Aulia Masna

Google Enters the OS Race With Chrome

It’s finally official: The rumored Google OS is coming to a computer near you. At a press conference at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, last November, Google unveiled its venture into computer operating systems with the Chrome OS. This Linux-based system will be released around the end of 2010 and is initially intended for netbooks.

Similar to the way Google handles the Android operating system for mobile handheld devices, Chrome OS will have an open source version called Chromium OS.

While both versions are identical, Chrome OS is Google’s official version. Anyone else who wishes to tinker and modify the operating system can work on Chromium and release their own versions.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Chrome is also the name of Google’s browser, which runs on Windows and Mac. A Linux version is on the way.

Chromium is the open source version of the browser. It’s easy to see how there will be confusion between the OS and the browser, but as a matter of fact, it’s easier to distinguish, at least for now.

For the time being, most people would not run Chrome OS as their primary system because, first of all, it is simply not technically possible on most computers.

Chrome OS requires a solid state drive, which is made of electronic chips (as opposed to the potato or chocolate varieties) while the majority of computers house the traditional hard drives that use spinning disc platters.

Second of all, because it is not ready for public use, there is no simple way for non-tech types to install it. Google has only made the source code available for developers to tinker with.

However, a very early preview of the OS is available to download from a technology site called gdgt.com. It requires a software made by VMWare to run it within a host system.

If this sounds too technical, don’t worry. Even if you manage to install it, there is nothing spectacular currently about the OS as it’s an even older version than Google’s demo. The best way to experience Chrome OS right now is to watch the videos available on Google’s own YouTube.

When it is finally available, Chrome OS will come bundled with netbooks, but you won’t be able to buy it separately.

Chrome OS is nothing like the operating systems most people have used. It does not have a file manager like Mac OS X’s Finder or Windows’ Explorer.

It does not store files on your computer the way you expect them to — in fact, it won’t let you store them at all. You can’t even install applications.

What Chrome OS does have is a gateway to popularizing cloud computing. Basically, Google is trying to get everyone on the Internet and as a bonus for them, hopefully expand the number of users on their services.

When you log on to Chrome OS, you’re presented with what is essentially an enhanced version of the Chrome browser, one that can work and interact directly with the computer it is installed on.

Chrome OS is a fully independent operating system built using Linux with the Chrome browser as its front end. Your interaction with the computer will be facilitated fully by the browser. This seems to be what most people are doing anyway.

Those who buy netbooks tend to use only the browser and an office suite made up of a word processor, a spreadsheet and presentation software. Sometimes, people also use a dedicated e-mail program, but most don’t bother.

Because there are no applications to install, how would you work on Chrome OS? Just as with Apple’s iPhone, Chrome OS will rely on apps — applications that are available on the Web. You can already use these apps from your computer today.

Google, of course, has Google Apps, which cover the three most-used components of an office suite as mentioned above. Sure, it’s not a complete and comprehensive set of applications, but it does the job for many users.

With both a free and paid versions, Google Apps are mostly compatible with Microsoft’s Office. Unless it’s a complex document, there’s a very good chance that it won’t need the expansive features of a full-blown suite of applications.

Most e-mail access can certainly be facilitated via the browser. Even those on corporate accounts often have secure Web sites on which employees can access their e-mails and schedules.

As it is also based on an open technology, called WebKit, Chrome OS will be able to read pdf files directly within the browser, just like Apple’s Safari.

Of course, no one is saying you have to use Google’s apps or services from Chrome OS. Microsoft has its own Web-based office suite, and so does Adobe. There are plenty of alternative Web-based productivity suites that you can use as well.

With the Chrome OS, Google is not aiming for specialized computer users. You’re not expected to make movies or compose masterpiece works of musical or visual art. This is for the everyday light computing that people who use affordable netbooks rely on. When netbooks first arrived, they had only 4 gigabytes of space. These days, it’s not uncommon to find them holding 160 GB of storage, most of which would be left unused anyhow.

Speed, security and simplicity is the mantra that is bandied about. Because everything is online, there are few overheads to bog down your computer. The startup process takes no more than 10 seconds. If your machine is stolen or damaged, there is no risk of data loss because you’ll be able to access it from another computer using your account. You will, however, need to create a Google account if you haven’t already.

Google recently took to the streets of New York to conduct an informal and completely unscientific survey about browsers. What they found was that the majority of people don’t even know what a browser is.

They open their computer and they go to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They check their e-mails, they read online newspapers. People don’t seem to care too much about what browser they use as long as they can do what they need to on the Internet.

Google is relying on this ignorance to sway people away from having to use Microsoft’s products.

There is one caveat, however: it would be difficult to use them in locations where broadband Internet access is not ubiquitous. In fact, it seems that it would be impossible to use these Chrome OS netbooks without Internet access because the initial login process requires an authentication process for Google’s servers.

Since the netbooks that will run Chrome OS will not have Windows installed and will not require a hefty set of specifications, there is a good chance that these machines will be even more affordable.

With Apple controlling the top end of computing, Google is aiming their netbooks at the low end, mostly as companion devices.