by Elton Gahr

Created on: June 16, 2010   Last Updated: June 28, 2010

Chrome OS is an operating system similar to Windows, Linux or even DOS. That is to say the basic programming structure that runs your computer. It is developed as an open source project which means that anyone can look at and even make their own versions of the system, but it is headed by Google with the idea of speed, security and simplicity.  In addition to those three important points is the final one, which may help make it a major important point which is that Chrome OS, like the Chrome Browser is free.

In order to understand the Chrome OS it is important that you understand the cloud. The cloud is an idea that has been in computers  for a long time and more than once the idea of cloud computing which at its most basic means that instead of storing programs and information on your computer you store it on the internet. Your computer then doesn’t have to have enough space to save that information or even the speed to run it well all it really has to have is a good connection to the internet.  That is the good news, the bad news is that there are significant questions about the security of this information as well as the ownership. After all if you write a novel and never have a copy of it on anything you own then will Google at some point decide they own it? What if they decided to shut down that part of Google will you be able to get your information?

You are not likely to see full desktop computers using Chrome OS all that soon. The first plan is to make netbooks that can use this operating system and it is a nearly perfect operating system for the small devices that are largely created in order to surf the internet while not at home anyway.

Speed is the first important point and there seems little reason that chrome should not be considerably faster when starting your computer and with a good internet connection running it. The reason for this is simply that it will not be doing as much as other operating systems.

The second question is security, this is where I suspect they will have the most convincing to do and yet most people already give a huge amount of information to Google. Just think about everything that you type into the browser and remember that Google has access to all that information. They have, so far, been very good with that but they still have access.

The final is simplicity and this is simply information not yet available except to look at Google's history and see that they have kept their homepage remarkably simply for years and so know how to do it.

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