Pinderkent

Very recently, Google announced their upcoming Google Chrome OS product. One sentence in particular from the announcement caught my eye, that stating, "The software architecture is simple - Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel." While much of the current discussion regarding this announcement focuses on the Web-related aspects of Google Chrome OS, I think this new "windowing system" for Linux is interesting in itself.

The X Window System is no doubt a very useful and effective windowing system in many ways, especially when making use of its network-oriented functionality. But as with everything, there are many things about it that could be better. Some of the main complaints revolve around its performance, resource usage, and complexity.

Although there are currently very few details about the "windowing system" for Linux that we're supposed to be getting with Google Chrome OS, I do hope we eventually see a system that is completely new. This presents us an opportunity to get rid of a lot of the cruft that has accumulated within the X-based stack, in order to produce a lean, efficient, and effective windowing environment. The initial targeting of netbooks, as mentioned in the announcement, will surely help with this.

Other efforts to provide an alternative to X, such as Fresco and the Y Window System, have unfortunately stagnated. But this windowing system would have the support of a major backer, and it sounds like it may achieve a significant market share within a short period of time.

I'm eagerly awaiting more details regarding this windowing system. It may very well have the potential to provide a more enjoyable Linux-based desktop experience, even for those of us who aren't overly interested in the Web-related aspects of it.