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Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Cyber Cynic

Ubuntu's Canonical and Google partner to create Chrome

88 comments

TAGS:Canonical, Chrome OS, desktop linux, Google, Kinux, Ubuntu
IT TOPICS:Emerging Technology, Laptops & Netbooks, Linux, Management, Open Source, Operating Systems, Software

Some people may see Google's Chrome operating system as competing with existing Linux desktop distributions. Canonical, the company behind popular Linux distribution Ubuntu, isn't one of them. They're working with Google to make Chrome.

Sources at Canonical tell me that Canonical's Ubuntu developers have been working with Google's Chrome team since before Google announced its netbook operating system plan in July 2009. The company decided to go public with its involvement after Google announced today that they were open-sourcing the Chrome operating system.

In a Canonical blog posting, Chris Kenyon, Canonical's VP of OEM Services, revealed that "Canonical is contributing engineering to Google under contract." Canonical insiders were not at liberty to say how many developers were working on Chrome, but they did say it was a major project.

This does not mean that Canonical is focusing on Chrome OS in place of Ubuntu. Kenyon wrote: "On the consumer side, people will ask about the positioning of Chrome OS and Ubuntu. While the two operating systems share some core components, Google Chrome OS will provide a very different experience to Ubuntu. Ubuntu will continue to be a general purpose OS running both web and native applications such as OpenOffice and will not require specialized hardware."

When reading between the lines, it's clear that Canonical and Google are very closely partnered on creating Chrome. Any open-source developer, however, can now access the code and documentation at the newly opened Chromium OS site.

Kenyon also said, "Sundar Pichar [Google VP of Product Management] and Linus Upson [a Google engineering director] made it clear that they want, wherever feasible, to build on existing components and tools from the open source community without unnecessary re-invention. This clear focus should benefit a wide variety of existing projects and we welcome it."

Kenyon concluded, "So 2010 looks set to be a very exciting year. In addition to delivering Ubuntu experiences with both existing and new OEM partners, we will be working with Google on Chrome OS based devices."

Indeed, it should be. Canonical, the company behind the most popular desktop Linux, is working hand-in-glove with Google to create the Chrome netbook operating system.

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What People Are Saying

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Success Of Chrome OS

Submitted by Anonymous on November 22, 2009 - 9:51 P.M.

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but...The average consumer has no idea what open source software is, let alone Linux, but I challenge you to find someone who doesn't know Google, regardless of how much they use a computer. Here are some points:

1. Everyone hates slow computers.

2. With the exception of work related tasks, people use their computers for checking email, surfing the Internet, anything music related, and what I consider as worthy of a category of its own, Social Networking.

3. Netbooks are cheap, portable, and allow people to easily do the things listed above

See the connection? Hopefully that makes sense and it should. Open source software is amazing in so many ways and it is the future of business. Google knows this, Google is smart. Programmers and Linux fans from around the world are about to create something that will be appreciated by everyone, people will love it, and the Google will have taken what few know into mainstream markets. The possibilities are endless and it can all be monitored by the people that created it.

I'm NOT a programmer, I don't have any Apple products, I don't love Microsoft or Windows 7, and I've never used a computer with a Linux operating system. I'm just a fan of technology in every way possible.

Google vs. Apple

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Delusional, Hypocritical, Goofs

Submitted by Carlton Banks on November 21, 2009 - 7:28 P.M.

You zealots go on and on about "freedom" and call Windows users "slavetards", yet you are falling all over yourselves to have G$$gle own all your data and store it on their servers.

You want a machine that requires you to sign in with your Gmail account to do anything. So, not only are you dependent on a connection to the Web to use it, but you are dependent on GOOGLE'S connection to the Web. If Gmail goes down (as it is known to do) you can't even use your G$$gle netbook.

Have fun.

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I place 100% more confidence

Submitted by unhappy corporate user on December 12, 2009 - 9:23 P.M.

I place 100% more confidence in the google admins over my admins.

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Um, no

Submitted by Anonymous on November 24, 2009 - 7:45 P.M.

You're confusing freedom and privacy. Modification and redistribution of the OS is allowed, thus it respects freedom.

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G$$gle?

Submitted by topher on November 23, 2009 - 11:00 A.M.

A dollar sign stands for S, Mr. Easily-eclipsed-by-Will-Smith. You might want to try something more like G¢¢gle. Or are you just too lazy to use the character map?

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You know google has this

Submitted by Anonymous on November 22, 2009 - 12:53 P.M.

You know google has this crazy thing with all its web apps called "offline mode" so you don't need to be on the internet to read email, edit or make documents, read your calendar, etc. Weird huh?

You Microsoft guys are really just a bunch of fools aren't you? Are you really afraid of some competition.

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So I can get on a plane and look at my calendar?

Submitted by Anonymous on November 22, 2009 - 3:09 P.M.

That sure beats watching a rented movie from itunes.

I'm all for competition but ChromeOS doesn't provide anymore than existing Linux netbooks.

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The only dilusional hypocritical goof is

Submitted by Anonymous on November 21, 2009 - 8:42 P.M.

the author. Read some of his older posts. You'll know what I mean.

The hate he spews against anyone making money except Red Hat or some other Open Source vendor is amazing.

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Just a Browser

Submitted by Another Google Scam on November 21, 2009 - 10:06 A.M.

It's just a Linux system that boots straight into a web browser set to Google.com as the homepage. You need a GMAIL account to use the thing.

Anyone who thinks this is going to be a hit is completely deluded.

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What more do you need?

Submitted by Anonymous on November 21, 2009 - 10:33 A.M.

This won't replace your desktop or notebook computer, it will supplement it. It will be your second or third computer. Call me delusional if you want, but I think you are myopic. Perhaps obtuse.

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