From the article, Google Drops A Nuclear Bomb On Microsoft. And It’s Made of Chrome:
In the second half of 2010, Google plans to launch the Google Chrome OS, an operating system designed from the ground up to run the Chrome web browser on netbooks. “It’s our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be,” Google writes tonight on its blog.
The NYTimes also runs an article, Google Plans a PC Operating System.
Martin’s commentary: Google releases its share of junk that it never really supports (Froogle, Google Notebook) and it buys companies that it lets whither away Yahoo-style (Feedburner), but when there’s something they want to go after they’re completely serious.
A Chrome OS makes a lot of sense and explains why they went to so much trouble to make a Google branded browser even though they already pretty much had one (Firefox development is more or less paid for by Google). It’s often been reported that Google employees have their own Linux-based operating system and now they’ll clean it up and release it widely.
Smart move, though I wonder why they didn’t go the Mozilla route: fund a third party to do the development work as an open source project and keep it officially at arm’s length. Kind of hard not seeing the anti-trust government units not getting nervous when the operating system, browser and user data all has “GOOGLE” stamped on it.
