Months ago, Google advanced one of the most ambitious features in which it works to make Chromebooks a top-tier alternative to Windows and Mac: the Windows application support, precisely. And is that Chrome OS, the operating system that governs these laptops, already offers support for Android and Linux applications, so it only needed to do the same with the giant desktop.
The intention of Google, in fact, goes back a long way, and as expected, it started by relying on Wine and derived products, which allows to run Windows software in Linux in a quasi-native way. But the result is not always optimal, as Linux users well know. So, the option to improve these benefits happened yes or yes for system virtualization.
Said and done, it was not, however, until just a few weeks ago when the Internet giant provided more data on this topic, announcing its collaboration with Parallels to bring Windows application support to Chromebooks. So, in effect, this support will work as ordinary virtualization software does, running the entire system and with the best possible compatibility, at the cost of higher consumption.
However, the intentions of those of Mountain View go beyond simply integrating a layer of virtualization in Chrome OS. As they explain in an interview that they have granted to The Verge, the medium-term objective is to offer a Parallels level support on macOSThat is, allowing applications to run independently, as if they were native software.
«We work with Parallels because they really have before«, They comment from Google. «They understand the concept of running a completely separate operating system within another operating system. They have done it with Mac and they have done it with Linux«.
However, it will not get there from the first moment. For example, it is said that Chrome OS can redirect compatible Windows file types to the Parallels Desktop instance so that things are a little more fluid, that is, depending on the type of file, the system runs the instance in the one that is available the application to handle it. For security reasons, dual boot option is ruled out.
All in all, we are facing a characteristic that in principle it is only focused on the professional segment, so, in principle, it will not be within the reach of the ordinary and hot user of Chrome OS. In addition, the functionality will not come without an associated cost, since it will require equipment with more power than the average Chromebook. But it is an important hook in order to attract more corporate clients, a market in which devices governed by the Google system are increasingly popular.
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