The Google Chrome operating system is said to be getting closer and closer to the Windows platform rather than a browser in due time, having introduced its latest developer version that will also carry the first major redesign of the operation system’s interface ever since it rolled out a couple of years ago. The latest version will feature a full blown desktop as well as windows manager, dropping the browser and tabs at the same time. The hardware-accelerated window manager is called Aura, and will be the backbone of Chrome’s next generation user interface framework.
Previously, Chrome OS allowed users to access a single browser window at any one time, although you can open multiple browser windows on separate virtual screens, and when you want to launch a new app, you will first need to open a new tab, followed by looking for the app you that you wanted to start with. In the latest developer version of Chrome OS, a Launchpad-like app launcher is there in addition to a taskbar that is not unfamiliar to Windows users. Google, of course, wants to be different, and they have christened it as a “shelf”.
Do you think the closer resemblance to Windows will see more users jump over to Chrome OS?