Mountain View-Based Google to Launch New Chrome Operating System

Mountain View, Calif. -- Taking direct aim at Microsoft Windows, Mountain View-based Google said that it plans to launch a new lightweight operating system initially targeting netbooks. The company expects to release its open source Google Chrome operating system in the second half of 2010. The news comes nine months after Google launched its Chrome web browser, which it claims it now used by more than 30 million people.   "The operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web. So today, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension of Google Chrome," the company announced on its blog. "It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be." Google said that the platform will focus on speed, simplicity and security, with several manufacturers already working to bring new netbooks to market next year.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html