Google's Chrome OS is a free, minimalist operating system that will first be targeted at netbooks. It's closely related to the Google Chrome web browser; in fact, the OS is simply a modified version of Google Chrome running on top of a Linux kernel.

Chrome OS is distinct from many other Linux-based operating systems in that it is designed to exclusively use web-based applications like Gmail, Hulu, or Google Docs. Those apps can be minimized to and managed on a dock-like panel at the bottom of the screen. Google intends for the user to arrive on the web within just a few seconds of turning on his or her computer.

As you might have expected given its Linux roots, the operating system was made open source under the name Chromium OS on November 19th, 2009. The first companies to support Chrome OS are Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba. More may follow, but these are the only ones that have been announced to date. Chrome OS won't run on just any computer. Specific hardware will be required; for example, you'll need a SSD instead of a traditional hard disk drive.

The OS actually uses very little drive space. Almost all of its storage and activity takes place in the cloud while the solid state drive is just used to ensure speedy performance.

For a look at the OS in action, watch Google's announcement videos in our product details tab. Then get comfy; the final, public version of Chrome OS won't be available until well into 2010.