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ChromiumOS
open-in-new
<p>ChromiumOS (formerly styled as Chromium OS) is a <a href="/facts/Free_and_open-source_software/1cHtjLCB">free and open-source</a> <a href="/facts/Linux_distribution/0vVl4N4f">Linux distribution</a> designed for running <a href="/facts/Web_application/BLkF3BIN">web applications</a> and browsing the <a href="/facts/World_Wide_Web/wvnTrWFq">World Wide Web</a>. It is the open-source version of <a href="/facts/ChromeOS/zH0B5Xtk">ChromeOS</a>, a <a href="/facts/Linux_distribution/0vVl4N4f">Linux distribution</a> made by <a href="/facts/Google/GT9Sugza">Google</a>. </p><p>ChromiumOS is based on the <a href="/facts/Linux_kernel/dlkduHuA">Linux kernel</a>, like ChromeOS, but its principal <a href="/facts/User_interface/e9sPEWVD">user interface</a> is the <a href="/facts/Chromium_(web_browser)/F1S8sAEt">Chromium</a> <a href="/facts/Web_browser/2pfyymLs">web browser</a> rather than the <a href="/facts/Google_Chrome/4INfWq37">Google Chrome</a> browser. ChromiumOS also includes the <a href="/facts/Portage_(software)/tLWJ81xb">Portage</a> <a href="/facts/Package_manager/kEX4kx7g">package manager</a>, which was originally developed for <a href="/facts/Gentoo_Linux/zX81Cqs8">Gentoo Linux</a>. Because ChromiumOS and ChromeOS use a <a href="/facts/Browser_engine/wLna3ate">browser engine</a> for the user interface, they are oriented toward <a href="/facts/Web_application/BLkF3BIN">web applications</a> rather than <a href="/facts/Application_software/YQuj7Kog">application software</a> or mobile apps. </p><p>Google first published the ChromiumOS <a href="/facts/Source_code/o9J6Jv23">source code</a> in late 2009. </p>