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Soon Android won’t be the only Google operating system competing with Ubuntu and Windows XP for the attention of netbook consumers. Coming mid-2010, the Google Chrome OS – not the be confused with the Chrome browser – will seek to implement the cost and speed of Linux and the usability of Windows.

It’s to be a light weight, Web-based operating system with a focus on an improved security design. Google’s blog entry on Chrome explains what it will truly attempt to accomplish:

“The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the Web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.”

The operating system should also make use of clever new apps to provide a streamlined but capable interface for users. Microsoft might not be quaking in its boots yet, but a few months from now might be a different story.

Image via Wired.

The number of available netbook operating systems is spreading. While Ubuntu and XP are still the top OS choices for most netbookers, the introduction of Windows 7 and Google’s Android are set to spice up the market. Now Symbian is pushing its Symbian S60 5th Edition OS by publicizing its successful testing on an Intel Atom.

Symbian has often been bumped into the shadows of more popular operating systems because of its image as a smartphone tool. Though screenshots are showing the Symbian-Atom combo to need some cleaning up, most everyone is happy with the “responsiveness of the UI and upper application layers” shown by the OS.

While testing Symbian on an Intel Atom is a sensible choice, some analysts are wondering – why not try it with an ARM CPU too? ARM netbook chips crank out better battery life than their Intel counterparts, making them the machinery of choice for most Linux setups.

It’s clear that everyone wants a piece of the netbook market, even the more obscure of players. Once the competition really heats up it will be exciting to see what Android and Symbian come out with to distinguish themselves in the rapidly growing industry.

Via Symbian.

We have a bit of unfortunate news – Microsoft has officially put down the popular belief that it would be making a netbook version of Windows 7. The machines will still run the OS, of course but the official lineup of new SKUs didn’t include any mention of netbooks.

The list includes Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. Home Basic is only going to be offered to emerging markets.

Mike Ybarra, Windows General Manager, announced that Microsoft expects netbook manufacturers to run Ultimate, the most powerful of the new OS group.

We have designed Windows 7 so different editions of Windows 7 can run on a very broad set of hardware, from small-notebook PCs (sometimes referred to as netbooks) to full gaming desktops.

Apparently, Ultimate works fine on netbooks, as he went on to describe:

At beta we’ve had a lot of people running our most premium, full-featured offering on small-notebook PCs (netbooks) with good experiences and good results. So we’re pleased to see that on this class of hardware Windows 7 is running well.

From the consumer end, however, this really just looks like another way to increase profit margins and drag consumers away from the cheaper Windows XP which has thus far been standard in netbooks. Josh Bancroft may be right – all the clues are saying Windows 7 is going to be expensive, and the expectation that netbooks use the most powerful version of the OS only supports this suspicion.

Either Microsoft is going to pull something surprising and offer a reasonable price for Windows 7, or sales are going to Linux. Linux is losing its image as a tech elites-only OS which is too complicated for average consumers. Just take a look at the new, simplified HP Ubuntu OS. Even Moblin 2.0 is going to offer the awesome touch-sensitive Moblin Clutter interface – nothing screams accessability like touch sensitivity. If Microsoft’s raising of Windows netbook prices chafes consumers enough, Linux is going through the roof.

Via ComputerWorld.

A blogger over at Intel has raised some warning flags concerning the upcoming Windows 7 OS, which will arrive in traditional PC/laptop format as well as in a specifically netbook-centric version. You can read his post here.

The blogger, Josh Bancroft, has faith in the OS itself – in fact, he says it “runs GREAT on netbooks.” However he expects some problems to arise having to do with pricing, storage, and other logistical issues.

His first criticism was that Windows & wouldn’t be able to run on netbooks with small SSDs, such as the Gdium netbook whose OS resides on an external flash drive.

Bancroft said that Windows 7 was “Just as fast and usable as XP” on his Eee PC 1000H netbook, on which he runs the public beta. However, considering Microsoft’s weak profit margins in XP sales (the logical reason behind their desire to port Windows 7 to netbooks), he believes the company will push for a higher price for the upcoming OS. “…[A]dding, say, [US]$100 to the cost of a $400 netbook just to pay for Windows 7 is going to be a tough proposition all around.”

Bancroft is a community builder in the Intel Software Network, but was no spokesperson. The blogger was quick to assure everyone that his opinions don’t necessarily represent Intel’s.

Another concern he raised involved the storage Windows 7 would require – however, his worries seem a bit unfounded. His view is that a 6GB OS would doom smalltime netbooks, “some [of which] are equipped with SSDs that only offer a paltry 4, 8, or 16GB of space, total.” However, the vast majority of netboks offer 80, 120, or 160 GB HDDs, and many of those with SSDs combine them with HDDs as well. It is a tiny portion of netbooks that use a single SSD of such a miniscule size.

Via ComputerWorld.

If there’s a plan in motion to make Linux netbookers everywhere HP addicts, this is it. Hewlett Packard has released a customized version of Ubuntu Linux developed specifically for the HP Mini 1000 netbook, and it’s got some tricks in the bag you’ll definitely want to check out.

The new OS is based on Ubuntu Hardy Heron and manages to run pretty much anything Ubuntu does. It specifically comes preloaded with Firefox, Thunderbird, Pidgin, OpenOffice.org.

HP’s new 6-cell battery for the HP Mini 1000 was a welcome enough development on its own, but combined with the famously-efficient Ubuntu Linux? That’s a force to reckon with.

While it is based on the Ubuntu GUI, the new customization doesn’t look that much like Linux. ZDNet found a quote from Brad Linder of DownloadSquad as follows:

“If you click the Start New Program button, a program launcher will open that separates your applications into Internet, Media, Utilities, Work, Play, and All tabs. The settings manager shows you everything you’d find in the typical Ubuntu settings screens, but it’s arranged in a new way that makes it easier to find what you’re looking for with fewer clicks.

HP has also added a custom media player called HP MediaStyle that resembles Apple’s FrontRow.”

But how much will the new HP version of Linux affect your netbook? According to Linder, the idea is to make “basic tasks basic” but keep the do-it-yourself style that characterizes the OS: “experienced Linux users can always fire up a terminal window by hitting Alt+F2 and entering ‘gnome-terminal.’ ”

HP will be preloading their version of Linux inside a bunch of new netbooks made by the company. Interestingly enough, HP is also planning to put a utility on its site in the near future, allowing you to “create a system restore USB flash disk from Windows.” Here’s some advice:

“You can already create one if you’re running Linux. You can use this utility to either restore a Mi Edition netbook to factory default settings or to turn a Windows XP HP Mini 1000  into a Mi Edition device. I would not advise anyone to try using this install disk on unsupported hardware as you’ll probably end up with an operating system that doesn’t support your WiFi card or other hardware.

It’s not clear whether HP plans to offer the software for non-netbooks. But if you want to try adding installing the user interface over a normal Ubuntu installation, you can try adding the HP repositories and using the Synaptic package manager to install a package called glassy-bleu-theme.”

By focusing its attention on Linux-loving consumers in such a specific way, HP is likely to build up a nice base of supporters of its customizing ways. Linux has been used to great as a primary netbook OS in the past, and its affect on the mainstream OS market is undeniable. This new development shows that, at least for now, Linux is staying big.

Via ZDNet.