxed team suggests that the notes coincide with a Tuesday rollout for the next system update; however, the software has not yet landed.

Each ChromeOS drop includes its own unique features and fixes. By the time ChromeOS 133 arrives, users will get a detailed look at each previewed feature and more; however, the notes are a sneak peek at what can be expected from the update. The chromeOS.dev team highlighted some of the new aspects coming to the system.
Bounce Keys settings
ChromeOS 133 includes a new accessibility feature called Bounce Keys, which is intended to assist users with limited dexterity or tremors to navigate a keyboard. When enabled, Bounce Keys will ignore repeated keystrokes pressed in succession, making for a smoother typing experience with fewer unintended characters pressed. The feature allows for the time delay to be adjusted, from a short key to long key.
Super Resolution for Bluetooth mics
The update brings a toggle to the audio settings page that will enable a feature called “Bluetooth Super Resolution.” This feature will allow you to improve the audio quality of Bluetooth-connected microphone devices, by upscaling low-res audio sound quality to hi-res. ChromeUnboxed noted this feature will have to be tested in real-time to see how well it works.
Screencast additional language support
Screencast is an interesting feature in ChromeOS that allows you to record your screen and use your front camera for creating presentations, which you can live stream the cloud-based platform on Chromebooks. In addition to various built-in transcription tools for replays, the coming ChromeOS 133 update will add support for over 50 languages. You can access Screencast through the Launcher icon on a Chromebook and then search for Screencast.
Additions to the ChromeOS welcome tour
The new ChromeOS includes an updated, interactive, Welcome Tour that launches right after device setup, giving users a rundown of the basics of Chromebook and what they need to know to use their new device optimally.

Read more