Will Google Chrome OS Be Another Google Game-Changer?

Google's Chrome OS is widely expected to be previewed Thursday. That will mean not only a big step for Google into yet another market, but will also finally confirm or deny rumors that have dogged Google Chrome, a Linux-based, lightweight, Web-deployed operating system, since Google first announced it last summer.

Rumors of an early Chrome launch actually began to circulate last week, centered on the idea that Google would preview a version of Chrome and gear up for the launch of the full Chrome OS in the second half of 2010.

Google plans to host an event Thursday morning, which, given the Chrome rumors, lead many to speculate Wednesday that an official Chrome OS unveiling is indeed in the works.

What we know about Chrome OS already, however limited, is that Chrome is based on Google's Chrome browser; is intended for netbooks; has signed on a number of PC manufacturers like Acer, HP and Lenovo; and that it will run on X86 and ARM processors.

Google has also made clear that all of its Web applications will work both with Chrome OS and other standards-based browsers -- definitely a deal-sweetener for developers who crave being able to develop applications for as many platforms as possible.

If that's indeed all there is to Chrome OS, it would still be a signifcant milestone. Google has plowed its way into many a market in the past few years -- mobile OSes, for one, with a Google-branded smartphone supposedly in the works -- and there's no question a new PC operating system puts it back in Microsoft's face. It's also no secret that in Microsoft's face is exactly where Google CEO Eric Schmidt likes to be.

Google likes to change the conversation. It became a giant in online search and continues to flatten all newcomers and old search engines. It's stormed into business applications and is a dominant SaaS and cloud player. It has the hottest mobile OS of the fall, with more than a few hot smartphones running on its Android platform. What about Chrome OS convinces you that it won't be yet another Google game changer?

Google Chrome OS: game changer, fire starter or hot air? Let us know with a comment in the ChannelWeb Connect community.

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