Google has announced it is developing a computer operating
system that is fast, simple and secure, in a direct challenge to
Microsoft.
In these and other ways, the planned
Google Chrome OS takes aim at the weaknesses of Microsoft's
Windows operating system found on most PCs around the world.
Analysts say the move is likely to increase the intense
competition between Google and Microsoft in applications and
internet search.
With Chrome OS, Google has taken the competition to Microsoft's
key operating systems market and plans to put on the pressure by
initially targeting mainly netbook users.
The increasing popularity of netbooks has started to challenge
Microsoft's dominance, with many using the more lightweight and
lower-cost open source Linux-based operating systems.
Microsoft is clearly aware that it is losing out in this sector,
and has attempted to counter the trend by offering Windows XP at a
lower price to netbook users.
But Google's coming Chrome OS is not only open source and
lightweight, it is also designed specifically for netbook users
"who live on the web", according to Google.
This fits in with Google's belief that web-based applications,
like its
Google Apps, will eventually replace traditional software.
Chrome OS, therefore, will not be confined to netbooks, but is
also being designed to run of fully fledged desktop PCs.
In a thinly veiled reference to Microsoft, Google says the
operating systems that browsers currently run on were designed in
an era where there was no web.
In what Google describes as a "rethink of what operating systems
should be", Chrome OS is being optimised for web-based
applications.
Google says Chrome OS is designed with to start up quickly and
get users onto the web in a few seconds and will have a minimal
user interface to allow more screen room for web applications.
Security is another area where Chrome OS is being designed to
challenge Windows, which despite Microsoft's efforts, is a popular
target for cybercriminals.
According to Sundar Pichai, vice-president of product
management, and Linus Upson, engineering director at Google,
security is a top priority for Chrome OS.
"We are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the
underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have
to deal with viruses, malware and security updates," they say.
Google Chrome OS is also based on the Linux kernel, which is
widely considered to be inherently more secure than Windows.
Google plans to open-source the operating system later this year
and expects netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available in
the second half of 2010.
Analysts say Google's announcement may cool demand for
Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system, which is due to be released
later this year, with some users likely to wait for Chrome OS
before deciding whether to upgrade.