10 Reasons We Are Excited About Google Chrome OS

by Jeff Cogswell

It’s built by a company that practically defined the Internet as we know it today. While many other companies have been involved in creating and defining the Web, Google is still at the top in innovation and has made it clear that it understands the Web.

Google plans to make it open source. Need we say more?

It’s getting to the point where you hardly need a desktop OS outside of the browser. Be honest: When you’re at home, how much time do you use your computer outside the browser other than for office applications? That’s what we thought.

Software already exists for it in the form of Google Docs for office support, Gmail for e-mail support and millions of other Web-based applications that already run in browsers (including Yahoo mail and other Google competitors).

Sure, this may be only a small annoyance, but really, now: How long should it take to boot up the computer? We can put a man on the moon …

Think of the innovation: The OS will be built to support the browser. Web applications could detect whether they’re running on the Chrome OS and take advantage of what are likely to be some pretty cool features that won’t be found in a browser running on other operating systems. (We can hope, anyway.)

Google says Chrome OS will run on multiple platforms, including mobile operating systems. Why should we need a different OS on our phones? Oh, yeah, here’s why: The one on our desktop today is way too darn huge for a mobile phone.

We need speed. Many of the bigger operating systems today are so bloated with extras running behind the scenes, spinning the processor and draining the battery that they’re practically unusable. Chrome promises to be small, lightweight and fast.

Sometimes you have to start from scratch. Even though it’s going to be Linux-based, real innovation comes from tossing out what you know and building something new.

And the No. 1 reason we like it: It’s about time we saw a brand-new OS that’s built for the Web—not the other way around. Sounds like a round peg in a round hole—finally!