谷歌打算开发个人电脑操作系统
来源: TheWallStreetJournal 编辑: Vicki
谷歌公司近日宣布将推出一款全新的个人电脑操作系统，该举动主要是针对其对手微软公司采取的行动。谷歌是在周二晚间在官方网站上发布该消息的。该举给微软的笔记本方面提出了一个很大的挑战，将会推出几个可供选择的Linux系统，目前仍然以WindownsXP系统为主。
GooglePlanstoLaunchOperatingSystemforPCs
GoogleInc. ispreparingtolaunchanoperatingsystemforpersonalcomputers, adirectassault （袭击）ontheturfofsoftwaregiantMicrosoftCorp., whichhaslongdominatedthemarketforsoftwarethatrunsPCapplications.
TheSiliconValleyInternetgiantannouncedthenewmoveinablogpostlateTuesdaynight. Itsaidthesoftware, whichwillinitiallytargetlow-endportablePCscallednetbooks, wouldbebasedonitsChromeWebbrowserandavailabletoconsumersinthesecond-halfof 2010.
AGoogleemployeeridesabicycleatthecompany'sheadquartersinMountainView, Calif.
Thepost--byGoogle'sSundarPichai, vicepresidentofproductmanagement, andLinusUpson, itsengineeringdirector -- saidtheoperatingsystemwouldbe "lightweight" andoptimizedforrunningWeb-basedapplications. Google'sgoal, theysaid, istoaddressshortcomingsofPCs -- includingsecurityproblemsandlengthydelayswhilecomputersbootup, theGoogleexecutiveswrote.
"Wehearalotfromourusersandtheirmessageisclear — computersneedtogetbetter," theywrote.
Eventually, Googlehopestoscalethesoftwaretofull-scalePC'saswell, theywrote.
TheeffortmarksthelatestattackbyGoogleonMicrosoft, whichdominatesthemarketforoperatingsystemsoftwarethatpowerscomputerapplications. TheMountainView, Calif., company, whichmakes 97% ofitsrevenuefromonlineadvertising, hasbeentryingtocompetewithMicrosoftandothersoftwaremakersbyofferingmoresoftwarethatrunsinaWebbrowserandisn'tdownloadeddirectlytocomputers. Nowitappearstobebroadeningitsapproach, inamovethatcouldgiveitgreaterdistributionofitsownonlinesoftwareservices, includingword-processingandemailsoftware.
ButwhetheritcanchipawayatMicrosoft'sdominanceinthemarketremainsunclear. Inthemonthssinceitslaunch, ChromehasdonelittletochallengeMicrosoft'sleadinthebrowsersoftware. AndsomehardwarecompanieshavebeenslowtoadoptGooglesoftware -- likeitsAndroidoperatingsystem, whichistargetedatrunningapplicationsonmobilephones -- arguingitisn'trobustenoughtohandlemanytasks.
TheGoogleblogpoststressesthattheChromeoperatingsystemisaseparateeffortfromAndroid -- though, likeAndroid, itwillbe "opensource," meaningotherdeveloperscanhaveaccesstoandmodifythecode.
ThesoftwareisdesignedtoworkonPCsrunningx86 chips -- thedesignusedbyIntelCorp. andAdvancedMicroDevicesInc. usedinmostconventionalPCs -- aswellaschipsbasedondesignsfromARMHoldingsPLCthatarethestandardincellphonesandareexpectedtobeusedinnetbookslaterthisyear, theexecutivessaid.
ThoughthesoftwarewillbebasedonthecoreofLinux, its "kernel" inprogrammingparlance, theChromeOS, asitiscalled, willaddanewlayerofwindowingsoftwaretomanagewhatauserseesonadisplayscreen. Insteadofrequiringprogrammerstowriteprogramsspecificallyfortheoperatingsystem -- anuphillbattle, atatimedevelopershavemanychoicesaboutwheretofocustheirefforts -- theGoogleengineerssaidthattheChromeoperatingsystemwillsimplyrunprogramswrittenfortheWeb.
"Andofcourse, theseappswillrunnotonlyonGoogleChromeOS, butonanystandards-basedbrowseronWindows, MacandLinuxtherebygivingdevelopersthelargestuserbaseofanyplatform," theGoogleexecutiveswrote.
Google'sincursionintooperatingsystemscouldgalvanizeitscritics, includingprivacygroupsandcompetitors, whoarguedthattheonlinesearchcompanyalreadycollectsvastamountsofinformationaboutconsumers'Internetuse. WhileGoogleisstillatinyplayerinmanyofthenewmarketsitisexploring, likemobilephonesoftwareandonlineapplications, someworryitcouldleverageitsmassiveonlinesearchmarketsharetoquicklygrowitsshareofnewindustriesaswell, gatheringevenmoredataaboutitsusers.
ThemovecomesastheriseofnetbooksposesaseriesofcompetitivechallengesforMicrosoft. SeveralvariantsofLinuxarebeingofferedforthenewsystems, thoughthecompany'sagingWindowsXPoperatingsystemremainsprevalent. BesidesAndroid, forexample, IntelisbackingaLinux-basedoperatingsystemknownasMoblin.
KekeVew: 电脑产品瞬息万变啊！