I reckon a google operating system would have a far greater chance of success than Linux as EVERYBODY uses google as a search bar.

Google is my homepage and has been for probably the past 8 years and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

On the other hand I have never installed, used or even seen Linux in operation.

If their operating system was free and easy to install I could see it being especially popular on laptops.

Google is now almost as monolithic as Microsoft though and so its operating system will likely draw a ton of criticism and hate from the same people who hate Microsoft's operating sytems.

I can't see many people putting it on their despktops but if you've got a notebook used primarily for the internet and communication a streamlined, open source, novel operating system that caters specificially to those needs could be very popular.

I wonder if they intend to branch into the realm of convergance devices, mobile phones, pda's etc as I expect Google Chrome would work well on those devices too.

It has a far better chance of being succesful than Linux, which is something only for the hardcore techhy hobbyist, google chrome could easily target and attract the young, tech savvy mobile operators and workers, people with iphones, blackberry's, little notebooks etc.

I predict it will be a success.