Google Releases the Chromium OS Open Source Project
Google is eager to announce that they’re open-sourcing the project known as the Chromium OS, a year early before the Chrome OS will be ready for users. This open sourcing development also goes for the default browser we all know as Google Chrome. This Chromium OS project includes Google’s current code base, user interface experiments, and some initial designs for ongoing development.
Google is very excited about this project because it’s such a fundamentally different model of computing. Some of the reasons Chrome OS is so different is:
Web
All applications are web based. This means the entire experience takes place within the Chrome Browser, unlike conventional desktop applications. This also means no hassle of installing, managing, and updating programs. Also, the Chromium OS system is stateless OS. This mean that the OS will not exist “on your computer” , but rather be loaded on boot from a remote location. A huge benefit to this is that you don’t have to physically store any files on your hardware which saves on your computer’s space and speed.
Security
Since all applications live within the browser, the benefits for security are substantial. Each application you run is contained within a security sandbox, which makes it even harder for malware and viruses to infect your computer. Also, every time you restart your computer the OS verifies the integrity of it’s code. This way if the system has been compromised, it’s designed to fix itself with just a simple reboot.
Speed
Google is taking out every unnecessary process, optimizing many operations, and running everything possible in parallel. This translates into the ability of turning on your computer to surfing the web in just a few seconds. They even mention that the speed goes all the way down to the metal used to build the hardware components, to create the fastest experience for Google Chrome OS.
To sum it up, Google is very excited to be working with the open source community. They’re essentially aiming to build a safe, faster, and more secure way for people who spend most of their time on the web.
Google AdWords Product Extensions
As you may have noticed, product extensions have become available to all U.S. advertisers, which is a new feature available for Google AdWords Ads on the search network. Product Extensions are a way for advertisers to enrich their existing AdWords ads with more relevant and specific information for their users. It uses your Google Merchant Center Account to highlight your products directly into your search ads and appears as a drop-down plus box on your normal text ads. The product extensions conveniently show the images, titles, and prices of your products.
To see if the product extensions are available to you, sign into your Google AdWords account, go into your campaign settings, and under Networks, devices, and extensions you’ll see the option for “Ad Extensions”.
By Jerrold Burke
Paid Search Analyst
Sources:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/releasing-chromium-os-open-source.html
http://adwords.blogspot.com/2009/11/product-extensions-available-to-all-us.html
