Note Hints At Chrome OS Netbook Arrival

The first netbook running Chrome OS is expected soon according to a note found in the source code of Google Docs

The long awaited arrival of the Chrome operating system could happen soon on netbooks, according to note found in the source code of Google Docs’, which alluded to the arrival of Google Cloud Print, the printing technology for Chrome OS.

Chrome OS is a web operating system Google is building as an alternative to computers running traditional operating systems, such as Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s Mac.

Google Cloud Print is the de facto print medium for Chrome OS, allowing any application print to any printer from any computing device using Google’s cloud computing infrastructure.

Source Code Note

Google created the technology because it did not want to build printer drivers for every computing device and operating system.

Google Operating System 2 November detected this message in the Google Docs code: “Coming soon: Third party applications, cloud printers, and sync devices.”

The idea is to move every available computing practice to Google’s cloud computing infrastructure. Google has been testing Cloud Print internally and hopes to make it available in the coming months after testing it with printer makers.

The bigger news is the imminent arrival of Chrome OS.

Holiday Season Arrival

Digitimes said 2 November Google plans to sell a Google-branded Chrome OS netbook through its own webstore instead of through traditional retailers, such as Best Buy. This would ape the failed Nexus One smartphone approach.

Google, which promised in November 2009 to have Chrome OS netbooks on the market in time for the 2010 holiday season, declined to comment on the speculation.

But it seems Chrome OS will certainly be ready for launch this holiday.