Google’s “Chrome” to compete with Microsoft?

As has been reported over the last week or so, Google is working on developing a web-based operating system, and making it available to users for FREE!! Its also been said that the new system might be ready as early as 2010.

While these are only preliminary reports, who knows what effect they may have on Microsoft, if any. Stay tuned for updates to find out if this detracts from Microsoft’s own initiative (Bing) to overthrow Google!!

Update July 12, 2009:

Walid Abu-Hadba, Microsoft’s Vice President of Developer and Platform Evangelism, has gone on record to say that “what Google does is defensive. Abu-Hadba said it’s not about operating systems at all; instead, Google is trying to distract competitors from attacking its cash cow, search.

Update July 14, 2009:

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Google’s strategy with its Chrome OS isn’t clear to him, particularly because its Android mobile-phone operating system is being expanded to netbooks.

“The last time I checked you don’t need two client operating systems,” Ballmer contnued, via webcast. “We tried it before. Windows 95 and Windows NT. It’s good to have one. So I can’t — I don’t really know what’s up at Google.

“Let me comment, though, about our own situation. What we really do understand is that the model fo the future brings together the best of today’s rich client Windows-style applications and some of the things that people consider the best of the web. … So as we talk about where we’re going, we don’t need a new operating system. What we need to do is evolve Windows, Windows applications, IE, the way IE works in totality with Windows, and how we build applications like Office, like the stuff we showed here, and we need to make sure we can bring our customers and partners with us.”