Google confirms release of Chrome OS; Microsoft fires back

Taking its rival Microsoft head on, Google is expected to launch its own Chrome computer OS in late fall this year, company's top executive revealed at Computex 2010 Wednesday.

Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, stated that Google's OS "will be offered to users in the fourth quarter” this year.

Focus limited initially
Google's OS will initially be designed to work on laptop PC, and over a period of time, the OS will open itself to other devices.

“We will be selective on how we come to market because we want to deliver a great user experience," said Pichai, adding, “For Chrome OS, we are focused on laptops for this year.”

With Google citing security concerns as the primary reason for phasing out Windows, Microsoft is not sitting still. In fact, the software giant has fired back in a war of words against Google.

With its own OS, the Mountain View, California-based Google will seek to dethrone Microsoft Window's monopoly over the OS market.

Currently, Windows is installed in more than 90 percent of personal computers.

Microsoft retorts
With Google citing security concerns as the primary reason for phasing out Windows, Microsoft is not sitting still. In fact, the software giant has fired back in a war of words between itself and Google.

In a blog posting, Brandon LeBlanc, Windows communications manager at Microsoft, has pointed out that even Google's products are vulnerable to attacks by hackers.

“For starters, check out this story from Mashable a few months ago where it was reported that Yale University had halted their move to Gmail (and their move to Google’s Google Apps for Education package) citing both security and privacy concerns,” reads the blog.

LeBlanc stated that over the time Microsoft has released patches and security updates to ensure that its customers are secured.

The blog further stated that Microsoft's newly launched Windows 7 sports “SmartScreen Filter which has proven its success time and time again.”

The security has improved to such an extent that “even hackers admit we’re doing a better job making our products more secure than anyone else,” touted LeBlanc.

How true are Windows’ assertions?
There is no doubt that no OS is completely secure. Further, Microsoft has made efforts to plug loopholes in its operating system.

But not everyone seems convinced with series of assertion by the software giant in its blog post.

For instance, one of the reader named csemaan pointed out to the Mashable story saying that the article “does not say "halted" but "delayed". Big difference [sic].” Providing an update he added that “since then, the Yale IT people got now closer to clinching the deal on Gmail.”

Another reader named n3td3v debunked Microsoft's security claims saying that its OS is as insecure as it was 10 years earlier. He added that the hackers are “kidding you on if they told you Windows is more secure if only to try and get a name for themselves, and to make it look like their irresponsible disclosures have worked.”