Google Chrome: comparison of operating systems

Google has unveiled its new operation system, Google Chrome. Here is a comparison of the main operating systems: 

Google Chrome is now available for computers running Linux and Mac OS X Photo: GOOGLE

 

What is an operating system and what are the options?

An operating system is the software that makes your computer work. It uses programs and data to run the computer, and to make simple tasks work. It acts as an intermediary between your computer's hardware – the keyboard, mouse, monitor, hard drive, processor etc – and the applications or programs you want to run.

Operating systems:

Linux: This open-source operating system – that means the code it's built on is publicly available, and can added to and improved upon by users – might not be a household name, but it will be familiar to a lot of people. If you were one of the first people to buy a netbook computer, such as the Asus Eee PC, then chances are that machine will have been running a version of Linux. Firefox and OpenOffice are both built on the Linux kernel, while Android is based on this code. Dell even briefly offered its customers the option of having the Ubuntu version of Linux installed on their new computer. Linux, though popular with computer geeks, is not really considered to be a mainstream computing platform, and few device makers write drivers for their peripherals that are compatible with the operating system. That means that the Linux user community relies heavily on one another to identify and resolve problems and issues, and fill in the gaps left by other manufacturers.

 

Apple Mac OS X: Microsoft might dominate the computing market, but Apple's OS X operating system is widely considered to be the finest computing platform currently available. Each version of the Mac OS X software range is named after a 'big cat' – the first incarnation was Cheetah, and the forthcoming operating system will be called Lion. Apple's operating system boasts a number of innovative visual features that differentiate it from its competitors. The floating 'Dock' is used in place of a more conventional nested Start menu, while 'Spotlight' allows users to search their whole computer for files, documents or applications. The 'Expose' function allows users to see all their open windows at once, while 'Quick Look' means users can preview a video, PDF, or spreadsheet from directly within the Finder window, without having to first open the associated program. Apple prides itself on having built an operating system that "just works".

 

Microsoft Windows: Microsoft scored a rare own goal with Windows Vista, the operating system launched in 2007 to a chorus of complaints from critics and users alike, who found it bloated, buggy and hard to use. The company's newest operating system, Windows 7, couldn't be more different – cleverly designed and well thought-out, it is, by and large, a joy to use. You can see all your open programs in the Live Taskbar, while Snap To allows you to easily arrange two open windows side by side and use them at the same time. Improved home networking and printer sharing makes it easier for multiple computer users in the same household to access documents and connect to peripherals, while top-notch security and parental control features make Windows 7 an excellent choice for families.

Google Chrome OS: With Chrome, Google is attempting to reimagine the operating system, severing the traditional ties between individual computers and the installed operating system, and instead, placing the OS in the cloud, so that users can have the same kind of computing experience on any machine. Computers running Chrome OS will be almost instant-on, meaning they will start up and connect to the internet, ready for use, in just a few seconds. The platform is based on web applications that give users access to common desktop computing tasks usually handled by a traditional OS, such as email, word processing and photo editing and management.
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