TechnologyCrowd

With Google’s presentation of the Google Chrome OS this week there have been a lot of comments in the press both good and bad.  Some comments feel that the OS is destined to fail and others think that it could take over the OS world.  In my opinion and after trying it out, I think it is way too early to judge.  Google itself has warned that this source code is extremely early and there will be changes before the launch, this early launch is not even a beta yet, so there are a lot of future possibilities before the launch which is expected near the end of 2010. (BDJERPG2QK2N)

It is important to remember that Chrome OS is not being pitched as a desktop replacement OS, but something that will work better on netbooks and other devices where a quick loading is needed and applications and saving will be done in the cloud.  The appears to be an enhanced Chrome Browser that allows you to get to the web applications that you want to run, it will be very interesting to see how it progresses and I can see it as a viable solution on several devices.  You can learn more about Chrome OS from the project site if you want additional information.

The best way to get a feel for it is to take it for a test drive.  The best way to do this is through a virtual PC since it is not ready to be a production system yet.  I prefer to use Virtual Box, if you don’t have Virtual Box installed take a look at my previous post on installing Virtual Box at http://technologycrowd.com/2009/11/13/install-sun-virtual-box-in-linux-ubuntu-9-10-karmic/.  The post is for installing in Ubuntu, but it can also be done in Windows.

You can build the source code from the project site, but I struggled with the process and didn’t need all of the development additions to try it out, so I decided to get an image of the compiled source code.  You can get a copy created by gdgt if you don’t mind signing up for a free account there.  You can also find torrents available by searching torrentz. If searching for a torrent you should find it under “Chrome OS” although Google officially calls it Chromium OS.  Once you download the .vmdk file, you will have to unzip it and remember the location.

I already set up a version using a torrent so I will use the gdgt file in the screenshots to show the installation process, it is the same for either file as long as it is a .vmdk.

Start by clicking New to add a new virtual machine to start the New Virtual Machine Wizard:

Click on Next to move forward:

Enter the name you want to use to identify the machine and change the operating system dropdown to Linux Ubuntu.  Other operating systems may work, but I know that Ubuntu works on my system.  Click Next to move to the next page:

Select your base memory size, my host PC has 6 GB of RAM so there is not problem using 2 GB on the virtual machine.  You should use at least 500 MB, but depending on how much RAM you have, using too much for a virtual machine could cause your host to slow down.  After selecting the RAM, click Next.

This page is different than other virtual machine setups, we are not creating a new hard drive and we need to point to the .vmdk image that was downloaded for the Chrome OS.  Click on the radio button for Use existing hard disk and then click on the folder to add the image.

When the Virtual Media Manager opens up, click on the Add button to locate the .vmdk file for the Chrome OS.

I have moved the file into the .VirtualBox/HardDisks folder to make it easier to find, but you can add it from any folder on your system.  Select Open to add it.

Now you will be back in the Virtual Media Manager, make sure the correct .vmdk file is highlighted and click on select to add it to the Virtual Machine.  You should now see the file added as the existing disk to use, click on Next to move forward.

You have now completed all of the steps to create the Virtual Machine to run Chrome OS.  Take a look at the summary page and select finish to complete.

Now you are ready to run Chrome OS, you will need a gmail account to login, if you don’t already have one or want to test with a different e-mail as I did, go ahead and create one at www.gmail.com.  To start the virtual machine, double click on it or with it highlighted select start.

You will see a new window with the Sun Virtual Box startup screen, then it will go black for a little bit when the OS is loading before getting to the login screen below.  This is where you enter your gmail information to login.  Enter your username and password ad hit the enter button on the keyboard.  Note:  If you have any issues logging in and you know that you have a valid userename and password you may have to change the settings for your network adaptor for the OS from the Virtual Box Dashboard.  I had to do this with the torrent file, but not the gdgt file.

After a few seconds, the OS will load and you will see something that looks very similar to the Chrome Browser.  It will load with your gmail inbox in one tab and calendar information in another.

To get an idea of what appears to be the “Application” tab, click on the left most tab with the Chrome symbol.  You may have to re-enter your password.

This should give you a taste of things to come with the Chrome OS.  Once again, please keep in mind that this is an extremely early release so it is likely to change dramatically before the final release comes.

Overall, I think there is a lot of promise with the Chrome OS.  I agree with several of the comments I have seen indicating that it will most likely not replace a desktop OS, but it might play a huge role in netbooks and other items that just need web access.  I would love to see something like this available when connected to a TV like a game console or standalone box to allow you to access Hulu, Pandora, Facebook, etc from your couch on a big screen TV

Test it out and post some comments on your impression and thoughts for how useful Chrome OS will be in the future.