Google’s Chrome OS (which stands for operating system) should be available for netbooks will be by about the end of 2010, a Google executive has confirmed.

Firstly, what is Google Chrome OS?

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Google intends to open-source its code, and therefore netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because Google is already talking to partners about the project, and soon be working with the open source community, they wanted to share their vision for Google Chrome OS so that the general techie  community understands what they are trying to achieve.

In layman’s terms, Google Chrome OS is an operating systems for computers that IS the browser.  It removes the necessity for the operating system (such as Windows) to be installed onto the computer - the operating system IS the browser (an Google’s browser is Chrome, so they will be building their OS into Chrome).

Now, have a look at this short video to get a simple overview of what Google Chrome OS is all about.

Caesar Sengupta is group product manager in charge of Chrome OS and has recently outlined Google’s plans  to open source the project as Chromium OS.

This is what he had to say:

“This is the initial sketch and we will colour it in over the course of the next year. We want to take this opportunity to explain why we’re excited about the project and how it is a fundamentally different model of computing.

“First, it’s all about the web. All apps are web apps. The entire experience takes place within the browser and there are no conventional desktop applications. This means users do not have to deal with installing, managing and updating programs.

“Second, because all apps live within the browser, there are significant benefits to security. Unlike traditional operating systems, Chrome OS doesn’t trust the applications you run. Each app is contained within a security sandbox making it harder for malware and viruses to infect your computer.

“Furthermore, Chrome OS barely trusts itself. Every time you restart your computer the operating system verifies the integrity of its code. If your system has been compromised, it is designed to fix itself with a reboot. While no computer can be made completely secure, we’re going to make life much harder (and less profitable) for the bad guys. If you dig security, read the Chrome OS Security Overview or watch the video.