Google releases a free version of Chrome OS after acquiring Neverware.
Back in 2009, Google published the source code for Chromium OS, the open-source operating system project that underlies Chrome OS. However, while Chromium OS has remained open source, Google has never released a compiled build of the operating system ready for installation. The company has instead focused on releasing Chromebooks that ship with Chrome OS pre-installed. There are even recent rumors of gaming Chromebooks in the works. Users interested in trying out Chromium/Chrome OS on their own non-Chromebook devices have had to turn to third-party builds and distributions. One of the most notable Chromium OS distributions has been Neverware’s Chromium OS fork called CloudReady, which began by targeting the US education sector, but eventually expanded its scope beyond the US and into the enterprise market.
