Google announces own operating system to take on Microsoft

NEW YORK - Internet giant Google announced Wednesday the arrival of its own computer operating system, initially designed for use with Netbook computers.

Google Chrome OS, based on the company’s nine-month old browser software, is to be available to consumers from the second half of 2010, a statement on Google’s blog said.

Google says that Chrome OS is their “attempt to re-think what operating systems should be”, the product is seen as upping the pressure on dominant operating system provider, Microsoft, and its proprietary system, Windows.

Google said that “speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS” and that it was designed to “be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds”.

The code for Google OS will, in contrast to Windows, be open-source from later in 2009.

Google has steadily moved into traditional Microsoft domains like office-software and Internet browsers.