Google releases open source code for Chrome OS

Google has released the open source code for its operating system, Google Chrome OS. The first devices running Google Chrome OS will be available in the fourth quarter of 2010. Google made the code available to invite technology partners, the open source community and third party developers to contribute to its development.

Google Chrome OS is being designed to be lightweight and fast, enabling people to boot up their computers and get online within seconds. The operating system is based on Google's web browser, Google Chrome. The browser, which was launched in 2008, was designed to respond to the new wave of powerful applications on the web. Google Chrome OS extends that philosophy by putting a fast, stable and secure web experience at the centre of the operating system.

"Over the past few years, people have been spending more and more of their time online doing more and more powerful things, and we wanted to build a fundamentally different computing experience built for the way we use the web today," said Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Product Management. "With Google Chrome OS, we've made computing faster, easier and safer than ever before. While we still have a long way to go, we are excited by the progress we have made so far and look forward to developing the technology in the open with the help of the open source community."

The key features of Google Chrome OS include:

Speed - Google Chrome OS will be able start up and reboot within seconds, and web pages and applications will load and run smoothly and quickly;

Simplicity- Google Chrome OS will run applications all on the web. This means document editing, pdfs, picture viewing, etc. will all be done on the internet, so users of the operating system won't have to download anything or manage updates to work and play online;

Security - since all the programmes running in Google Chrome OS run online, every tab operates within a security sandbox, making it harder for viruses and malware to affect your machine.

Google announced the code's availability during an event at its Mountain View headquarters. For more information, see blog post at googleblog.blogspot.com or visit chromium.org.