Google Chrome: Redefining the Operating System

It’s hard to type a blog post when one hand is being used to pat myself on the back.

Last year I wrote a post about the just launched Chrome browser titled Meet Chrome, Google’s Windows Killer. From that article:

Chrome is nothing less than a full on desktop operating system that will compete head on with Windows…Expect to see millions of web devices, even desktop web devices, in the coming years that completely strip out the Windows layer and use the browser as the only operating system the user needs.

One representative response to my quote above, from The Register: “In no way can this statement be construed to make sense, and I’m not just being a pedantic asshole here. Fortunately, El Reg readers are with it enough to know that you need a proper OS before you can have a browser.”

Purists complained that a browser isn’t actually an operating system, and brought up mundane issues about hardware drivers, memory and processor management, and other red herrings. Sure, they were right - the Chrome browser isn’t an operating system. It is, you could say, sans the bag of drivers needed to meet the definition. Still, the writing was on the wall - Google quite clearly saw Chrome as an operating system that competes with Windows.

Fast forward to today. The Chrome browser now has 30 million active users, says Google, and tracking services say it has 6% or so market share. Not bad for a browser that’s less than a year old.

And now, WOW. Google just bolted a big ol’ bag of drivers (also known as the Linux kernel) to Chrome and are calling it the Google Chrome Operating System. It’s going to be hard for people to continue to deny its operating systemness now.

The new OS will focus entirely on the web: “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.”

Now, finally, even the tech purists can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Windows is hardware management plus an application platform, and we call that an OS. Chrome OS is hardware management plus an application platform (the browser), and we call that an OS, too.

Don’t worry about those desktop apps you think you need. Office? Meh. You’ve got Zoho and Google Apps. You won’t miss Office. Chrome plus Gears plus HTML 5 and web platforms like Flash and Silverlight all combine into a single wonderful computing device. The Internet Is Everything. All the OS has to do is boot the damn computer, get me to a browser as fast as possible and then stay the hell out of the way.

Chrome will do just that. And it will be free, unlike Windows. Forget the netbooks, which Google is targeting initally. We’ll see PCs of all types being sold by the major manufacturers as soon as Google gets this out of beta next year. Microsoft has a very serious competitive threat to the core of their revenues. Every Chrome computer bought won’t have Windows and won’t have Office. That must send chills down the spine of the guys up in Redmond. But hey, at least they can now point to Google when the antitrust guys come knocking. Someone other than them are bundling the operating system and browser into one neat package.

Original post

Comments

[Roger Knights:]

"Chrome ... will be free, unlike Windows."

I believe Microsoft should respond (or at least seriously consider responding) to the threat of cheap or free cloud applications from Google, and a cheap OS, by offering a software metering option. IOW, users would get Office or Windows free, and then pay-as-they-go, based on their usage rate. If average users paid $1 per week for each of those products, or $8 per month on their credit card bill, they'd hardly notice it, and wouldn't be tempted by "free."

There'd be some leakage from piracy, but those users couldn't be sure of getting their software updates from MS if MS detected possible funny business, so not too many would try it.

Jul 08 04:59 AM

[CPST1:]

The key is to make the netbook or other device interoperable with its cloud bank. Such that even though, Chrome won't run Grand Theft Auto, or, Flight Simulator, its browser appliance will. In that manner Google could build a subscriber base, a pay as you go platform for when you connect to their network, much in the same way your cell phone connects to the wireless network. If you read Bill's book, The Road Ahead, he gets into this fairly well as he hopes in time he'll have enough satellites in orbit to build out the web in order to network more computers to computers. It isn't that a personnel computer is set up to run an application to begin with so much as it can be made to perform task that are beyond the reach of what one can be expected to perform when using and maintaining their own stand alone platform.

In some regard perhaps it could be said that this kind of application is where IBM is already at today as they have been since the 60s. The only difference from the 60s is the availability of the hardware to be made portable and affordable while serving in a wireless range of reception. Other factors include graphics and the installation of sensors like that which afford Google Earth to be as it is serves as a critical function in this process all the same.

Jul 08 05:30 AM

[manuel:]

hey 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. Even more importantly, they don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates

Would this mean they give you space on some server for all your data? would you give all your data away?

Jul 08 07:17 AM

[CPST1:]

Then of course Intel has development plans as well.

seekingalpha.com/artic...

To be sure. It isn't that a personnel computer is set up to run any kind of application to begin with so much as it can be made to perform task that are beyond the reach of what most users can be expected to perform while using and maintaining their own stand alone platform. That any newly developed Operating system designed to run different types of computing platforms like that of Netbooks or mobile computing devices is most certainly a brilliant future in the not do distant future. A repeat of a Windows style platform is a waste of time.

Jul 08 07:45 AM

[User 357705:]

Fantastic news! Finally a product that can bring down the beast! I'll be an early adopter!

Jul 08 09:01 AM

[LA Tech:]

Forgive me if I Yawn!

Google is attempting to revive the VAPOR WARE game of the 1980's and 90's!

Google hasn't earned a single penny of profit on ANYTHING other than paid search, period!

Given Google's dismal track record in business applications, why would anyone believe that Google will displace MSFT in business applications.

Operating systems are a business application, btw!

Just look what Google did with Postini. Google gutted the revenue, goodwill, and people that made Postini famous within the entire IT population.

Wake me up when Chrome ships, if ever!

Jul 08 09:04 AM

[Bull Run:]

Finally; something other than MS junk..I still use my old Mac, but have been wondering who is going to take a serious run at MS. Their products are bad, and now I'll wait for Chrome before I buy my next computer, because everthing Google makes is great.

Jul 08 09:43 AM

[Pauly B:]

I love the idea of the security for the dont browser so I have to purchase all the junk that slows down my system.


Its too bad that Google cant develop technology that speeds up DSL and Cable. Then they would really have something.

Jul 08 09:52 AM

[Larry Belle...:]

The Market won't care.....there has been a viable option in MAC and Linux for years, and MSFT is still king. Do you imagine a Fortune 500 company, which is where much of their money comes from, switching over? The average Home user might put $100 in MSFT's pocket, where as GE might put hundreds of millions per year....

When Google cracks the Corporate market, then people will notice.

Jul 08 10:01 AM

[User 305589:]

I couldn't care less. For all the hate against MSFT, Google isn't any better, quite the opposite. Their privacy protection is nonexistant. they are the biggest data collectors and spys on the internet. No rules, no regulations. I will never ever install any google software on any of my PCs, notebooks or handys. They offer a terrific search engine and Google earth is a nice application, fine - but that's about it. I will not work on office documents via the web - how could I be sure that the data and information will not end up at places where i don't want them to be? The solution: the good ol' PC/notebook with a hard drive/usb drives. no web storage or office via internet.
All the people who - often correctly - critisize Mr Softie today should learn to look at Google not as a smart innovator but as a company that increasingly tries to establish a giant hegemony over all that is web/handy and communications-related. Windows might be annoying at times. Google surely could become a real threat to freedom and privacy much sooner than most people think.
All the google admirers are now free to downthumb my post.

Jul 08 10:54 AM

[CloroxCowboy:]

Gotta disagree. Mac and Linux are completely different than what Google's proposing with Chrome. Apples are too expensive for marginal, if any, computing advantage...it's all about buying an image. Linux is not necessarily hard to configure, but it's not the push-button solution that Goodle is describing either. And neither is really a web-based OS like Chrome would be.

A fast, streamlined, FREE os that gets users on the web quickly...I think MSFT is in serious trouble.

On Jul 08 10:01 AM Larry Bellehumeur wrote:

> The Market won't care.....there has been a viable option in MAC and
> Linux for years, and MSFT is still king. Do you imagine a Fortune
> 500 company, which is where much of their money comes from, switching
> over? The average Home user might put $100 in MSFT's pocket, where
> as GE might put hundreds of millions per year....
>
> When Google cracks the Corporate market, then people will notice.

Jul 08 10:58 AM

[robertt7:]

It will probably be at least 5 years before Chrome seriously threatens to take meaningful market share and profitability from Microsoft, but for the intelligent consumer that wants a more enjoyable computer experience Chrome OS should be great. I switched over to the Chrome web browser, I was always satisfied with IE and never felt like dealing with the switch (which is probably most people's mindset) but after making the switch following a friend's recommendation I was amazed at how much better Chrome is than IE and Firefox.

Jul 08 11:05 AM

[squark62:]

i have to concur. i've been through the whole linux revolution from start to now. all the same things were said about linux, freebsd & now mac osx. "oh, these are different...and they're free...microsoft will be extinct by Y2K!!!!", the rants went. we'll these other OSes have put a dent into some of MS market share, but not by stealing it. they ultimately grew the whole pie so to speak. microsoft & bill gates were cast as the evil borg of assimilation. so what if they don't innovate. they've lasted this long in the OS world as is very battle ready. don't under estimate the MS borg. but wait, do we have another borg to contend with? that would be, beware of the google borg.


On Jul 08 10:01 AM Larry Bellehumeur wrote:

> The Market won't care.....there has been a viable option in MAC and
> Linux for years, and MSFT is still king. Do you imagine a Fortune
> 500 company, which is where much of their money comes from, switching
> over? The average Home user might put $100 in MSFT's pocket, where
> as GE might put hundreds of millions per year....
>
> When Google cracks the Corporate market, then people will notice.

Jul 08 11:30 AM

[Arthur Hau:]

I have Chrome sitting on my desktop. However, I am using Firefox to type this comment.

The problem with Chrome is that it is unstable. More importantly, it does not have any decent addons, such as Noscript, Xmarks, ...

Some studies have already shown that Chrome can at best receive some market shares by displacing Firefox in the market of technically-sophisticated users. Unless MS is required to detach IE from all its OS (like what is happening in Europe), MS will still have a lot of control in the desktop and laptop markets for non-technical users.

Jul 08 11:31 AM

[debtacid:]

Yes, change is finally in the wind. Corporate America is tired of being dragged along the pavement by the Microsoft money train. No more need to be forced in to fake upgrades that are based more on MS marketing priorities than actual OS improvement. Looks like Gates got out just in time.

Jul 08 11:47 AM

[squark62:]

who is most likely to win with google's entry into operating systems is vmware (i.e. EMC). yet another operating system i can chose to run on my mac or pc if i wish.

Jul 08 12:24 PM

[Respirate:]

I've found Chrome, the browser, to be not only fast, but also rock solid stable -- most surprising given that it's new. It's also a feat never achieved by Microsoft in anything.

What concerns me most about web-centric computing is durability and availability. Despite its robust and redundant structure, the internet links can fail at many places between an individual station and the destination software application sites. Will it be available when you must do something?

Intentional attack is one of multiple vulnerabilities:
This today: "The powerful attack that overwhelmed computers at U.S. and South Korean government agencies for days was even broader than initially realized, also targeting the White House, the Pentagon and the New York Stock Exchange. Other targets of the attack included the National Security Agency, Homeland Security Department, State Department, the Nasdaq stock market ...".

--R

Jul 08 01:17 PM

[Peter Iwano...:]

Browsers are apps that users will be able to switch easily to and from as they please. Entire companies, schools, universities, libraries, home networks, etc. have built entire systems around an OS and the time and effort to switch for them is huge.

I believe that Google Chrome will be similar to Apple OS in that it will quickly create a niche following but will be relegated to that status for some time. Even though I love running the Mac OS at home, my work would never switch as the time and cost required would be substantial.

Will the switch occur? I believe that like every market, efficiencies play out and the most efficient OS will dominate the market share. But to assume that a browser and an OS have the same optionality of being switched is naive.

Jul 08 02:06 PM

[Snitzer:]

If all I want to do is go online then I already have the perfect setup: My Asus Eee, Linux style. But for Cinema 4D, Sonar, Vegas, FSX and/or Emperor Of Dune then its my Vista 64 system, but there are irritants aplenty there. What I ( and probably the world) really need is a computer operating system that just works, an o/s that doesn't choke or stutter no matter what is thrown at it, that doesn't turn it's nose up at any code, that can sort through any and all applications, line up drivers, codecs or whatever, updates itself in the background and then, without a lot of fuss, just work. I would pay good money for that, especially if the price covered all future updates and improvements. There are many bright people out there, and I think it's just a matter of time before something like that comes to market. And yeah, I'll be there for the IPO, tongue hanging out.

Jul 08 04:21 PM

[Barbossa:]

A thin-client. Enough said.

Jul 08 05:57 PM

[FloridaBoy2:]

Thanks for the article.

"Chrome will do just that. And it will be free, unlike Windows."

Google saves every search you make. The more Google on your computer the less privacy you have.

Jul 08 06:01 PM

[bigmoney:]

Google does cool things, but privacy is still a nagging issue. Login to Google Reader to check your seekingalpha RSS, and you use your email address, with likely your real-name, personal contacts, and plenty of email that they get to data mine. Pop up a google search tab, type in some random and possibly personal thought, and now google can tie that that query directly to your name, along with date/time. Who knows how long it sits there. And no telling if lawyers and politicians can get at it.

Jul 08 11:44 PM

[Economyst:]

Tech Crunch should drop the Tech part as it's authors are woefully short of any technical understanding.

www.theregister.co.uk/.../

This is just old ideas re-hashed again with a new package.

Jul 09 04:44 AM

[TCK:]

Can't wait to boot my Google OS and click through 5 advertisements before I get to the desktop !

Isn't this how "Free" search works ?

Jul 09 06:56 AM

[Zvi:]

The guys at G.ho.st ("ghost" - for Global Hosted Operating SysTem) have been working on a Web OS for 3 years and are officially going to launch the beta next week (the alpha is already public at G.ho.st) - will be interesting to see how this plays out...

Jul 09 07:03 AM

[Carneades:]

An interesting aspect of this announcement that should be considered is that, possibly, Google does not intend to compete with Windows in the traditional, purely market based sense. A primary, although not publicly stated purpose behind the Google OS could be to shine further light on Microsoft's anti-competitive practices. If Google formally enters the OS market with it's own product, it will gain standing to challenge the underlying practices of Microsoft's core business with regulators in the US and EU. Just a thought.

Jul 09 10:41 AM

[Thomas Jowers:]

If google decides to give away chrome that means it wont make a significant amount of money, even if ad supported, so what is to say that they will wake up and say we are no longer going to support it because it is costing us money, what then, do you want to be the proud owner of a pc that runs on a OS that is no longer being supported or easily upgraded like MSFT.

Google makes money in Search, end of sentence.

MSFT makes money in Software. end of sentence.

both are looking for new ways to make money, MSFT has the better idea to try and take search share and ad dollars instead of GOOG trying to take OS marketshare by giving it away for free. at least MSFT is trying to make money in the long run and not just piss other companies off.

Jul 09 04:30 PM

[Larry Belle...:]

The stock went up 25% from July 8th, the day of this article, in less than 2 weeks. It is still up 15% from then....

Kind of proves my point....the market doesn't care about Google in this area, until they break the Corporate Monopoly. Not saying that they can't do it, just that it won't matter until they do.

Larry


On Jul 08 10:58 AM CloroxCowboy wrote:

> Gotta disagree. Mac and Linux are completely different than what
> Google's proposing with Chrome. Apples are too expensive for marginal,
> if any, computing advantage...it's all about buying an image. Linux
> is not necessarily hard to configure, but it's not the push-button
> solution that Goodle is describing either. And neither is really
> a web-based OS like Chrome would be.
>
> A fast, streamlined, FREE os that gets users on the web quickly...I
> think MSFT is in serious trouble.
>
> On Jul 08 10:01 AM Larry Bellehumeur wrote:

Aug 02 01:26 AM