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By Sara Jameson

The three most popular operating systems for PCs are Windows, MacOS X, and of course one of the variants of open source Linux. These have dominated the PC world for decade now. Google is throwing an elbow and plans to bring that total to 4 popular operating systems with the roll out of Chrome OS based PCs.

Google's new Chrome OS aims to do everything online, turning the entire PC into a giant browser. There are pros and cons with this approach to PC computing. A real con is the fact the Chrome OS computer can't do much while it's not connected to the Internet.

Next year Google hopes to add a third broad-based computer-operating system to challenge the duopoly. It's called Chrome OS, and is based on Google's Chrome Web browser. With Chrome, Google isn't just aiming to elbow its way into the OS business. It's hoping to change the entire paradigm. Instead of storing most programs and files on your computer's hard drive, the Chrome OS will mainly run programs from, and require you to keep your data in, the cloud—remote servers located on the Internet. In effect, it turns your entire computer into a giant Web browser, instead of treating the browser as just one among many local programs.

The Chrome OS is still under development, and isn't ready for broad public testing. Google readily concedes it has lots of bugs to be fixed and is committed to doing so. The company has designed a small test laptop with the new operating system installed and distributed a few thousand prototypes to individuals for testing.

The machine is called the Cr-48 and has it's initial flaws but is not promoted as ready for prime time just yet. Chrome will eventually be licensed to select manufacturers for inclusion in their product offering. We can hardly wait for the reviews but it does sound like a network computer to me ( Recall Larry Ellison and Oracle in the 1990s ).

Users of the Chrome OS will have to give up the locally installed programs they use use. Installation of local programs on a Chrome OS computer is prohibited. Instead, Google provides a Web Store inside the browser that allows you to download icons for "Web apps"—mostly websites designed to look and work like standard programs.

Finally, the biggest con: Because it's a cloud-oriented system, Chrome OS is almost useless if you lack an Internet connection. Google says it plans to offer some limited offline functionality, and to encourage makers of Web apps to do the same. It will also eventually be able to make some use of some files stored on external hard disks. But the basic operating mode will require you to be connected to the Internet.

Cross Posted From myITView.com

Comments (3)

	1. 12-20-2010 03:56
	Thanks, my pc needs update too, but sometimes too frequent updating makes it get freezing, so I choose tuneup360 to solve my problems Registered

Annasui

	2. 12-21-2010 16:48
	Instant-on without lengthy booting would convince me to take a look at Chrome as a desktop or laptop OS. But I'm probably not ready to depend on a PC that depends on cloud-based apps and storage. Registered

Mark Henricks

	3. 01-03-2011 13:01
	I think the appeal of a network-only PC will be limited for a while, but if it does gain traction it might jump start the cloud apps market just like the iPod/iPhone jump started the mobile apps market. Registered

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