Replying to Google Chrome Os

I just found out that its also called Chromium.

Compatible hardware

Companies working with Google to develop hardware for the operating system include Acer, Adobe, Asus, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Toshiba,[48] Intel,[49] Samsung,[50][51] and Dell.[52]

In July 2010, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said a Google-branded Google OS netbook was unlikely, despite Google's having previously negotiated with a couple of hardware manufacturers to produce it, and despite an earlier Google-branded device, the Nexus One Android phone. "Let's see how well those partners do first. My guess is we won't need to. The PC industry is different from the phone industry. The PC industry is used to working with Microsoft, whereas the mobile industry was not used to working with software".[53]

In December 2010 Google showed off a development Google Chrome OS laptop that replaced the Caps Lock key with a dedicated search key

Design goals and 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.[39]
[edit] 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.[40]

* 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.[40]
* System-level software includes the Linux kernel that has been patched to improve boot performance. Userland software has been trimmed to essentials, with management by Upstart, which can launch services in parallel, re-spawn crashed jobs, and defer services in the interest of faster booting.[40]
* The window manager handles user interaction with multiple client windows much like other X window managers.[40]

[edit] Remote application access

In June 2010, Google software engineer Gary Kačmarčík wrote that Chrome OS will access remote applications through a technology unofficially called "Chromoting", which would resemble Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection.[41] The name has since been changed to "remoting," and is "probably closer to running an application via Terminal Services or by first connecting to a host machine by using RDP or VNC."[42]
[edit] Hardware support

Google Chrome OS is initially intended for secondary devices like netbooks, not as a user's primary PC,[19] and will run on hardware incorporating an x86 or ARM-based processor.[9] While Chrome OS will support hard disk drives, Google has requested that its hardware partners use solid-state drives "for performance and reliability reasons",[17] 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.[43]
[edit] 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.[41]
[edit] Printing

Google plans to create a service called Google Cloud Print, which will help any application on any device to print on any printer. While the cloud provides virtually any connected device with information access, the task of "developing and maintaining print subsystems for every combination of hardware and operating system-- from desktops to netbooks to mobile devices -- simply isn't feasible."[44][45] However, the cloud service would entail installing a piece of software, called a proxy, as part of Chrome OS. The proxy would register the printer with the service, manage the print jobs, provide the printer driver functionality, and give status alerts for each job.[46]
[edit] Link handling

One unresolved design problem related to both Chrome OS and the Chrome browser is the desired behavior for how Web applications handle specific link types. For example, if a JPEG is opened in Chrome or on a Chrome OS device, should a specific Web application be automatically opened to view it, and if so, which one? Similarly, if a user clicks on a .doc file, which website should open: Office Live, Gview, or a previewing utility? The project director at that time, Matthew Papakipos, noted that Windows developers have faced the same fundamental problem: "Quicktime is fighting with Windows Media Player, which is fighting with Chrome". As the number of Web applications increases, the same problem arises.[8]
[edit] Security

In March 2010, Google software security engineer Will Drewry discussed Chrome OS security. Drewry described Chrome OS as a "hardened" operating system featuring auto-updating and sandbox features that will reduce malware exposure. He said that Chrome OS netbooks will be shipped with Trusted Platform Module, and include both a "trusted bootpath" and a physical switch under the battery compartment that actuates a developer mode. That mode drops some specialized security functions but increases developer flexibility. Drewry also emphasized that the open source nature of the operating system will contribute greatly to its security by allowing constant developer feedback.[25]

At a December 2010 press conference, Google claimed that Chrome OS would be the most secure consumer operating system due in part to a verified boot capability, in which the initial boot code, stored in read-only memory, checks for system compromises.[15]
[edit] Linux shell access

Chrome OS includes a Bash-like shell with minimal functionality called the Chrome Shell or "crosh".[47] In developer mode, a Linux command prompt offering a more complete set of instructions can be opened via VT-2, with a slightly smaller instruction set available via crosh. [47

Google and Microsoft are both the big guns of the industry. A competition between them will surely result in the favor of the users.