Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION
Google Chrome OS is an upcoming Linux-based, open source operating system designed by
Google to work exclusively with web applications. Announced on July 7, 2009, Chrome OS
is set to have a publicly available stable release during the second half of 2010. Chrome OS
will not be available as a download to run and install. Instead, the operating system will only
ship on specific hardware from Google's manufacturing partners. The user interface takes a
minimalist approach, resembling that of the Chrome web browser. Google Chrome OS is
aimed at users who spend most of their time on the Internet. Google Chrome browser has
been redesigned in underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal
with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.
Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips the software architecture is
simple Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel.
For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will
automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web
technologies. And of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any
standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest
user base of any platform.

1.1 What is cloud computing?

Cloud Computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and
information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.
Cloud computing is a paradigm shift following the shift from main frame to client-server in
the early 1980s. Details are abstracted from the users, who no longer have need for expertise
in, or control over, the technology infrastructure "in the cloud that supports them. Cloud
computing describes a new supplement, consumption, and delivery model for IT services
based on the Internet, and it typically involves over-the-Internet provision of dynamically
scalable and often virtualized resources. It is a by product and consequence of the ease-ofaccess to remote computing sites provided by the Internet.
The term "cloud" is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on the cloud drawing used in
the past to represent the telephone network, and later to depict the Internet in computer
network diagrams as an abstraction of the underlying infrastructure it represents. Typical
cloud computing providers deliver common business applications online that are accessed
from another Web service or software like a Web browser , while the software and data are
stored on servers. Most cloud computing infrastructures consist of services delivered through
common centres and built on servers. Clouds often appear as single points of access for all
consumers' computing needs.
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1.2 What is a Net book?

Net books (sometimes also called mini notebooks or ultra portables) are a branch of
subnotebooks, a rapidly evolving category of small, lightweight, and inexpensive laptop
computers suited for general computing and accessing Web- based applications ; they are
often marketed as "companion devices", i.e. At their inception in late 2007 as smaller
notebooks optimized for low weight and low cost net books omitted certain features,
featured smaller screens and keyboards, and offered reduced specification and computing
power. Over the course of their evolution, net books have ranged in size from below 5"
screen diagonal to over 11.6". A typical weight is 1 kg. Often significantly less expensive
than other laptops, by mid-2009, some wireless data carriers began to offer net books to users
"free of charge", with an extended service contract purchase.

1.3 Difference between Google Chrome OS and Chromium OS

Google Chrome OS is to Chromium OS what Google Chrome browser is to Chromium.
Chromium OS is the open source project, used primarily by developers, with code that is
available for anyone to checkout, modify and build their own version with. Meanwhile,
Google Chrome OS is the Google product that OEMs will ship on Net books this year.
Specifically, Google Chrome OS will run on specially optimized hardware in order to get
enhanced performance and security. Chromium OS does not auto-update (so that we do not
blow away any changes you may have made to the code) while Google Chrome OS will
seamlessly auto-update so that users have the latest and greatest features and fixes. Google
Chrome OS will be supported by Google and our partners, whereas Chromium OS is
supported by the open source community, but they fundamentally share the same code base.
Google Chrome OS also has some cool firmware features, verified boot and easy recovery,
which require corresponding hardware changes and thus also don't work in Chromium OS
builds.

1.4 History
Google developers began coding the operating system in 2009, inspired by the growing
popularity and lower power consumption of net books and the focus of these small laptops
on Internet access. To ascertain marketing requirements for an operating system focused on
net book Web transactions, the company did not do the usual demographic research generally
associated with a large software development project. Instead, engineers have relied on more
informal metrics, including monitoring the usage patterns of some 200 Chrome OS machines
used by Google employees. Developers also noted their own usage patterns. Matthew
Papakipos, engineering director for the Chrome OS project, put three machines in his house
and found himself logging in for brief sessions: to make a single search query or send a short
email. On November 19, 2009, Google released Chrome OS's source code as the Chromium
OS project. As with other open source projects, developers are modifying code from
Chromium OS and building their own versions, whereas Google Chrome OS code will only
2

be supported by Google and its partners, and will only run on hardware designed for the
purpose. Unlike Chromium OS, Chrome OS will be automatically updated to the latest
version. InformationWeek reviewer SerdarYegulalp wrote that Chrome OS will be a product,
developed to "a level of polish and a degree of integration with its host hardware that
Chromium OS does not have by default," whereas Chromium OS is a project, "a common
baseline from which the finished work is derived" as well as a pool for derivative works. The
product and project will be developed in parallel and borrow from each other.In March 2010
Google indicated that consideration is being given to developing two versions of the
operating system, a consumer version and an enterprise version.

Chapter 2

SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE
Chromium OS consists of three major components:
The Chromium-based browser and the window manager
System-level software and user-land services: the kernel, drivers, connection manager,
and so on
Firmware

2.1 Firmware
The firmware plays a key part to make booting the OS faster and more secure. To achieve this
goal we are removing unnecessary components and adding support for verifying each step in
the boot process. We are also adding support for system recovery into the firmware itself. We
can avoid the complexity that's in most PC firmware because we don't have to be backwards
compatible with a large amount of legacy hardware. For example, we don't have to probe for
floppy drives. Our firmware will implement the following functionality:
System recovery: The recovery firmware can re-install Chromium OS in the event that the
system has become corrupt or compromised.
Verified boot: Each time the system boots, Chromium OS verifies that the firmware, kernel,
and system image have not been tampered with or become corrupt. This process starts in the
firmware.
Fast boot: We have improved boot performance by removing a lot of complexity that is
normally found in PC firmware.

2.2 System-level and user-land software

From here we bring in the Linux kernel, drivers, and user-land daemons. Our kernel is mostly
stock except for a handful of patches that we pull in to improve boot performance. On the
user-land side of things we have streamlined the init process so that we're only running
services that are critical. All of the user-land services are managed by Upstart. By using
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Upstart we are able to start services in parallel, re-spawn jobs that crash, and defer services to
make boot faster.
Here's a quick list of things that we depend on:
D-Bus: The browser uses D-Bus to interact with the rest of the system. Examples of this
include the battery meter and network picker. Connection Manager: Provides a common API
for interacting with the network devices, provides a DNS proxy, and manages network
services for 3G, wireless, and Ethernet. WPA Supplicant: Used to connect to wireless
networks. Auto update: Our auto update daemon silently installs new system images. Power
Management: (ACPI on Intel) Handles power management events like closing the lid or
pushing the power button. Screen saver: Handles screen locking when the machine is idle.
Standard Linux services: NTP, syslog, and cron.

2.3 Chrome and the window manager

The window manager is responsible for handling the user's interaction with multiple client
windows. It does this in a manner similar to that of other X window managers, by controlling
window placement, assigning the input focus, and exposing hotkeys that exist outside the
scope of a single browser window. Parts of the ICCCM (Inter-Client Communication
Conventions Manual) and EWHM (Extended Window Manager Hints) specifications are
used for communication between clients and the window manager where possible.

Chapter 3

DESIGN GOALS AND DIRECTION

3.1 Minimum Booting Time
One of the Chromes best features is that its booting time is minimum. It claims to boot in 7
seconds. Goals for the drive partitioning scheme are as follows:

Speed - Support fast boot, where the boot loader is part of the firmware.
Simplicity - Support auto update.
Robustness - Recover from failed updates or corrupt partitions.
Openness - Allow developers to run operating systems other than Google Chrome OS.

Goals for the boot process are as follows:

Support readily available development platforms so that Chromium OS software can
be built and tested without waiting for final hardware/firmware.
Support a limited selection of off-the-shelf net books for internal trials of Chromium
OS.
Provide a secure and verifiable boot path for official Google Chrome OS devices.

Chapter 4
6

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 leveragingHTML5's offline modes,
background processing, and notifications. Designers propose using search and pinned tabs as
a way to quickly locate and access applications. Remote application access In June 2010,
Google software engineer Gary Kamark wrote that Chrome OS will access remote
applications through a technology unofficially called "Chromo ting", which would resemble
Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection.

4.1 Remote application access

In June 2010, Google software engineer Gary Kamark wrote that Chrome OS will access
remote applications through a technology unofficially called "Chromo ting", which would
resemble Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection.

4.2 Hardware support

Google Chrome OS is initially intended for secondary devices like net books, not a user's
primary PC, and will run on hardware incorporating an x86 or ARM-based processor. While
Chrome OS will support hard disk drives, Google has requested that its hardware partners use
solid-state drives due to their higher performance and reliability, 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.

4.3 Integrated media player

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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.

4.4 Printing
Google plans to create a service called Google Cloud Print, which will help any application
on any device to print on any printer. This method of printing does not require any drivers
and therefore will be suitable for printing from Google Chrome OS. Mike Jazayeri, Google
group product manager, wrote that the service was prompted by a paradox inherent in an
operating system designed expressly for cloud computing. 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 net
books to mobile devices -- simply isn't feasible. The 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 and give status alerts for each job.

4.5 Link handling

One unresolved design problem related to both Chrome OS and the Chrome browser is the
desired behaviour 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: Open Office, G view, or a previewing utility? Project director
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.

4.6 Security
In March 2010, Google software security engineer Will Drewry discussed Chrome OS
security. Drewry described Chrome OS as a "hardened" operating system featuring autoupdating and sandbox features that will reduce malware exposure. He said that Chrome OS
net books will be shipped with Trusted Platform Module, and include both a "trusted boot
path" 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.

4.7 Cros API

Cros is set of APIs that is implemented on the Chromium OS side and exposed to Chromium
via dynamically linked libcros.so file. It has been designed a versioning system to make sure
that Chromium OS will only boot up if we have the correct version of libcros. so. If either the
libcros.so version or the Chromium version is too old, we catch that and disable login.

4.8 Compatible Hardware

Companies developing hardware for the operating system include Acer, Adobe, Toshiba,
Intel, Samsung Australia, and Dell.
In July 2010, Google CEO Eric Schmidt aid a Google-branded Google OS net book was
unlikely, despite Google's having previously negotiated with a couple of hardware
manufacturers to produce it.
Schmidt has acknowledged that Chrome OS will be compatible with a smaller library of
applications than conventional operating systems, like Windows, which support both Weband client-based applications. That limitation, coupled with Chrome OS having no licensing
fee, has caused speculation as to the retail price of Chrome OS devices.
In April 2010, Schmidt indicated that he expected prices for Chrome OS net books to range
from US$300 to $400, and thus be similar in cost to comparable devices that ship with closed
source operating systems. He also confirmed that Google will supply the operating system for
free, but it will be up to hardware manufacturers and retailers to set their own prices for the
devices.
In April 2010, Schmidt indicated that he expected prices for Chrome OS net books to range
from US$300 to $400, and thus be similar in cost to comparable devices that ship with closed
source operating systems. He also confirmed that Google will supply the operating system for
free, but it will be up to hardware manufacturers and retailers to set their own prices for the
devices.

4.9 Market Implications

When Google announced the Chrome browser in September 2008, it was viewed as a
continuation of the battle between Google and Microsoft ("the two giants of the digital
revolution"). As of December 2009, Microsoft dominates the usage share of desktop
operating systems and the software market in word processing and spreadsheet applications.
The operating system dominance may be challenged directly by Google Chrome OS and the
application dominance indirectly through a shift to cloud computing. According to an
analysis by PC World, Google Chrome OS represents the next step in this battle. But Chrome
OS engineering director Matthew Papakipos has noted that the two operating systems will not
fully overlap in functionality. Users should be aware that Chrome OS hosted on a net book is
not intended as a substitute for Microsoft Windows running on a conventional laptop, which
has the computational power to run a resource-intensive program like Photoshop.
Although, Google stated that it was looking to launch on net books at the end of 2010, it is
clear that the internet giant could challenge Microsoft on laptops and PCs should it show its
worth in the low-cost, small form-factor market. Microsoft has been overjoyed with the
reaction to Windows 7 since it launched in late October and will feel confident that its latest
OS can defend against all-comers, but Google has both the financial might and popularity to
potentially produce something that is adopted by the public.
But Chrome OS is a seismic change from what people are expecting; and Google's assertion
that this is meant to be for secondary devices means that this is not meant to replace Windows
- at least not yet. Assuming that the Chrome OS lives up to expectations and provides a
polished, capable experience, there is still a long way to go before a Web-centric OS can even
begin to replace the traditional desktop operating system.

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Chapter 5

GOOGLE CHROME OS
Chrome OS is designed by Google based Linux kernel. The Open source version of the
Chrome OS is Chromium OS (www.chromium.org). Google is following an approach of
collaborative development for Chrome OS by getting inputs from the Open source
community through the Chromium OS project as well as by its own development team.
Recent client operating systems including Microsoft Windows 7, Apple`s Snow Leopard OS
and popular desktop Linux distributions are resource intensive and most of the computing
happens on the client computer hardware. As a result of the dependency on hardware
components, the performance of the Operating system is directly dependant on the client
computer hardware. Chrome OS takes a whole new approach; it focuses on getting the user
connected to the network after which most of the computing happens on the cloud .This
reduces the dependency on the client computer hardware and its role will be limited to
getting the user onto the cloud .
Since the intent is to connect to the web from the word go, the user will need to have a
constant web access from the time the system boots into Chrome OS. Essentially a major part
of the operating system resides on the web. For facilitating a web access the operating system
actually logs/boots into a web browser. There are no other applications that the system needs
to load at any point in time other than a browser. This ensures that the boot up time is brought
down by having a minimalistic approach .With solid state HDD`s the Chrome OS is said to
boot up in less than 7 seconds which is almost 7 -8 times faster than any other desktop
operating system .
Once the OS boots up into the browser based interface the user will need to enter his/her user
credentials to log into the OS .On the homepage there are a few tabs similar to the chrome
browser which are shortcuts to Gmail, Google Apps, and YouTube, as well as other
applications, including Yahoo! Mail, Pandora, Hulu, Face book, and Twitter etc. Chrome OS
is aimed at providing a virus free, malware free usage .Updates will be very easy to apply and
can happen without user intervention. By and large the OS is very responsive.

11

By enabling a log in system similar to a browser based login Google can enable easy
interoperability of all the applications within the chrome OS between other operating
systems. On other operating systems than the chrome OS, the Chrome Browser can be used
with a

Google login there by enabling the users to the have the same interface and

applications as in the chrome OS. There seems to be a good connection between the
development of the Chrome Browser and the Chrome OS.
Although connection to the web will be essential for a majority of the browser based
applications, the usage of Google Gears in chrome OS could allow some amount of offline
usage also.
another Interesting point in the Chrome Browser which tends us to consider interoperability
between the chrome browser and Chrome OS is the absence of a unique Network manager as
opposed to a separate network manager in Mozilla Firefox or Opera .The Chrome Browser
makes use of the network manager of the Operating system itself, in both Linux and
Windows versions.
Since the Operating system is not resource intensive ,Google`s strategy could be to use
Chrome OS for less powerful devices including net books and Touch Screen based
Multimedia Internet Devices and carrying the same interface and applications on more
powerful systems using the Chrome browser .
Google has been a pioneer in moving most of the desktop applications to the web with
products like Gmail, Spreadsheet ,Word Processor, Presentation, Contacts, Calendar,
Youtube, Wave With this move into a cloud based OS, it all appears to fit well and well
timed.
In the wake of the world moving towards cloud computing, this is an amazing move by
Google to capitalize the power of the web to the fullest.

12

Chapter 6

GOOGLE INTRODUCTION
Google began as a research project in 1996 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who were both
PhD students at Stanford University. They thought that a search engine that could analyze the
relationships between websites would product better results than other search engines. They
called their new creation "Back Rub", because it checked the back links to estimate a site's
importance (by the way, this method is still used today in the infamous Google Page Rank
algorithm, which rates sites on a 1 to 10 basis based on back links, and several other
variables, such as site layout, and keywords. Page and Brin would test their thesis as part of
their studies at Stanford, and would later house their newly created engine at
google.stanford.edu. The logo they had then was much different from today's logo, and the
name was changed n September 7, 1998, when Larry Page and Sergey Brin bought the
domain Google.com, and officially changed the name to Google - A play on the world
Googol, (The number one followed by one-hundred zeros). Perhaps this was because Google
has endless sites indexed (almost 800 trillion), or has endless possibilities to expand as it has
into the internet dominating search engine and company.
Today, Google is a publicly traded company that handles one of the most used search engines
in the world, with a stock price that was originally the highest in its class. The company
currently employs 8,000 employees, and is based in Mountain View, California. It also has
several other headquarters in places like Seattle, Washington. Eric Schmidt, the former CEO
of Novell, is the new Google's CEO. Google was recently named a verb by two major
dictionaries (Merriam Webster and Oxford), its meaning defined as "to use the Google search
engine to obtain information on the Internet". Almost 60% of the market in search engine
usage is controlled by Google, and most analysts, and I myself, expect this to increase. But
don't expect this increase to come easy, as Microsoft and Ask.com compete with Windows
Live Search and Ask Search.

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Chapter 7

GOOGLE OS PRINCIPLES
Google Chrome OS is a project by Google Inc. to develop a lightweight computer operating
system devoted to using the World Wide Web.
[1] Announced on July 7, 2009, it is based on Google's Chrome web browser and the Linux
kernel. It will initially be targeted at net books.
[2] It is set to be released during the second half of 2010.
[3] It will run on systems with either x86 or ARM processors.
[4] Google has stated that the Google Chrome OS project will be open source.
[5] By the end of 2009, and that it will use "a new windowing system", as opposed to the X
Window System, which is the standard for Linux.

7.1 Design principles

Google states that Chrome is being designed in a minimalist way, much like its Chrome web
browser. In this way, the company hopes to move much of the user interface from the desktop
environment to the World Wide Web. Cloud computing will be a large part of its design. It
has stated that, for developers, "the web is the platform. The Chrome OS is being targeted at
users who spend most of their computer time on the Internet, and is designed to run on
computers ranging from net books to desktop computers. Google has stated that the Chrome
OS is separate from its Android operating system, which was designed primarily for use on
smart phones.
Also, Google announced that the Chrome OS will feature a novel security architecture.
According to Google's official announcement, they will be "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".

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7.2 Partner companies

One day after the official announcement of Chrome OS, Google announced several partners,
who would be developing devices with Chrome OS or supply components. Among the listed
companies were Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Asus, and Lenovo. Qualcomm, Texas Instruments,
and Free scale, all makers of ARM-chips, were also named, as was Adobe, supposedly for
support of Flash. Intel has been cited as a co-developer of the Linux kernel for net books
According to Google, this was merely a preliminary list, and many more co operations are
being discussed at the moment. Noticeably absent from this list was Dell.

7.3 Market implications

According to analysis by PC World, Chrome OS represents the next step in the battle between
Google and Microsoft ("the two giants of the digital revolution").As of 2009, Microsoft
dominates the personal computer operating system market and the software market in word
processing and spreadsheet applications. The operating system dominance may be challenged
directly by Chrome OS and the application dominance indirectly through a shift to cloud
computing.
Google's Chrome OS: what it means, why it matters
Soon after we reported that Google was ready to announce the existence of a Chromecentred OS, the company went public with the news. Google's Chrome OS will start
appearing on net books late in 2010.
The announcement contained a thesis statement that is a bit more significant than it might
appear at first: "It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be." That statement
has both strategic and practical implications, which we'll consider in turn.
From a strategic perspective, "what operating systems should be" clearly involves a heavy
dose of Google-driven Web apps, from e-mail to spreadsheets. The entire OS will be focused
on getting users into a Web browser as quickly as possible; any other applications will be
secondary and probably not provided by Google. Instead, once the browser launches, users
can do their computing via online applications, saving their data in the cloud (think of all
those "g Drive" rumours from the last few years).

15

Google views this as computing nirvana for users, saying, "[Users] want their data to be
accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or
forgetting to back up files."
But there are still a variety of applications that simply can't be replicated within a browser,
and consumers have had a mixed reaction to Google's own apps, embracing Gmail but
finding its presentation software to be severely limited compared to its desktop app
counterparts. But the Chrome OS will be appearing first on netbooks, which can't handle
some of the more heavyweight desktop applications in the first place. And the new offering
has the potential to drive users to rely on Google's online offerings, which certainly would
further the company's goals.
Of course, the cloud is only useful if it's accessible, and staying online isn't always
convenient or cheap at this stage. The new offline storage capabilities in the latest Web
standards certainly limit the impact of temporary disconnection and, by controlling the whole
software stack; Google has the opportunity to make sure its applications play nicely when the
computer happens to be offline.
From a technological perspective, there appear to be some interesting aspects to rethinking
the operating system. For one, by having an extremely narrow focusbringing up a
networking stack and browser as quickly as possibleChrome OS has the ability to cut down
on the hassles related to restarting and hibernating computers. And, aside from the browser,
all of the key applications will reside online, security and other software updates won't
happen on the computer itself, which should also improve the user experience.
From a security perspective, Google claims that it will be "completely redesigning the
underlying security architecture of the OS" in a way that eliminates virus and malware
worries. The sandboxing and process isolation that Google has built into the Chrome browser
undoubtedly provide much of that security, so it's unclear what will have to happen at the OS
level; it's possible that Google will be looking at ways to extend this level of security to third
party apps.
More cryptically, Google also says that the users it views as its target market "don't want to
spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware." That
problem has plagued all OS makers, and none of them have solved it to the satisfaction of all
users. It's possible that Google thinks it can do so, but given its general attitude (every one
16

should be happy with Web apps), it's equally possible that the company has decided that
people simply don't need much in the way of peripherals.
At the moment, the Linux port of Chrome is still in rough shape (although it's improving
rapidly), so it's no surprise that the arrival of the OS is still a ways off. The code itself will be
released to the community later this year, and Google says the partners it has lined up won't
release hardware to consumers until 2010. The intervening time may also be necessary for
more sites to start adopting tags for embedding video and audio content in a way that ensures
that the Chrome OS can handle multimedia.
One part of the announcement that may be causing a few grey hairs in Santa Clara: the
Chrome OS will run on both x86 and ARM. Many manufacturers have been considering
ARM in net books due to its exceptional power management capabilities, but the lack of a
Windows port has undoubtedly held things back. A net book-specific Linux with a highprofile corporation like Google backing it may change perceptions and help usher ARM in to
the space just above handheld hardware, where the architecture already dominates.
Will all of this work? Apple spent a couple of years trying to convince developers that they
should be happy with Web apps, but it's clear that the arrival of native applications has been a
significant driver of the iPhone's popularity. Palm appears to be trying something closer to
Google's vision with the Pre, but Palm is also offering a native SDK, and it's too early to tell
how well its reliance on online services will work out for users. At this stage, it's not even
clear if the net book market will have staying power once the economy picks back up.
All of that would tend to suggest a Chrome OS could wind up occupying a niche. But that
may be perfectly fine from Google's perspective. At the moment, Chrome also occupies a
relatively small niche, but it has helped change perceptions of what a browser should do in
terms of sandboxing processes and isolating plug-in. If the Chrome OS can help change
consumer perceptions about the utility of online applications and cloud storage, it could be a
big success for Google, even without wide adoption.

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Chapter 8

HOW THE GOOGLE CHROME OS WORKS

Google's Chrome OS aims to eliminate most local data storage and push you to spend even
more time online. The Internet has become a central part of the computer experience. Before
the Web caught fire in the late 1990s, home computing was largely a singular experience.
Computer users created documents on a PC and saved those files to a hard or floppy disk, and
maybe worked within a local area network at the office. File sharing usually meant walking a
disk to another machine.
These days, computing is a Web-centric experience, and you perform many of your Internet
tasks through software called a Web browser. That browser, which may be a program such as
Firefox or Internet Explorer, helps you retrieve information from the Internet multiple times
per day, integrate it with other online documents and share data galore with people all over
the planet. Google is trying to reshape the computer experience by using its understanding of
the Web to create the new Chrome operating system (OS).
Traditional operating systems, such as Windows, require a lot of hard drive space and
demand some work on your part. You have to install the programs you want individually,
manage OS and security updates and manage device drivers, too.
Google's Chrome OS aims to overhaul that paradigm. With Chrome, the browser actually is
the OS -- in this case, the Chrome OS builds on the Google browser of the same name. In
total, the Chrome OS is built on an open-source version of Linux and integrated with the
Chrome browser, a simple media player...and that's it.
Google embraced the concept of an ultra-simple, Web-centric OS in large part due to the huge
recent success of net books. Net books are small laptop computers that are designed to let
users access the Web, and not much more; they're inexpensive and feature-limited hardware,
and they aren't built for high-powered applications like Photoshop, for example.
Unlike Windows, Chrome won't be available as a download. It'll be pre-installed by net book
manufacturers who adhere to Google's hardware specifications. Chrome is designed to run
best on solid-state storage systems as opposed to traditional spinning hard drives, in part
because solid-state drives are less prone to failure, but also because they're less spacious -18

remember, Google wants you to store your data online. And because the OS uses Web-based
applications, you don't need local storage for software, either.
It's no accident that Google stresses the online aspects of Chrome. The entire Chrome project
revolves around the cloud computing model. That fancy term simply means that all of your
data and applications are stored online, in the "cloud," so that you can access them from any
computer, anywhere.
The company says this model will help it develop a better overall OS experience and focus on
building an OS with improved speed, security and simplicity. By hacking out all of the nonWeb related functions of a traditional OS, Google indicates these goals should be easier to
achieve. And the company isn't doing the design work alone. Because this is an open-source
project (under the name Chromium OS), Google gets feedback from savvy software
developers all over the world.
It's important to remember that Google doesn't intend for Chrome OS to be your primary
computer's operating system. Instead, the company sees a Chrome OS net book as a
secondary computer that you use once you're done with the heavy-duty applications you use
on a more powerful office computer.
Like most Google products, Chrome OS is free. That fact, along with the power of Google's
marketing and distribution, should grab your attention. Keep reading to see how Chrome
might alter the landscape of computing as you know it.

8.1 Chrome OS Design and Operation

The Chrome OS is designed to run on small, lightweight net books that have little storage
capacity. Chrome is a seriously stripped-down, fast OS. Because Chrome supports only Web
capabilities, it can do away with much of the bulk and unnecessary system checks that slow a
traditional OS. For example, during start up the OS firmware doesn't have to search for
floppy disk drives or other hardware that few current computers continue to use -- a task that
other operating systems still perform.
Thus, Chrome is a much smaller OS that consumes almost no disk space, especially when
compared to Windows. Windows 7, for example, requires about 60 times more disk space
than Chrome.
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One nice result of these differences is speed. A fairly fast Windows machine might finish
booting in around 45 seconds. In contrast, Google wants Chrome net books to be up and
running in 7 seconds or less.
Google works closely with computer makers to ensure that Chrome systems are equipped
with hardware that lets the OS run optimally. Chrome runs on x86-based computers, as well
as those with ARM processors.
Unsurprisingly, the Chrome OS user interface looks much like the Chrome browser. Beyond
this browser-like OS, these net books will have no pre-installed software. There's an
integrated media player that lets you watch movies, play music and view photos when you're
offline. Adobe Flash is already integrated into the Chrome browser, so you can view all Flash
Web sites, too.
Because there's almost no on-board storage, you won't even have to worry about installing or
uninstalling other programs. When you want to write a report, for example, you just access a
Web-based word processing application. Of course, data bandwidth challenges prohibit
certain types of work. Video editing, for instance, won't be happening on a Chrome system
anytime soon.
For more basic computing tasks, though, you should be able to find applications that suit your
needs, using Google's Chrome Web Store. Similar to Apple's App Store and the Android
Market, the Chrome Web Store will offer applications for a huge variety of tasks.
There are other major differences between Chrome and established operating systems. In a
traditional OS, it's vital that you install device drivers that let your computer work with other
hardware. If you use Chrome, Google reasons that the primary third-party device you need is
a printer -- but the company doesn't want you to have to install drivers. Instead, you'll use
Google's Cloud Print service, which lets you print from any computer to any printer that's
connected to the Internet.
Unlike other operating systems, Chrome doesn't bombard you with an endless series of OS
update alerts. When you connect your net book to the Internet, Google updates Chrome for
you automatically. The whole idea is to make your computing experience easier and more
secure, with less fuss and frustration.
\
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Chapter 9

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_OS

2.

Pichai, Sundar (2009-07-07). "Introducing the Google Chrome OS". Official Google
Blog. Google, Inc.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html

3.

"The Chromium Projects: User Experience".

Http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/user-experience

4.

Chrome OS Wikipedia, the free Encyclopaedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChromeOS

5.

Net book - Wikipedia, the free Encyclopaedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netbook

6.

Cloud Computing - Wikipedia, the free Encyclopaedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud Computing

7.

Ten

things

to

know

about

Google

-http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/10-things-to-knowabout-google-chrome-os-614370?artc_pg=1
8.

Chrome OS Strives to Replace Desktop Culture

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/blogs/network.html

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