Chrome OS on the Mac
Google has announced the Google Chrome Operating System.
The Chrome OS will be open source and run on x86 and ARM machines. The release date is set for the second half of 2010 and will first appear on Netbooks. The main point of the OS is to build a simple and fast OS that is made to run web apps. A literal translation of the browser is the OS.
So will the Chrome OS run a Mac?
Since the Chrome OS is linux based and works with x86 processors (same as the Intel Macs) there should be no technical reason why the OS would not work. Since the Chrome OS is being billed as open source and open to developers, I’m sure support for the Mac will come quickly. Besides, I’ve been to the Google campus many times and the place is full of Macs.
So why do we need a new OS? Google believes strongly in the cloud computing model. They’ve correctly stated that the foundation for todays operating systems “were designed in an era where there was no web.” This is Google’s attempt to simplify and speed up the web.
Will cloud computing and web apps fundamentally change the way we use computers? Do people want to have their data and apps locally as apposed to on some company’s server? Can web apps ever be as powerful as desktop apps? The Chrome OS may be one step closer in finding answers to these questions.
Either way, I can’t wait to try it out on my Mac.
[ Google Chrome OS ]
