The biggest change to the new Chrome OS interface is the ability to have multiple browser windows, each movable and resizable. Previously, the windows had only a full-screen view. And across the bottom is a task bar with shortcuts and system status details.
In the computing world right now, there are two general ways to show windows on a screen: with the window taking up the entire screen, as on smartphones and tablets; or with resizeable, overlapping windows, as on personal computer OSes.
Until yesterday, Google's browser-based operating system, Chrome OS, fell into the former camp. Users had no choice but to see browser pages and run browser apps at the full size of the screen. That changed with a new window manager that debuted with Chrome OS 19.0.1048.17, released in a developer build.
With the Chromebook notebooks that are the sole way of getting Chrome OS today, being limited to full-screen pages isn't a big deal: the laptop screen isn't that big, so it's useful to see as much as you can, and the tabs across the top provide an obvious way to switch among browser windows.
But evidently Google wanted the Chrome OS to be more like Microsoft Windows and Apple'sMac OS X. That's smart, given how many people are familiar with those operating systems and how weird Chrome OS can feel when you first try it. For a look at some of the features, check the slideshow showing the new Chrome OS look.
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