Google’s operating system that will be out in late 2010 is known as Chrome OS, and it has already stirred up a lot of interested folks.  Chrome OS is quite unique!  It’s a different breed I have to say.  If you’re expecting to use Chrome OS as Windows or Linux or Mac, then you have to be disappointed.  The fact is that Chrome OS relies heavily in Google’s cloud (Google’s data centers).  This means if you want to save anything locally, you won’t be able to, because everything you do has to sync with Google’s cloud.  Another weird requirement is that Chrome OS can only work with computer/system that has solid state drive, and so the traditional hard drive you have on your computer right now won’t be able to install Chrome OS.

I have to admit that Chrome OS is a plus for people who only need to work with the web solely.  Doing something locally as playing intensive video games that require to be saved locally is not feasible with this operating system.  People who like to see their operating systems have super fast boot time will love Chrome OS.  Google says that Chrome OS is super fast, because the boot time for this operating system could be less than 10 seconds.  Counting 1 to 10, and before you know it, Chrome OS is already humming at your commands.  Even though Chrome OS cannot do many things locally, at least it allows you to use a printer locally, use a webcam for web conferences and the likes, and other usual input devices like mice and keyboard will work.

You may not need any anti-virus program on Chrome OS, because everything you save will be on Google’s cloud.  Google uses various topnotch anti-virus software to scan regularly within the cloud, and so whatever you save will be scan for viruses.  This may be a plus for the majority, because not everyone knows how to use computer securely.  Then again, saving in the cloud has a drawback; a strongest link is also a weakest link of a cloud when come to security matter, because a huge pool of people will be using the same system, and it only takes one person to load a super dangerous worm or virus that Google’s anti-virus software has no idea about to infect everyone in the cloud instantly.  Saving important data in a cloud is an invite for few elite hackers with monetize motives to target Google’s cloud frequently.  All it takes is to get lucky and access the cloud with success, and everyone’s data within the cloud can be instantly compromised.  Google’s cloud will be a gold mine for hackers.

Google is making it easy for developers to develop applications for Chrome OS through the use of Chrome OS’s API (Application Programming Interface).  Like it or not, since Chrome OS will not act like a traditional OS, the feeling of its applications may be very much like iPhone’s applications, but I could be wrong!  Worse, only web applications are usable in Chrome OS, and so iPhone’s applications still have an advantage here since some of those are savable to iPhone locally.  The feeling of not having something locally and have to be on Internet to work with whatever we need — that feeling is sometimes can be very much like a desperation.  It’s true, because Internet connection has to be paid, and not everywhere is having fast Internet connection freely available.

Chrome OS is an interesting operating system indeed, but I doubt I will like it as much as I like Linux, Mac, and Windows.  I prefer an OS that can do everything.  Playing graphic intensive video games, saving documents locally, and locally tweaking underneath the hood as I have done with Linux are things that Chrome OS cannot do; I’m not a big favor of web only operating system.  Chrome OS has a feel of a browser, or a web application, and so you have to not care about Windows/Linux/Mac bunch as much in order for you to love Chrome OS.  I bet there will be certain people like that out there.  Since I haven’t yet tested Chrome OS, I cannot say for sure that I will hate it, but through the reading about it on the web, I have to say my gut instinct tells me that I might not like it.  Luckily, pretty much as any other software that Google created, Chrome OS when coming out will be free of charge, and so I will have the ability to get it and test it freely just to see how much love or hate I can give to this brand new operating system.  Source.