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It’s official (even across the pond); Google is expanding the Chrome brand beyond a browser and creating the Chrome OS. According to the Google Blog, the OS is founded on a three S strategy: speed, simplicity and security. In an era of operating systems whose roots stretch all the way back to time shared mainframes (OS X’s BSD began in the late 1970s when computer technology still involved monochrome amber screens and mainframes still occupied an entire floor of an office building), it is refreshing to see someone building an OS based on current needs rather than supporting legacy applications.  Not that Chrome will do away the familiar OS, but it may lead to some interesting changes!

According to the Google blog, this new “OS” is really a Linux kernel with a new windowing system, and only one installed application: the Chrome browser. Obviously, this is an OS designed for an age of web applications.  And, conveniently enough,  most of Google’s major web apps, like Gmail, Docs, and Google Talk are now out of the beta period in which they seemed perpetually mired. This certainly leads one to wonder what market Google is targeting: casual users are big on Gmail, but the Chrome OS runs quite well on Windows (Mac version may or may not be coming soon). Google Docs work well enough in any modern browser, and Google has worked hard to integrate corporate Gmail with Outlook.  So what does does Google see in developing a new OS?  Where, exactly, is the beef?

Oddly enough, there is a strong case for the Chrome OS being less of a revolution and more updated nostalgia.  Many business users today run basic applications like Microsoft Office and store their work on network shares or collaboration portals like SharePoint.  Most of those users stick with the basic features of the Office suite—meaning that Google Apps function as an excellent substitute.  With online storage and app hosting, what need is there for thick clients on every desk? Why install and manage 10,000 copies of Office when you can have one server hosting Google Apps?  And for that matter, why put expensive hardware on every desk when a minimal client with internet access and enough resources to run a web browser will do?  If the OS is open source, and by extension free/cheap, as a CIO, it is virtually impossible to ignore this value proposition—in which case, where is Windows (and, sadly, Mac OS X)?  We are back to a mainframe with dumb terminals again, only this time we are using web apps rather than timeshared mainframe cycles; it appears to be the network computer all over again, only this time, it actually has a shot.

As a home user, the value proposition of the Chrome OS is much simpler.  Security and speed equal more time for you, the user.  Security concerns on Windows cause headaches and require constant vigilance, costing both time and money for home users.  Slow boot times and delays in application launching cost home users time—a small, lightweight Linux kernel and a safe, stable Chrome browser remove both obstacles.  Initially, the Chrome OS will be targeted mainly at the expanding netbook market where Microsoft had planned on aiming the crippled “Windows 7 Starter Edition”.  Given that most netbooks are incapable of running Vista due to its burdensome hardware requirements, and netbooks (as the name implies) are designed to live on the internet, a browser-based OS makes a lot of sense.  If the netbook market continues to expand, and Microsoft fails to deliver a viable netbook OS, Google may have just the opportunity it needs to establish Chrome.  What will be more challenging is adapting the OS to the more varied use case scenarios home users face: just guessing, but does anybody really think Photoshop will ever be a viable web application?

What is most interesting about the announcement is the development track that Google is taking, and how it compares to Apple’s.  In a posting on the Google Blog, the genesis of this new OS is made clear: “[Today’s] operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web.”  Google is rethinking the top heavy, legacy architecture we see on our desktops everyday and producing a brand new OS designed for today’s user requirements (although the Linux kernel underpinning the whole production is obviously not brand new).  Apple’s OS strategy, both with the forthcoming Snow Leopard OS and the iPhone OS, has been to start with a stable base and streamline it to both size it down and speed it up, resulting in faster operation, lowered space requirements, and extended reach to more devices.  In reality, Google is doing much the same, but the Chrome OS is focused solely on web applications.  Whether this is a viable strategy for mass market adoption remains to be seen; Apple tried this with the iPhone (pre-SDK days), and it ended with the App Store.  Are netbooks and business users enough of a market for Google to target a mainstream OS or is it merely a niche?  Will we eventually see popular programs ported to run side-by-side along with the Chrome browser, or can Google generate enough momentum to get mainstream applications reincarnated as web apps? 

Read [Google Blog]