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Chromium OS FAQ

Google Chrome OS is to Chromium OS what Google Chrome browser is to Chromium.

• Chromium OS is the open source project, used primarily by
  developers, with code that is available for anyone to checkout,
  modify, and build.
• Google Chrome OS is the Google product that OEMs ship on
  Chromebooks for general consumer use.

Some specific differences:

• The two projects fundamentally share the same code base, but Google
  Chrome OS has some additional firmware features, including verified
  boot and easy recovery, which require corresponding hardware changes
  and thus also don’t work out of the box in Chromium OS builds.
• Google Chrome OS runs on specially optimized hardware in order to
  get enhanced performance and security.
• Chromium OS does not auto-update by default (so that changes you may
  have made to the code are not blown away), whereas Google Chrome OS
  seamlessly auto-updates so that users have the latest and greatest
  features and fixes.
• Google Chrome OS is supported by Google and its partners; Chromium
  OS is supported by the open source community.
• Google Chrome OS includes some binary packages which are not allowed
  to be included in the Chromium OS project. A non-exhaustive list:
  • Adobe Flash
  • Widevine CDM plugin (to support HTML5
    EME)
  • 3G Cellular support (but work is on going to address this)
  • DisplayLink Manager for video over USB (some systems)
  • Android (ARC++) container for running Android apps
• Some components are available in both, but as closed source
  binary-only blobs. A non-exhaustive list:
  • Graphics Libraries (e.g. OpenGL) on ARM platforms
• Google Chrome ships with its own set of API
  keys while
  Chromium does not include any
  • Users are expected to set up their own
• Google Chrome OS has a green/yellow/red
  logo
  while Chromium OS has a blue/bluer/bluest
  logo.

Google Chrome OS is not a conventional operating system that you can download or
buy on a disc and install. As a consumer, the way you will get Google Chrome OS
is by buying a Chromebook that has Google Chrome OS installed by the OEM. Google
Chrome OS is being developed to run on new machines that are specially optimized
for increased security and performance. We are working with manufacturers to
develop reference hardware for Google Chrome OS.

Chromebooks are available for sale now! Check out the Google Chromebook
site for more information.

If you are the kind of developer who likes to build an open source operating
system from scratch, you can follow the developer instructions to check out
Chromium OS, build it and experiment with it. A number of sites have also posted
pre-built binaries of Chromium OS. However, these downloads are not verified by
Google, therefore please ensure you trust the site you are downloading these
from.

Keep in mind that Chromium OS is not for general consumer use.

The Chrome OS business development team can be reached at
[email protected].