Google Announces Its Own Operating System

The blogging world has been abuzz with Google's announcement that it was launching an operating system -- Chrome OS -- to take on Microsoft's market-dominating Windows systems. From the official Google Blog:

"Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve."

Google will be relying on help from the open-source community to develop this project.

Will it work and erode the Microsoft monolith? Or is just a slap by Google at its main computer competitor?

Here are some opinions from around the web:

All Roads Lead to Chrome OS

Google Plans a PC Operating System

Google's Operating System Escalates Microsoft Duel

Google Chrome: Redefining the Operating System

Five Questions About Google Chrome OS

Why We Need to Chill About ChromeOS

Why Google's Chrome OS Bomb Has Minimal Fallout on Apple

Windows 7 Available October 22

Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 – the company’s new operating system and successor to the much-criticized Windows Vista – will go sale and be available on new computers on October 22, reports Yahoo! Tech.

Microsoft will offer upgrades to Windows 7 for those who buy a new computer running Windows Vista shortly before the new operating system arrives. Those upgrades should be available in August.

Windows 7 Release Candidate Available May 5

Microsoft has announced that the “release candidate” version of its long awaited Windows 7 operating system will be available for download by program developers and IT professionals on April 30 and more broadly on May 5.

Making the release candidate available means that the company is in the final stages of completing the operating system, the successor to the unpopular Windows Vista.

Vista, launched to the public in 2007, was incompatible with some low-power machines and perceived by many to be too complicated. Windows 7 has been getting good reviews in limited public tests over the last few months.

Microsoft has still not said when the finished version of Windows 7 would begin to be installed on personal computers or available to buy in shops, but the company's chief financial officer said recently it could be as early as July.

[via Yahoo News]

New Mac OS -- Snow Leopard -- Expected this Summer

9to5 Mac has reported that the newest operating system for Apple Macintosh computers -- Snow Leopard or OS X 10.6 -- will be released in early June.

[via Lifehacker]

Early Look at Apple's New Snow Leopard OS

The Tech Desk has spent a lot of time covering Windows 7 -- Microsoft's new operating system, set to be released in the fall.

In the interest of equal time for our Mac users, here -- from Wired.com -- is an early review of the next generation of Apple’s OS X operating system, dubbed Snow Leopard.

No release date or cost for Snow Leopard, yet.

Still Time to Download Windows 7

Interested in downloading a beta version of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, but missed doing it last week?

Microsoft has announced that the new operating system -- the company's answer to its much-criticized Vista -- will now be available to anyone to download through January 24. Start the process by clicking here.

Before you do, you might want to read The Tech Desk's review of Windows 7.