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ABSTRACT
Google Chrome OS is a Linux operating system designed by Google to work exclusively with
web applications. It is intended to focus on Web applications while running a fast and simple
interface, based off Google's existing Chrome browser. Google announced the operating system
on July 7, 2009 and made it an open source project, called Chromium OS, that November.
Unlike Chromium OS, which can be compiled from the downloaded source code, Chrome OS
will only ship on specific hardware from Google’s manufacturing partners. The user interface
takes a minimalist approach, resembling that of the Chrome web browser. Because Google
Chrome OS is aimed at users who spend most of their computer time on the Internet, the only
application on the device will be a browser incorporating a media player.
Google Chrome OS is initially intended for secondary devices like net books, not as a user's
primary PC, and will run on hardware incorporating an x86 or ARM-based processor. Chrome
OS as a "hardened" operating system featuring auto-updating and sandbox features that will
reduce malware exposure. Google claimed that Chrome OS would be the most secure
consumer operating system due in part to a verified boot capability, in which the initial boot
code, stored in read-only memory, checks for system compromises.
Companies working with Google to develop hardware for the operating system include Acer,
Adobe, Asus, Free scale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Toshiba,
Intel, Samsung, and Dell.
1
Chapter - 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview
This Seminar on “Google Chrome Operating System” discusses the features, capabilities and
functioning of the Google Chrome Operating System, along with its divergence from a
typical Operating System covering its expected advantages and setbacks. The new operating
system, aptly named Google Chrome OS, will be a Linux-based, open-source operating system
initially geared toward notebooks. The Chrome OS, originally planned for release in the second
half of 2010 and currently slated for release in early 2011, is mostly just the Chrome browser
running on top of a very lightweight Linux base. It is intended to focus on Web applications
while running a fast and simple interface, based off Google's existing Chrome browser. Speed,
simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS.Quite suitably; this Seminar
involves major discussions on how it is a concept for a very portable and low cost "cloud"
terminal. This also explains how and why the operating system is the browser and how it
behaves like a browser, in the case of this unique Operating System
1.2 Google Chrome Os
Google Chrome OS is an upcoming Linux-based, open source operating system designed by
Google to work exclusively with web applications. Chrome OS will not be available as a
download to run and install. Instead, the operating system will only ship on specific hardware
from Google's manufacturing partners.
On account of the “cloud” concept, the weightlessness feature is a plus under this OS, which
implies virtually no data storage hassles. Also, it is heavily web-centric, considering the fact that
the operating system uses a high speed internet connection facility. Chrome OS has a few
more unique features, the most useful of which are panels, which can be best described as
drawers that hang around the bottom of the screen. Security maintenance is a major growing
concern in every industry, and Google Chrome OS splendidly provides a great security
cover to its user. Chrome OS's security infrastructure is so designed, that users don't have to
deal with viruses, malware and security updates.
Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and multiple OEMs are being
worked with, to bring a number of notebooks to market next year. Google offers its users, a
future of web-only computing.
2
Chapter – 2
FEATURES EXPLORED
2.1 Basic Features
2.1.1 Speed
Speed is an unsaid feature of the Google Chrome OS. With Google Chrome’s tremendous
booting speed and more, users have a lot to say about experiencing‘witlessness’.witlessness, in
Google’s terms, means never having to wait for the web. Chrome notebooks boot in about 10
seconds and resume from sleep instantly. Websites load quickly and run smoothly, with full
support for the latest web standards and Adobe Flash. The web evolves rapidly. Your Chrome
notebook evolves with it. Every time you turn it on, it upgrades itself with the latest features and
fixes. Annoying update prompts not included
The portion of the operating system needed to operate the device will reside in a read-only
section of memory. The rest of the operating system is integrated with the Chrome browser and,
like the browser, security updates require nothing more than a reboot. Chrome OS can run
multiple Web applications in multiple tabs and each one is locked down from all others, so
vulnerability in one Web app can't lead to exposure in another
2.1.2 Quick Booting
The Chrome operating system is designed to allow computers to boot up to the Web within
seconds, onto a home screen that looks like that of a Web browser. Chrome OS boots up in mere
seconds. In these precious seconds, Chrome OS scans critical parts of the OS to make sure they
have not been modified
2.1.3 Simplicity
Basic user interface and features lend simplicity to the Google Chrome OS, making user
interaction easier and adaptable.
2.1.4 Ultimate Security
The most fascinating and intriguing features presented by the Google Chrome OS is Security
Maintenance. Chrome OS is the first operating system designed to counter security threats. It
uses the principle of “defense in depth” to provide multiple layers of protection, so if any one
layer is bypassed, others are still in effect.
3
2.1.5 Sandboxing
On the Chrome notebook, each web page and application visited runs in a restricted environment
called an “sandbox.” So if you visit an infected page, it can’t affect the other tabs or apps on
your computer, or anything else on your machine. The threat is contained. Google expands its
security by running each tab through a dedicated sandbox. These sandboxes have no access to
hard drive. This means the browsing is separated from the other areas of the system; this gives a
total security from malware intrusion in to the hard drive.
2.1.6 Verified Boot
Even if malware manages to escape the sandbox, the Chrome notebook is still protected.
Every time the computer is booted, it does a self check called “Verified Boot”. If it detects that
the system has been tampered with, or corrupted in any way, typically it will repair itself.
2.1.7 Data Encryption
When you use web apps on your Chrome notebook, all the user’s documents are stored safely in
the cloud. But certain kinds of files, like downloads, cookies, and browser cache files, may still
be present on the computer. The Chrome notebook encrypts all this data using tamper- resistant
hardware, making it very difficult for anyone to access those files.
2.1.8 Continuous Update
The web evolves rapidly. Your Chrome notebook evolves with it. Every time you turn it on, it
upgrades itself with the latest features and fixes. Annoying update prompts not included.
2.1.9 Printing
Google plans to create a service called Google Cloud Print, which will help any application
any device to print on any printer. This method of printing does not require any drivers and
therefore will be suitable for printing from Google Chrome OS. Mike Jazeera, Google group
product manager, wrote that the service was prompted by a paradox inherent in an operating
system designed expressly for cloud computing. While the cloud provides virtually any
connected device with information access, the task of "developing and maintaining print
subsystems for every combination of hardware and operating system-- from desktops to
notebooks to mobile devices -- simply isn't feasible. The service would entail installing a piece
of software, called a proxy, as part of Chrome OS. The proxy would register the printer with the
service, manage the print jobs and give status alerts for each job.
4
2.1.10 Use of Cloud
Users of devices running Chrome will have to perform all their computing online or “in the
cloud,” without downloading traditional software applications like iTunes and Microsoft
Office, or storing files on hard drives. Devices running Chrome will receive continuous software
updates, providing added security, and most user data will reside on Google’s servers.
User data stored on the device, which is minimal, is encrypted. User data is limited to items such
as user preferences. All other data will be stored in the cloud. User preferences will also be
synched to a cloud account, so like any thin client. Should you lose the device, you would
merely log in from another one and your data and preferences should be there.
Google’s Chrome OS, is designed to be a very fast, lightweight flavor of Linux that will be
available on some notebooks and other PCs by the end of the year. Google hopes to achieve
this small footprint and high performance by shipping an OS with only one installed program–
their own Chrome browser. Users would work, live, and save things online, using Google’s own
cloud computing services and other similar utilities, like Microsoft’s Office Web Apps. This is
of course a shift from today’s computing environment, where most programs are installed
locally on the computer’s hard drive.
2.1.11 Minimal User Interface
The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes
place on the web. Google is going back to the basics and completely redesigning the
underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware
and security updates.
2.1.12 Same Experience Everywhere
All of the user’s apps, documents, and settings are stored safely in the cloud. So even if the
computer is misplaced, data can be recovered through another Chrome notebook and worked
upon as efficiently and with ease.
2.2 Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and
information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.
Cloud computing is a paradigm shift following the shift from mainframe to client–server in
the early 1980s. Details are abstracted from the users, who no longer have need for expertise in,
or control over, the technology infrastructure "in the cloud" that supports them. Cloud 5
computing describes a new supplement, consumption, and delivery model for IT services based
on the Internet, and it typically involves over the Internet provision of dynamically scalable
and often virtualized resources. It is a byproduct and consequence of the ease-of-access to
remote computing sites provided by the Internet.
The term "cloud" is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on the cloud drawing used in
the past to represent the telephone network, and later to depict the Internet in computer
network diagrams as an abstraction of the underlying infrastructure it represents. Typical
cloud computing providers deliver common business applications online that are accessed
from another Web service or software like a Web browser, while the software and data are
stored on servers.
Most cloud computing infrastructures consist of services delivered through common centers and
built on servers. Clouds often appear as single points of access for all consumers' computing
needs
2.3 Netbook
Net books (sometimes also called mini notebooks or ultra-portables) are a branch of
subnotebooks, a rapidly evolving category of small, lightweight, and inexpensive laptop
computers suited for general computing and accessing Web-based applications; they are often
marketed as "companion devices", i.e. At their inception in late 2007 — as smaller notebooks
optimized for low weight and low cost — notebooks omitted certain features, featured smaller
screens and keyboards, and offered reduced specification and computing power. Over the course
of their evolution, notebooks have ranged in size from below 5" screen diagonal to over 11.6".
A typical weight is 1 kg. Often significantly less expensive than other laptops, by mid- 2009,
some wireless data carriers began to offer notebooks to users "free of charge", with an extended
service contract purchase.
6
Chapter - 3
THE CHROME DESIGN AND INTERFACE
3.1 The Basics
Design goals for Google Chrome OS's user interface include using minimal screen space by
combining applications and standard Web pages into a single tab strip, rather than separating the
two. Designers are considering a reduced window management scheme that would operate
only in full-screen mode. Secondary tasks would be handled with "panels": floating windows
that dock to the bottom of the screen for tasks like chat and music players. Split screens are also
under consideration for viewing two pieces of content side-by-side. Google Chrome OS will
follow the Chrome browser's practice of leveraging HTML5's offline modes, background
processing, and notifications. Designers propose using search and pinned tabs as a way to
quickly locate and access applications.
Fig: 3.1 Basic designs of Google chrome os
Design goals for Google Chrome OS's user interface include using minimal screen space by
combining applications and standard Web pages into a single tab strip, rather than separating the
two. Designers are considering a reduced window management scheme that would operate only
in full-screen mode. Secondary tasks would be handled with "panels": floating windows
7
That dock to the bottom of the screen for tasks like chat and music players. Split screens are
also under consideration for viewing two pieces of content side-by-side. Google Chrome
Swill follows the Chrome browser's practice of leveragingHTML5‘s offline modes, background
processing, and notifications. Designers propose using search and pinned tabs as a way to
quickly locate and access applications.
3.2 Windows, Tabs and Panels
The interface of Chrome is currently composed of three types of views: windows, tabs, and
panels. However, this interface is likely to change quite a bit over the coming year, as the
open source community contributes new code to the project.
Applications, which are essentially just Web pages, live in tabs, just as they do in most browsers
now. In Chrome OS, there are two kinds of tabs: page tabs and application tabs. Application tabs
are intended to give users quick access to the Web apps they use most, and any page can be
made into an application tab with one click. Application tabs remain persistent at the left of
the tabs bar, while ordinary page tabs behave just as they do in current browsers.
Tabs live in windows, which on the Chrome OS are more similar to Linux-style virtual
workspaces. You can drag and drop page and application tabs from one window to another to
group them according to any organization scheme you like.
The final view is the panel, which is a persistent window that can contain a variety of
applications. To demonstrate this, Pichai opened up Contacts and Notepad--two apps included
with Chrome OS--in panel views, which sit in the lower-right area of the screen. This view
is intended to allow users to interact with specific files or Web content while still viewing
another page or app in the main window. Content created in panel apps is instantly shared with
the rest of the Google apps, as demonstrated by a bit of sample text being entered into the
Notepad panel, and then immediately opened in Google Docs.
Other uses for the panel view include searching for music and playing songs or videos in a
smaller view during the course of Web browsing. As with documents, these panels can be
quickly opened into a tab or full-screen. The design would include the same basic layout as on
netbooks, but with a touch interface; an onscreen QWERTY keyboard in different layouts; large,
square icons placed above the tabs; and panels placed along the bottom edge that could be
opened with an upward dragging motion.
8
3.3 The Three Tier Architecture
Google describes three-tier architecture: firmware, browser and window manager, and
system-level software and user-land services.
The firmware contributes to fast boot time by not probing for hardware, such as
floppy disk drives, that are no longer common on computers, especially netbooks. The
firmware also contributes to security by verifying each step in the boot process and
incorporating system recovery.
System-level software includes the Linux kernel that has been patched to improve boot
performance. User land software has been trimmed to essentials, with management
by Upstart, which can launch services in parallel, re-spawn crashed jobs, and defer services
in the interest of faster booting.
The window manager handles user interaction with multiple client windows much like
other X Window managers.
3.4 Form Factors Exploration
While its primary focus is netbooks, Chrome OS could eventually scale to a wide variety of
devices. Each would have vastly different input methods, available screen space, and processing
power. Below is an illustration of the forms we are considering along with notes for each.
Fig: 3.2 Different form factors
9
Netbook 10-12"
Because of their small screen resolution, the netbook us is tailored to one web page on the
screen at a time. Interaction is primarily via mouse and keyboard, and the UI is adapted to
this, with primary targets distributed along the screen edges. Panels would dock against the
bottom of the screen and could be moved to the sides as well.
Full Screen, Compact/Classic/Sidebar UI
Omni box may auto hide on devices with limited vertical height
Docking panels
Tabs and Windows
Fig: 3.3 Netbook 10-12”
Tablet 5-10”
On tablets, the UI would be adjusted to handle larger touch targets. Initial explorations have
maintained the same basic chrome layout, but enlarged the controls. Icons could be placed above
tabs to provide larger, square targets. Panels would be placed along the bottom edge and could
be opened with upward dragging motions.
Full screen, Touch UI
Docking panels
Touch panel UI
Tabs only
High-res display
Visual explorations
10
Fig: 3.4 Tablet 5-10”Laptop 15-17"
On laptop-sized devices, full screen mode is not suitable for most web pages. At this point we
would re-introduce multiple windows on screen, using either overlapping or tiling windowing
systems. Panels would now be able to dock to edges or float freely on the screen.
Windowed, Classic UI
Overlapping or tiled window management
Floating or docking panels
Fig: 3.5 Laptop15-17"
Desktop 24-30"
The desktop UI is similar to the laptop UI, but benefits more from freely positioned windows
and access points near the cursor Other potential enhancements include magnetic
windows/panels that can be moved around with each other to create workspaces.
Windowed, Classic UI
Overlapping window managemen
Floating or docking panels
11
Fig: 3.6 desktop 24-30”
3.5 UI Elements
3.5.1 Form Controls
The base UI elements in Chrome OS are styled after the default form controls. Any CSS
changes are applied to this base, rather than causing a dramatic change from a native widget to
a CSS one.
Default button style is a simple white to gray gradient
Fig: 3.7 Form control Buttons
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3.5.2 Menus
Menus use the same gradient with a stronger drop shadow. When possible, they are displayed
attached to their source.
Fig: 3.8 Drop shadow options in Menus
3.5.3 Scroll Bars
Scroll bar options:
Transient scroll indicators
Wave-style scroll widgets
Rollover scroll bars (when you press screen edge
13
Standard scroll bar
Reflective scroll bar
Fig: 3.9 Different types of scroll bars
3.5.4 Cursors
Fig: 3.10 Different types of Cursors
Future directions:
Resolution Independent cursors
Black with white outline (for contrast) Movement in Z space when clicking Pulse emitted when
you shake
14
3.6 Panels
Panels in Chromium OS are used as containers that allow a user to multitask without leaving the
view of their current application. For example, with a music player and chat in panels, a user can
control the playback of their music and chat with a friend while watching a video or reading a
long document in their main view.
This is one of Chrome OS's true innovations: For things like IM and Notifications, these
small windows remain on top of the main browsing window.
Window manager interactions
Panels are always-on-top, and are not attached to a specific window. New panels open to the left
of existing panels.
Open behavior
Panels are minimized and maximized by clicking on their title bar. When minimized, a panel is
shifted so that only a few pixels of its title bar are visible on-screen (this is the 'minimized'
state). When the user's mouse hits the bottom edge of the screen, any minimized panels slide
up to reveal the text in their title bars (this is the 'peeking' state). Clicking on these title bars will
restore the panel to its original size.
If a panel is restored with the mouse cursor at the bottom edge of the screen, a widget will
appear under the user's mouse cursor that will minimize the panel when clicked. The widget
disappears as soon as the user's mouse moves away from the edge. This allows users to quickly
open and close panels
15
Fig: 3.11 Open behaviors of Panels
Auto-arrange
Panels are right-aligned, and automatically arrange themselves in order to not overlap. If a
user drags a panel to the left away from the main group of panels, it is pushed to the left of all
auto-arranged panels until the user explicitly reorders it into the auto arranged set. It will attempt
to hold the defined position until it is pushed out of the way.
Fig: 3.12 Auto Arrange behaviors of Panels
16
3.7 Pinned Tabs
Many users of existing browsers keep their 'primary' tabs to the left of their tab-strip. This
allows easy access to commonly used applications that users keep open all the time. Others
use bookmarks to quickly access their favorite apps without leaving them open, though
bookmarks will replace their current window which may be undesirable.
Pinned tabs are an acknowledgement of both of these behaviors:
Any tab can be converted into a 'pinned tab' where it shrinks to the size of its favicon,
and remains locked to the left of the tab-strip
Any external link opened from a pinned tab will be opened outside of the group of
pinned tabs, ensuring that the group remains consistently accessible
Applications open with the pinned tabs automatically, and pinned tabs are removed
when they are closed
Pinned tabs remain available across sessions, allowing users to always access their favorite
apps from a consistent location. Pinned tabs can be created via contextual menu, dragging
a tab to the pinned area, or opening an application
Fig: 3.13 Pinned tabs
17
3.8 Chrome and Window Manager
The window manager is responsible for handling the user's interaction with multiple client
windows. It does this in a manner similar to that of other X window managers, by controlling
window placement, assigning the input focus, and exposing hotkeys that exist outside the scope
of a single browser window. Parts of the ICCCM (Inter-Client Communication Conventions
Manual) and EWHM (Extended Window Manager Hints) specifications are used for
communication between clients and the window manager where possible.
Fig: 3.14 Communication b/w window manager and Clients
3.9 Remote Application Access
In June 2010, Google software engineer Gary Kačmarčík wrote that Chrome OS will access
remote applications through a technology unofficially called "Chromoting", which would
resemble Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection. The name has since been changed to
"removing," and is "probably closer to running an application via Terminal Services or by
first connecting to a host machine by using RDP or VNC."
3.10 Chrome OS Versus Browser
Google Chrome OS is to Chromium OS what Google Chrome browser is to Chromium.
Chromium OS is the open source project, used primarily by developers, with code that is
available for anyone to checkout, modify and build their own version with. Meanwhile, Google
Chrome OS is the Google product that OEMs will ship on Netbooks next year.
18
Chrome Window Features
WIndowFrame | Tabs | Throbber | Toolbar | Omnibox
Browsing
Bookmarks | History | New Tab Page
Additional UI
Downloads | Status Bubble | Find inPage | Options | IncognitoNotifications | Infobars | Multiple Profiles
Appearance
Visual Design | ResolutionIndependence | Themes
Accessibility
Keyboard Access | Low-Vision
Support | Screen reader support
19
Chrome OS FeaturesNote: UI under development. Designs are subject to change.
Primary UI
Window UI Variations | Window Management | Pinned Tabs | Apps Menu | PanelsUI Elements | Gestures | System StatusIcons
Core Applications
Notifications | Settings | ContentBrowser | Open/Save Dialogs | Shelf
Devices
Form Factors | Resolution
Independence
Chapter – 4
HARDWARE AND COMPATIBILITY
4.1 Cr-48 Prototype Hardware
The Cr-48 notebook was released by Google, as a piece of reference hardware created to test
the Chrome OS operating system. The Cr-48 is the test notebook designed for the Pilot
program.
The Cr-48 is intended for testing only, and will not be sold to the general public. Google also
addressed complaints that the operating system offers little functionality when the host device is
not connected to the Internet. The company demonstrated an offline version of Google Docs
running on Chrome OS and announced a 3G plan that would give Chrome OS users 100 MB of
free data each month, with additional paid plans available from Verizon.
Google's Cr-48 prototype "met the basic requirements for Web surfing, gaming, and personal
productivity, but falls short for more intensive tasks".
4.2 Hardware Support and Compatibility
Chrome OS is based on the open-source Chromium OS. Google Chrome OS will run on both
x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of
netbooks to market next year. The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running
within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web
is the platform. While Chrome OS will support hard disk drives, Google has requested that its
hardware partners use solid-state drives due to their higher performance and reliability, as well
as the lower capacity requirements inherent in an operating system that accesses applications
and most user data on remote servers.
All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written
using your favorite web technologies. And of course, these apps will run not only on Google.
Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving
developers the largest user base of any platform.
The Google chrome OS will run on will run on hardware incorporating an x86 or ARM-based
processor. The solid-state drives are the drives primarily supported by the OS for speed and
reliability issues but hard disk drives will also be supported. It is expected to consume one-
sixtieth as much drive space as Windows 7.
20
Google Chrome OS is initially intended for secondary devices like netbooks, not a user's
primary PC, and will run on hardware incorporating an x86 or ARM processor and a solid
state drive. Google favors solid state drives over hard disk drives because the former provide
faster boot-up times and the latter's higher capacity isn't essential for an operating system
that accesses applications and most user data on remote servers. In addition, Google
Chrome OS consumes 60 times less drive space than Windows 7.
Companies developing hardware for the operating system include Hewlett-Packard, Acer,
Adobe, Asus, and Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Free scale and Intel.
21
Chapter – 5
CHROMIUM OS
5.1 The Basics
Google Chrome and Chromium are the same OS. Except for the fact that the Chromium
operating system can be extended by anyone. Because the official Chrome OS has not been
released, Google Chromium is basically the “advanced” version. This does not necessarily mean
it is the “best” version, it simply means that it includes the most up-to-date features and
specifications.
Because the Chromium operating system is up-to-date, it means that some of the more important
Google OS characteristics will be fixed and expanded. The Chromium OS is basically a test
environment for Google developers, which means it, can be quite buggy and problematic.
5.2 User Interface
Chromium OS uses the new: tab page found in Google Chrome to open web apps. Compared to
prior builds, this replaces the applications page. Chromium OS provides a clock, battery
indicator and network status indicator. The F8 function key toggles a keyboard overlay that
shows the function of all the shortcut keys used in Chromium, including task and memory
managers also found in the Chrome browser, and a command-line interface that accepts common
Linux commands.
5.3 Architecture
In preliminary design documents, Google describes a three-tier architecture: firmware, web
browser and window manager, and system-level software and user land services.
The firmware contributes to fast boot time by not probing for hardware, such as floppy
disk drives, that are no longer common on computers, especially netbooks. The firmware also
contributes to security by verifying each step in the boot process and incorporating system
recovery.
System-level software includes the Linux kernel that has been patched to improve boot
performance. User land software has been trimmed to essentials, with management by
Upstart, which can launch services in parallel, re-spawn crashed jobs, and defer services in the
interest of faster booting.
22
The window manager handles user interaction with multiple client windows much like
other X WIndow managers.
5.4 Software Architecture
Chromium OS (the basis of Chrome OS) consists of three major components:
The Chromium-based browser and the window manager
System-level software and user-land services: the kernel, drivers, connection manager,
and soon
Firmware
Fig: 5.1 High level designs
System-level and user-land software –
From here we bring in the Linux kernel, drivers, and user-land daemons. Our kernel is mostly
stock except for a handful of patches that we pull in to improve boot performance. On the user-
land side of things we have streamlined the in it process so that we're only running services that
are critical. All of the user-land services are managed by Upstart. By using Upstart we are
able to start services in parallel, re-spawn jobs that crash, and defer services to make boot faster.
Here's a quick list of things that we depend on:
D-Bus: The browser uses D-Bus to interact with the rest of the system. Examples of this
include the battery meter and network picker.
Connection Manager: Provides a common API for interacting with the network devices,
provides a DNS proxy, and manages network services for 3G, wireless, and Ethernet.
WPA Supplicant: Used to connect to wireless networks.
23
Auto-update: Our auto-update daemon silently installs new system images.
Power Management: (ACPI on Intel) Handles power management events like closing the lid
or pushing the power button.
xscreensaver: Handles screen locking when the machine is idle. Standard Linux services: NTP,
syslog, and cron.
Fig: 5.2 Snapshot of xscreensaver
Firmware ;–
The firmware plays a key part to make booting the OS faster and more secure. To achieve
this goal we are removing unnecessary components and adding support for verifying each
step in the boot process. We are also adding support for system recovery into the firmware itself.
We can avoid the complexity that's in most PC irmware because we don't have to be backwards
compatible with a large amount of legacy hardware. For example, we don't have to probe for
floppy drives.
The firmware will implement the following functionality:
System recovery: The recovery firmware can re-install Chromium OS in the event that the
system has become corrupt or compromised.
Verified boot: Each time the system boots, Chromium OS verifies that the firmware, kernel, and
system image have not been tampered with or become corrupt. This process starts in the
firmware.
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Fast boot: We have improved boot performance by removing a lot of complexity that is normally
found in PC firmware.
Fig: 5.3 Chrome and the window manager
5.4 Chrome OS Versus Chromium OS
Google Chrome OS is to Chromium OS what Google Chrome browser is to Chromium.
Chromium OS is the open source project, used primarily by developers, with code that is
available for anyone to checkout, modify, and build.
Google Chrome OS is the Google product that OEMs will ship on Netbooks this
year.Some specific differences:
The two projects fundamentally share the same code base, but Google Chrome OS has some
additional firmware features, including verified boot and easy recovery, which require
corresponding hardware changes and thus also don't work in Chromium OS builds.
Google Chrome OS runs on specially optimized hardware in order to get enhanced performance
and security.Chromium OS does not auto-update (so that changes you may have made to the
code are not blown away), whereas Google Chrome OS seamlessly auto-updates so that users
have the latest and greatest features and fixes.Google Chrome OS is supported by Google and its
partners; Chromium OS is supported by the open source community.
25
Chapter – 6
DISCUSSIONS ABOUT GOOGLE CHROME OS
6.1 Green Flag For Chrome OS
The main advantage of Chrome OS is that it is free. Microsoft’s Windows 7 is reported to
cost netbook makers at least $45 per computer. Even if Microsoft is forced to cut the price to the
$25 level that it has been charging netbook makers for its ancient Windows XP system, a
Chrome netbook may well be in stores for $30 to $50 less than an equivalent Windows
machine.The price point of Chrome OS devices would be low-cost at around the same price as
current generation netbooks.
Those prices are completely determined, by the way, by the costs of the glass, the costs of the
processor and things like that, but in our case Chrome OS and Android are free so there is no
software tax associated with all of this.Google also says that Chrome will be faster to start, easier
to use and more secure than Windows. We’ll have to see about that. So far the other versions of
Linux sold on netbooks have confounded users, who have largely rejected them in favor of
Windows machines.
Chrome OS will be optimized for one thing: accessing the Web. But in Google’s view of the
world, anything you would ever want to do — reading your e-mail, writing documents, playing
games — can be done through browsers. The latest browser standard, HTML 5, has technology
that allows Web sites to store information on your computer, so you can keep writing your novel
even when you are on the airplane. The premise is that in a world where computers are
connected to the Internet almost all the time, your computer doesn’t need to do that much.
6.2 Google Chrome OS Achieves
People want to get to their e-mail instantly, without wasting time waiting for their
computers to boot and browsers to start up.
They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them.
They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry
about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files.
Even more importantly, they don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to
work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software
updates.
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There is a tiny little downside here: no local software. Browsers don’t yet do everything, and
there are two decades of Windows applications that have been written, performing functions that
can’t yet be replicated in a browser. If you want to load music onto your iPod, for example, you
need a computer that runs iTunes. Web sites often require programs to run alongside the
browser, like Adobe’s Acrobat viewer. Even Google writes Windows programs for its Picasa
photo editing product and Google Earth 3-D mapping system.But over time, more and more
functions can be moved onto Web sites.
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CONCLUSIONS
No discussion of cloud operating systems is complete without a mention of Google's Chrome
OS. While it is certainly not the first cloud operating system created, it is what has brought the
concept to the attention of many.There is a major twist to the story of Google Chrome OS
though, as was revealed in a conversation between Ars and Google. In this discussion what
Google said clarified the position of Chrome OS as an OS for specialized internet surfing
devices, not personal computers.Imagine this, a company unveils a new operating system for the
sole purpose of playing games. An operating system is optimized for the heavy multimedia
requirements of such a task. What if then, later on they also reveal that the OS will only be
available on special devices which are optimized for same purpose?
What do you get? A gaming console of course! The idea of a gaming computers seems slightly
ridiculous for the masses, surely everyone can't possibly like it. That however is the point; it is
not for everyone but just those who enjoy gaming. In much the same way the operating system
which runs on the PS3 wouldn't be considered a replacement OS for your desktop, Chrome OS
is not a replacement OS either. It is instead an OS for a brand new category of devices.
As an OS for a cloud device, Chrome OS gets straight to the point. You boot into the browser,
and you start working. A review of Chrome OS is likely to sound much more like a review of
the Chrome browser. Now we know though that the OS will feature some kind of application to
handle multimedia, although it is easy to guess that such an application would, once again, run in
the browser itself and be an HTML5 based interface. Such an web app, if included in Chrome
OS would be able to play most popular kinds of audio (mp3, mp4, vorbis), and video (theora,
h.264, mp4, etc).
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. www.chromium.org/chromium-os
2. www.wikipedia.com
3. www.inforamationweeklyanalytics.com
4. Digit Magazine Jan 2010 issue
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