Method 1: Download Chromium OS Source Code directly (cannot commit changes)

Please download the tar.gz file and unpack it into a local directory called chromiumos:

Download Link: chromiumos-0.4.22.8.tar.gz

File size: 232 MB

Method 2: Using Git to get the source

1. Get the chromium depot tools. Make sure they are earlier in your path than any other gclbinaries on your system.
2. Install git onto your local machine:

sudo apt-get install git-core

3. Get a copy of the Chromium OS repository.

mkdir [chromiumos]
cd [chromiumos]
gclient config http://src.chromium.org/git/chromiumos.git
gclient sync

Note: This process may appear to hang while downloading the kernel source. It may take anywhere up to 10-20 minutes before you get more feedback.

Here are a few reasons why I believe that purchasing a netbook with the Chrome OS install may be a better bet for me instead of the iPad:

Google Apps

I store my life on Google Docs, Gmail, and Google Calendar. I even have Google Wave and Voice. In fact, I’m typing this blog post in Google Docs right now. With the easy mobility of Google Docs– sharing with others, working on the same document from work and home without having to use a USB drive or emailing it to myself– is definitely a perfect fit for my mobile lifestyle. I love to travel and using a mobile document and storage system just makes my life work better. With the ease of Google Docs, it makes sense that Google would want to graduate towards creating a mobile operating system. Our lives are becoming more and more independent on the internet everyday, and the Google Chrome OS simply builds on this dependency.

More Affordable

Sure, $500 for a 16gb iPad is affordable– for an Apple product. But with the Chrome OS coming to a netbook near you for around $300-$500– it seems that iPad customers are paying for the name Apple rather than its real usability.

More Options Style-Wise

For now, the iPad only comes in one color. Netbooks come in all different colors, sizes, models, and brands. And with the Chrome OS being open-source, I wouldn’t have to pay for OS updates like Apple and Microsoft force me to do.

Missing Features

Does iPad have bluetooth? Nope. How about a webcam? Nope. The ability to view Flash files? Nope. What about the ability to open and edit Microsoft Word files? Nope.

Here’s a video Google released about Chrome OS. Seems logical to me. This is probably the video that got me on the Chrome OS boat.

Acer, already the second largest computer maker in the world, has ambitious plans for the future. According to Bloomberg, Acer is tossing its hat into the already over-saturated yet underdeveloped market of eReaders, facing off with the likes of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony, and others. No specifics have been announced other than it will have a 6-inch, monochrome (assume E-Ink) screen and ship in Europe.
We already know of Acer’s intentions to claim dominance of the Chrome OS arena, but they’re so confident of Google’s success that at least 10 per cent of their netbooks will be pre-loaded with the platform, according to their president.
More surprisingly, Acer is announcing an online apps store. Jim Wong, president of the Acer IT product division, has stated it would contain hundreds of applications, “otherwise you can’t call it an app store.” It will likely be a cross-platform marketplace for Android, Windows Mobile, and ChromeOS.
However, Acer’s most stunning announcement is the fact it has announced plans to rush forward with a ChromeOS netbook to provide a “a change to the Microsoft-Intel environment,” according to Wong. The mention of Intel hints that this new product line might be ARM powered as an alternative to the standard Atom on-board most mainstream netbooks. Acer plans to release the netbook sometime around Q3 2010, on schedule with Google’s release date for ChromeOS.

acer chrome os