Chrome OS
The"Google Chrome Operating System" (Chrome OS) is an operating system from Google Inc. in Mountain View, California. Chrome OS was officially introduced on July 7, 2009. At the end of 2009, the source code of Chrome OS was made available to the open source community.
Chrome OS consists of a Linux core and the Chrome web browser. By foregoing a wide range of functions, Chrome OS is supposed to be especially suitable for low-powered computers like netbooks. To work faster and less prone to glitches, applications will run in the Google Chrome web browser. Google Chrome OS runs on a Linux kernel for x86 and ARM processors so that as many third-party manufacturers as possible can supply suitable hardware. External hardware and software developers already include companies like Acer, Adobe, HP, Intel, Lenovo, Qualcomm and Toshiba.
Applications can be written in common Web technologies to run not only on Google Chrome OS, but also on popular browsers for Microsoft Windows, Linux and the AppleMacintosh. The key criteria of the operating system, Google claims, are speed, simplicity and security. The user interface is reduced to a minimum. The operating system is built on a security architecture that automatically detects and handles viruses, malware and security updates.
At Google, the development of Chrome OS is separate from the work on the Android operating system, which is primarily intended for mobile devices like netbooks or smartphones.