Produced by OSC Open Source Community (ID: oschina2013)
Kevin C. Tofel is a tech writer focused on Chromebook content. Recently, he mentioned in an article that ChromeOS is now more like a Linux distribution with a Google desktop environment.
He stated that, although not everyone knows, ChromeOS is actually a Linux distribution. This fact is effectively hidden. His understanding is that for mainstream consumers, Linux might be a daunting term. But it cannot be denied that ChromeOS is Linux — it uses the Linux kernel, but is hidden behind a graphical user interface (i.e., desktop environment).
He explained that when you install Linux, you choose a distribution. It could be Arch, Fedora, Debian, or Ubuntu. He personally uses Pop OS! — which includes a Linux kernel along with the software and modifications specific to that distribution. You can think of the kernel as the lowest level of software. It helps other software interact with hardware to form a coherent system. This is why you can browse files through applications or the terminal.
However, this is just one part of the system. The other part is how you interact with it. Some people prefer to use the terminal and command line to do everything, which involves a relatively steep learning curve. So there are graphical desktop environments to help address this. These environments visually display clickable folders or have an application launcher menu, etc.
Although most Linux distributions come with a default desktop environment, users can install and choose from many other environments. But on ChromeOS, you cannot do this, which is why he said ChromeOS uses Google’s desktop environment.
So going back to ChromeOS and the underlying system software, it is Linux. Google uses a customized version of Linux that you have never seen.
Kevin C. Tofel further explained that when you open Linux on ChromeOS, you see a terminal. This terminal runs a Debian Linux container in a virtual machine. That’s why you can run Linux applications on ChromeOS.
He also mentioned that although ChromeOS is based on Linux, Google has heavily customized and optimized it to provide a simple, secure, and efficient user experience. This is why ChromeOS can run so smoothly on low-power hardware and has a very fast boot speed.
Overall, ChromeOS can be seen as Linux with a Google desktop environment. This allows it to provide the powerful features and flexibility of Linux while remaining user-friendly and easy to use. This is also why more and more people are choosing to use ChromeOS as their primary operating system.
Related link:https://www.aboutchromebooks.com/news/now-more-than-ever-chromeos-is-linux-with-googles-desktop-environment/
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