Even though operating systems are not the topic I know most about, it was still a huge surprise for me to hear that Google prepares to enter the operating systems market with the Chrome OS, an open source and presumably free operating system that will certainly give some headaches to Microsoft, who were preparing the huge launch of Windows 7.

Still, Microsoft obviously has the advantage over Google, who plans to release the Chrome operating system in the second half of 2010, when most of the computers might already have Windows Seven installed. But will Google’s system make others change their mind?

It might happen, especially since Google has some interesting plans for their Chrome OS: speed, simplicity and security being the main strengths teased for the OS, but also reliability and the fact that it is being developed especially for those who use the Internet regularly. And clearly Google knows best about the internet, right? So read the teaser about the Google Chrome Operating System, as posted on the Google Blog:

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. 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.

However, at first it should just work for netbooks, but Google plans to also make the system available for desktop computers. All it remains to be seen now is how compatible will be the existing programs with the Chrome OS and how much support from the developers will Google have. Oh, yes, and if it will really be free of charge or we’ll have to pay for it, whether it’s a purchase price or small fees for extensions. Either way, it sounds quite interesting and I’ll be keeping my eyes on the topic for more details.

Until then, share your thoughts on the Google Chrome operating system. Do you think it will be the next big thing or not?