11 Things You Need to Know About Google's

Chrome OS
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By: Lance Ulanoff

 11.19.2009
 21 comments

The world's number one search provider has opened its operating system project up to the world.
Here's what it's all about.

Before today, Google's Chrome Operating System was an exciting idea

Buzz up!on Yahoo!
that offered far more questions than answers. That changed today. We now
know much more about what the company is working on and have even
seen it in action.

View Slideshow See all (20) slides

More
For those who weren't able to make it out to Mountain View today, here are 11 important things
you need to know about the Google Chrome OS.

1. It's not Available Yet

Today Google launched only the open source development project. This means
developers and third-party partners (including hardware manufacturers) can download,
compile, and install the code. Most importantly, they can change and enhance it. All
those changes could pour back into what will become the first shipping product late next
year. The rest of us will have to wait until then.
2. Every Application in Google Chrome OS is a Web Application
This means there are literally no desktop apps. Google execs reiterated this point by
adding, "third party apps will work as long as they're Web applications." This fact could
—and maybe should—scare you. All the application CDs you currently have sitting on
shelves are useless with the Chrome OS. If you have a favorite drawing or scrapbooking
application, you might as well throw it out if you plan on devoting your life to the
Chrome OS.

On the other hand, it's likely that you've started using more and more cloud-based
applications to get work done. One thing that's not clear here is whether or not Google's
own Picasa photo management app will work. You download and install the client on
your desktop and are not usually doing all of your work in the clouds. Your photos are
stored locally, too. In the Google Chrome OS world, you store them with Google or
another service like Yahoo's Flickr.

3. Google Chrome Browser is Part of the OS Foundation

If you like Google's upstart browser, you may love the Chrome OS. They look almost
exactly the same, though Chrome OS does add a number of important, operating system-
like features.
4. Google Chrome OS will Offer Easy Access to Apps
A Web browser lets you add shortcuts to Websites on the toolbar, but it isn't particularly
good at giving instant access to applications. Google Chrome OS tries to address this by
 adding a "Tabs" feature. These are persistent tabs that keep your favorite Apps a click
away.
5. Panels Are Persistent
Browsers aren't persistent, but Google Chrome OS is not a browser. It's an operating
system and, as such, can handle multiple tasks at once. One way Google Chrome OS will
do this is with Panels. These will allow you to play music in the background, play video,
and interact with external storage media.
6. Google Chrome OS Will Always be Up-to Date
Microsoft always recommends you turn on Windows Update, but not everyone does it. In
the Google Chrome OS, there is no choice. If you're currently running the Google
Chrome Browser, this shouldn't surprise you. It always polls for new versions and
updates on its own, as well.
7. Google Chrome OS will Repair Itself
Google said its primary goals for the Chrome OS are speed, simplicity, and security. To
achieve that last part, the Chrome OS will do something never seen before in a desktop
operating system: it will, if it needs to, re-image itself. If the OS detects a malware
infection or even just a bad bit, it will get an updated version of the OS from the cloud
and reinstall it. Thankfully, this will not blow away your data and settings, because
they're all stored in the cloud.
8. Your Data is in the Cloud
Google Chrome OS will not store any of your data locally. As long as you're online, it
will constantly cache your data and settings in the cloud. All of that information is, by
default, encrypted. There is a benefit here. If your computer is stolen, or even if you want
to upgrade, you don't have to backup or migrate a thing. You'll have it all as soon as you
sync up your new computer. The concern, obviously, is what happens when you don't
have online access--cross-country flight, anyone? [See item 11]
9. There is No Hard Drive
Google Chrome OS will not run on spinning hard drives. Google execs said they're
working with OEMS to create the ultimate reference design for Google Chrome OS
machines. Part of that is flash or solid state media. A key benefit—speed. During
Google's demonstration of early code, the company showed a machine booting to login in
seven seconds and launching an app in an additional three seconds.
10. Google Chrome will not Run on Just any PC
Sorry, but if you were planning on converting all your existing systems to the Google
Chrome OS, you're out of luck. As noted in point nine, Google is targeting a very specific
kind of computer. In fact, even though Google expressed great love for all the world's
netbooks—those that have helped drive people toward a more light-weight operating
system—they have concerns about the current crop of small, affordable laptops. Google
execs said they want to see netbooks with 100 percent keyboards and larger screens.
They said they also want to focus on 802.11n connectivity. Google does believe that its
operating system will eventually run on more powerful desktops and laptops, but not in
2010.
11. Google Chrome OS Will Work Offline—Sort of
Google is serious when it says it intends the operating system to be used in a connected
environment. Still, at today's event, they did make some vague promises about "exposing
 offline capabilities" and supporting some offline storage. They also talked about the
ability to play offline media and games.

There's more, like the fact that whatever you see now probably doesn't represent what the
shipping product will look like in 2010, and the fact that Google doesn't seem to have a hardware
driver plan (though they did promise that Google Chrome OS will print). But these are the early
days. I expect we'll learn a dozen or more key points when we finally download and compile the
code in PC Labs. I gotta say, I'm looking forward to it.

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