Live Blog: Google Chrome OS Event

Thursday November 19, 2009

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While the new Google Chrome OS is still at least a year away from being a commercial product, Google's technology preview this week will be our first opportunity to see Google's vision for its computing platform.

Google told us that the event, held at its Mountain View headquarters in California, is really designed for developers and third-party partners. However, a select group of journalists and analysts have also been invited to see what Google's been up to for the last four or five months.

Bookmark this page now and join us on Thursday, November 19 at 10 A.M. Pacific, 1 P.M. Eastern time, for our play-by-play live blog--fresh from the Google Chrome OS event.

10:02 PST: We're still waiting for the event to start. You'll find updates after the jump.

[All updates from Mark Hachman]

[Note: all following updates read from the bottom up.]

11:21: Q: What is Chrome OS's strategic position?

Sergey: We really focus on user needs rather than strategy relative to other companies...If you build 3-5 netbooks, no way to manage them. We believe that the Web platform is a much easier way to do so. Since that's a very important need in the market right now, that's what we're trying to fill.

And that's it!

11:19: Q: Real-time notifications. Do we need them?

Segey: Yes, we do. I don't think there's a good reason to have chat missing from Web app. MP: There is a notification API that is being discussed in the W3C, and we're working with that.

11:18: Q: How do you hope the community will evolve?

MP: We're really excited to get the open source community involved. We're really about upstreaming what we do. On the hardware component side this lets them help run stuff on system.

1:17: Q: Dell and others have instant on OSes. Is this Google's plan?

MP: No. We're trying to make core OS boot quick and fast, not spend effort on dual boot.

Q: Printer drivers. How are they handled?

Pichai: Printing: We're taking an innovative approach, and we'll share more next year.

11:16: Q: Another question about running Android apps on the Chrome OS.

Pichai: The use case is to make everything Web applications.

11:15: Q: Data syncing. Is that also open? Signature process: is Google in charge of it?

MP: Plan is to open source the review process and to make sure that security ecosystem helps us. We're not contemplating signing drivers on Web apps.

Sergey Brin drops by.

11:13: Q: Should we really trust the cloud, and the security of their data?

Pichai: Our point is simple: if the cloud is down, it affects any PC you're on. When people talk about reliability of cloud services, think its important that users have choice. Users are always in control. When you use email, Webmail is in the cloud.

11:10: Q: What's new and different about Chrome Os than Firefox?

Pichai: A lot is available in other browsers, but others aren't available, such as app tabs and panels. But this is a fundamental change in the model of computing, not browsing.

MP: Things you can't do in normal OS than can be done in Chrome OS: verified boot, rapid boot (through excluding services, etc.)

11:08: Q: Will Chrome OS run on ARM?

Pichai: It's open, and it will work on both X86 and ARM. Work is underway to make it work on ARM as well.

Q: What's the business model?

Pichai: 2010 is the timeframe for building devices, and that's what we're focused on. Biz model: Chrome OS is free and open source, and as people use the Web more, it benefits us a company. Web apps may have ads, but that's going to be up to app developers (since they're Web apps).

11:05: Q: Are you working with partners? [This seems somewhat redundant!] And will Android apps run on Chrome OS?

Pichai: This is a major product focus with partners. Things like Photoshop on Web, we are very excited by that. And since every app on Chrome OS is a Web app, Android apps won't run on Chrome OS.

Pichai: Current plan is to support Web apps. Third-party Web apps will work, as long as they're Web apps. Counter-example: iPhone. But Pichai notes that browser works on bigger form factors. The mobile team is working hard to push the paradigm, but the Web works well on native form factors.

11:03: Q: File size?

Pichai: It's open source, and it will evolve over time.

Offline access?

Pichai: This is primarily for use with connectivity. Showed experiences with playing media and playing games, offline. We are exposing offline capabilities with access to local storage. So if an app wants to work offlline, it can.

MP: Focusing on 802.11n. Today, you can build the source code in a virtual machine.

11:02: Q: is this just a netbook OS?

Pichai: We will be announcing hardware partners next year. As to the first part of the question: We are initially focused on (netbooks) or netbook-like form factors,: clamshell, with real display and touchpad. We want to run on laptops, desktops, etc., but this is not our focus for 2010.

11:01: Pichai: End to end, Google Chrome OS is open source. If making a similar operating system with their browser. There is no certification involved.

10:59: Pichai: Chrome OS today: Can't install binaries, but in the case of certain plug-ins we will work closely with partners. No comment on Silverlight.

10:57: MP: Everything that works in Chrome works in Chrome OS, including codecs. We run Flash and Flash codecs. We also run codec hardware acceleration. All the stuff in Chrome will come in Chrome OS as well.

Pichai: Also investing a lot in Native Client. A lot of what you see in Chrome OS will be in Chrome.

10:56: MP: Helping hardware partners to build off references designs, and to make sure at the end of the day to make sure that drivers are of highest quality.

Pichai: We really focused on use case for devices. We expect them to have another device at home. We hope to deliver a companion device. The goal is to be a delightful experience on the Web. But there are other apps on the Web.

If you're a lawyer editing contracts on the Web, this is not the machine for you.

10:55: Q: Will there be a Google Chrome OS app store? Who supplies the drivers? Editing applications?

Pichai: 1.) We'll have a lot more details to announce in this area (app store). You saw me play a chess game. We se a real app platform. On the Web, there are hundreds of millions of applications, and we will help users find them

10:54: Pichai: We have a lot of documentation on the Web site, and reached out to partners. We will also have plenty of documentation for developers. We will have a Web page that will state which devices will support Chrome OS.

Pichai: We have worked on W3C on the subject of Web standards. In general, we want to see all of this get standardized.

10:52: Pichai: There are no price targets.

Pichai: Demo running on an off the shelf EeePC.

10:50: Wow, a long question on the possibilities. Pichai: there are large innovations thare going on, and where there are open platforms like that , time will tell. Hmm.

Question on what these will cost: Pichai: You will hear this messaging from our partners. It's hard to predict the hardware curve a year ahead of time.

10:49: That concludes the formal presentation: on to Q&A!

10:48: What if you didn't have nagging updates, reboots, blue screens of death? What if nothing was stored on your computer?

[Basically a techie recap of what we've been hearing for the past 30 minutes or so.]

10:46: Demo: If you're like me, you spend 90 percent of your computer time on the Internet, which makes the Web browser the most important part of your computer. So what if we redesigned the Web browser from scratch?

[The promo is minimalist and funny. It points out that a typical PC takes about 45 seconds to boot, enough time to make a sandwich!]

10:44: Google will be completely developing this in the marketplace with developers. Linux kernel, Ubuntu, Webkit, all contributors and partners. If you are a Web developer, help build apps, Pichai urges. If you're an OS developer, help with marrying to the hardware.

[Video demo from the marketing team.]

10: 43: One: Google is working on Google OS image, the software. But also working with partners to specify hardware. We will call it the specific wireless card we will support. No hard drives. We not only have software, but also specifying reference hardware. Consumers can download Chrome OS, but need a Chrome OS device. Target: before the holidays in 2010.

Form factor: larger netbooks, with full size keyboards. "We really want to make sure we get compelling devices out in the marketplace."

[Pichai takes the stage again. How Google goes to market is the next topic.]

10:40: What makes this a cloud device is that all user data is synced back to the cloud. All user data is essentially cached and used to be accelerated.If you lose the device, all the data gets synced back.

10:39: File system: The system is always auto updated. The solid state drive is always primary system level is read only. The OS bits on the disk itself in an area not writeable. We're really locked it down in that regard.

User partition: file data always encrypted. If you lose a machine with your data on it, you can be sure it's encrypted.

10:37: In Chrome OS, Google has taken a different approach. Apps are treated as a system level to make sure they're not fundamentally hostile. Apps can't change settings, or files on your hard disk.

In Chrome, there's a use called sandboxing, where apps are placed in a virtual OS. Chrome OS takes this further, meaning that every tab is completely locked down from other tabs, as well as the core OS.

10:36: More on security: how do we make sure that apps don't harm your machine? Conventional PCs and OSes run with your privileges; apps run essentially as a representation of you. A hacked app can do great damage to the system, or leak data, and users are forced to make hard decisions on whether an app is safe.

10:35: What happens if something goes wrong? If one byte is wrong, there could be multiple reasons: malware outbreak, cosmic ray, bit flip or random error. Malware is detected and the system reboots. At that time, the system is essentially reimaged.

10:34: Verified boot: malware breakouts happen on any OS. Challenge is how to fix this when it happens. Each day Google checks you have the right version of the OS, with the correct patches. Every time Google OS boots, Google checks the kernel, the file system, etc. with a cryptographic hash to make sure you have the right set of bits.

10:33: When you first punch the power button it first goes out and looks for a floppy drive, at least today's PCs do. Eliminated the boot loader, optimized the kernel, don't load services we don't need. In addition, we autostart the browser, automatically launching app tabs and the tabs from the last session.

10:32: Current sketch: Speed is the focus. What we're going here is it feels more like a TV than a computer. You punch on and you're connected to Web as quickly as possible.All hard disks in Chrome OS are solid-state discs. (SSDs). No rotating hard drives allowed.

10:31: Matt Papakios, engineering director at Google, takes over.

MP: All the code is out in the open. We've also opened up all our design documents. We've shown not just what we've done so far, but also what we're doing next.

10:29: Demonstrator takes a picture, plugs camera into Chrome OS machine. The Chrome OS detects the phone as a storage device, and the picture is popped up. Movies are also displayed in a patent.

"We just want to make computers delightful and work," Pichai says. PDF files work right in the browser: speed, simplicity and security.

10:27: Core part of the user experience. With netbooks, users will do a lot of common thing that they're used to using with computers; for example, plugging in a USB drive. In this case, Chrome opens a tab and shows you the files. An Excel file opens Windows Office Live. "Anybody who writes an app for the Web is writing an app for Chrome OS," Pichai says.

10:26: Another example, Google Books. Scanned books that are available. We are really interested in solving these user experiences for people.

Overview model: see all the windows open on system.

Drag and drop tabs from one window to another window.

10:25: : The app menu once more. The great thing about netbooks is that as battery life gets better, can carry around as general entertainment devices. Pichai demonstrates a chess app, using a Flash app. "These are good examples of what we expect people to do with these machines."

10:21:Top tabs are application tabs. You can take any of your familiar applications. In addition to this method of accessing applications, you have the app menu. We want you to be able to discover new applications as well as top apps. You can take any of your familiar applications. With any application can pin it to the application.

Moles: Pop up windows from underground, or panels. Panels are persistent, or some are.

Example of panel: a chat window. Buddy list and chat. Notepad: another panel pops up. The demonstrator typed in notepad, and saved to Google Docs in the background. All data is saved.

10:20: Demo time: cold reboot. It takes about 7 seconds right now, and we are working very hard to make this time shorter. [The demo and presentation is being run from inside Chrome OS!]

Inside joke: Chrome is Chrome OS. Interesting tabs on the top. Many many important concepts here which wil be carried over, although the project is open source.

10:18: Data stored in the cloud, like Gmail. We want all of personal computing to work that way. If I lose my Google OS, I should be able to get new machines, log in, and download my old data.

Final point is security. Can fundamentally do different things with security than what we do now. Users don't install binaries on the system. Fix ourselves with a reboot. We run completely inside the browser security model.

10:17: Chrome OS: speed, simplicity, and security. By the time you press Boot, by the time yo turn it on, you should be on the Web, using the applications. Chrome on Chrome OS will be faster than Chrome. [whew!]

No conventional desktop apps. It's a Web app. It's a link. Just a browser. Browser with a few modifications, nothing to maintain, the computer should just work.

10: 14: But while working on Chrome, there have been three powerful trends: the growth of netbooks ("Phenomenal") . Growth happened during worst ecoonomy since Great Depression, as companion PCs.

Second: the growth of the cloud. What I do is built into the cloud. Most new apps are Web apps. Every new capability today is a Web application.

Third, tremendous innovation on computing device level. Phones, for example, are getting smarter. Phones get computing capabilities. Netbooks more like phones. Battery life times are getting better.

This is very powerful, and lends itself toward a new model of computing. We believe so, and that is what Chrome OS is.

10:11: Example: graphics. We want Web aps to have access to GPU.

Example: multicore CPU: How do we make sure that Web apps have access to multicore.

Real-time communications; access to Webcams and other peripherals.

Local storage: Make sure that Web aps can access external hard drives and other storage appliances.

In 2010: expect to have these capabilities built into Chrome.

10:10: We focused on HTML 5 We really want to push the Wb forward. Just this year in terms of Chrome. Before the end of the year, three more announcements: Chrome (browser) for Mac. Chrome for Linux is also comig along below. Nearing the lauch of extensions. We want extensions to be much easier to write, lightweight. More importantly we will keep extensions updated for users.

HTML 5: very important for what we are doing. Goal here is as well as desktop applications. Applications have a lot of access to OS resources, but Web apps don't. We are working hard and identifying gaps so that Web apps can take care of these resources as well.

Example: graphics. We want Web aps to have access to GPU.

10:09: Why Chrome OS? Most common feedback we have is that Chrome is fast. Last year we updated Chrome 20 times. We really care about updating Chrome seamlessly.

10:08: Three mains things we focused on in Chrome: speed, simplicity, and security. Mostly speed, though. Chrome is about 40% faster ... than the current version of IE8. As you start using the next-gen Web apps ... like Wave, you don't need a benchmark to say that Google Wave is faster. Most users will notice the speed.

10:07: Sundar Pichai, VP of product management: "We aren't launching the product today, and no beta. But we've made tons of progress. Whatever we do will be in the open and we are really looking at working with the open source community. Google chrome is the foundation of everything we are doing here."

10:05: And we're starting.

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Posted By: Lance Ulanoff

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