Frequently asked questions from Google Chrome OS

Answers questions about the operating system Google - Chrome OS.

When it was invented

system?

It was concurrent with the browser of the same name in 2008. Seeing that many people use their computers only to access the Web, the designers thought that it could also replace the operating system. But code programming did not begin until 2009.

How much is the OS from Google

?

It is free at the moment and open source. It may be sold in the future, but there will still be a free version.
Revenue will be mainly from advertising on web pages, and if necessary, Google will be able to add ads to applications running on Chrome OS.

What computers it runs on

?

At the moment, this OS is for netbooks. It does not recognize all materials. But it's open source, so it's easy to adapt.
Even if the initial goal is to make it an OS for netbooks, Google plans to look further, expand and make it a desktop OS, but not until 2011.
Google wants to produce open source drivers for Linux based on the system. Partners are invited.
As for the processor, only x86 is supported so far, but ARM is also expected in the future.

What software can I use?

Chrome OS is mainly for web applications. The first software is a browser. With Native Client support, all types of software, including 3D games, can work. This will be possible using WebGL. But regular apps like Office won't work.

You can change your browser

?

No, the OS and browser are dependent. To change the browser and use Firefox, for example, you will have to change the OS code.

Is it compatible with standards

?

This is something that is more about the browser than the OS. The Chrome browser is compatible with HTML 5 and CSS 3 and has a fast JavaScript compiler, V8.
The Linux version used by Android is different from the standard version. Chrome has a different goal.

Can applications work offline

?

Yes, this is possible with a browser thanks to Gears or HTML 5, so with the OS too. But this currently entails limitations. For example, Gears does not allow you to run standalone PHP on an application that uses it on the server.
Whether this develops remains to be seen.

How can I access the Internet?

Via a regular ADSL connection or via Wi-Fi.

You can connect an external

hard drive?

Chrome OS is designed for cloud, online storage, but has the hardware ability to store documents on a local, hard or external drive.

Can it be used in virtual

machine?

This can be done using Linux, and Chrome OS is based on Linux. So this is also possible (and not very useful in fact).

See: Installing Chrome OS with a virtual machine.

Can I use Chrome OS and Windows on the same computer

Dual launch is possible as for any Linux system. You can use ChromeShell software to run from Windows.

Whether the native client is implemented

?

The native client is part of the development code. It will allow native binary code to run and applications to interact with hardware. (Reference 1)

What it means to limp

?

This is an experimental technique that allows a local application to work remotely on a browser. Microsoft has experimented with a similar process called Remote Desktop Connection.
It will also allow you to use local applications on one machine, although the system is designed for web applications .

References: Part of the answers were given by Matt Cutts, the rest came from different sources. See also Google FAQs in English.