Google has somewhat been trying to dominate every market possible, and now, Google is trying to release an operating system targeting the netbook sector of the market. Google has found that its Google Chrome browser is a success and wants to expand into other markets.

For those who are not familiar what a netbook is, it is a mini, ultra-portable laptop that is used for basic tasks and utilizes low power processors for the ultimate mobility and long lasting battery life.

If we step back for a moment and look at Google's portfolio, it makes quite a bit of sense of how Google is trying to thwart off Microsoft, but has it gone about it in the wrong way? 

Let's take a short look at what Google has to offer right now:

• Google Docs - Office Suite
• Android - Cellphone operating system
• Chrome - Web browser
• Gmail - Free email
• Google - Search Engine

The list could go on for quite a while, but if we add Google Chrome OS which was just recently announced to the mix, you see, it can compete with Microsoft at every level. According to the announcement, there should be some release by next year.

If we take a look at the timetable, to create an operating system within a year, it is just too short to create something from scratch. It would probably be based on a modified version of Android which Google has released on a few phone models. Google is targeting netbooks based on x86 and ARM processors as well as desktops. As of right now, there is no known netbook in North America using the ARM processor from any of the major PC manufacturers.

According to their announcement:

Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.

As it states it is a new project, but that does not mean it would not already use what it has in its portfolio, and Google has spent a lot of time developing Android, so to say, some similarities and code will not be in the new Chrome OS would be a bit odd.

Why is this bad for Linux?

The netbook is the only device that most major manufacturers based their offering with a Linux version and a Windows version. Before that, Dell was the only major PC manufacturer to offer Linux on a line of home PCs, but compared to the offering on netbooks, it is minute.

The major issue with Google entering this marketplace is that distributions will get hurt. Google will once again dominate the market and other distributions might see a decline in their market share. Ubuntu has come very far from its humble beginnings and it would be very bad to see it get hurt from a company whose major goal is to ruin Microsoft, but will it take down other distributions at the same time?

Google Domination?

It seems what many thought that Google would happen to have a great relationship with the open-source world, it seems that Google wants to become self-reliant. Most thought that the relationships with Google and Mozilla Foundation and with the Linux world would be a strong one, but one can now see, it really wasn't.

It was surprising that Google pushed out the Mozilla Foundation and started touting its own browser and now what many thought Linux would get a major hand from this well known company, it seems that it has slapped the face of Tux by creating its own operating system. Many thought gOS was a distribution created by Google as it features all of its Google apps but it was not.

Conclusion

Right now, we will have to wait and see for Google Chrome OS, but from what we see from Google itself, many of its product offerings have been quite successful. Android is quite popular for cellphones and most people can easily collaborate on documents with Google Docs. We will have to see if manufacturers will turn on its number two operating system offering and choose Chrome OS once it is available.