The release of the Chrome OS 91 operating system based on the Linux kernel, the upstart system manager, the ebuild / portage assembly toolkit, open components and the Chrome 91 web browser took place. The Chrome OS user environment is limited to a web browser, and web applications are used instead of standard programs, however, Chrome OS includes a full multi-window interface, desktop and taskbar. The Chrome OS 91 build is available for most current Chromebook models. Enthusiasts have formed unofficial builds for regular computers with x86, x86_64 and ARM processors. The source texts are distributed under the Apache 2.0 free license.
Key changes in Chrome OS 91:
- Enabled support for Nearby Share, which allows you to quickly and securely transfer files between nearby Chrome OS or Android devices owned by different users. Nearby Share allows you to send and receive files without giving access to contacts and without disclosing unnecessary information.
- Instead of a built-in video player, the universal application Gallery is proposed.
- Added new avatars depicting children and family.
- Provided the ability to configure the built-in VPN in the pre-login phase. VPN connection is now supported on the user authentication page, which allows authentication-related traffic to pass through the VPN. Built-in VPN supports L2TP/IPsec and OpenVPN.
- Implemented indicators that indicate the presence of unread notifications associated with a particular application. When there are notifications in the application search interface, a small round label is now displayed on the application icon. The settings provide the ability to disable such labels.
- The file manager provides offline access to files stored in Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides cloud services. The appeal is carried out through the "My Drive" directory in the file manager. To enable access to files in offline mode, select directories in the “My Drive” section in the file manager and activate the “Available offline” flag for them. In the future, such files will become available through a separate "Offline" directory.
- Support for running Linux applications, which was previously in beta testing, has been stabilized. Linux support is enabled in the settings in the “Settings > Linux” section, then you should click the “Install” button, after which the “Terminal” application with a Linux environment will appear in the application list, in which you can execute arbitrary commands. Linux environment files can be accessed from the file manager.
The execution of Linux applications is based on the CrosVM subsystem and is organized by running a Linux virtual machine using the KVM hypervisor. Inside the base virtual machine, separate containers with programs are launched that can be installed as regular applications for Chrome OS. When installing graphical Linux applications in a virtual machine, they are launched in the same way as Android applications in Chrome OS with icons displayed in the launcher.
Both Wayland-based applications and regular X-programs are supported (the XWayland layer is used). For the functioning of graphical applications, CrosVM provides built-in support for Wayland clients (virtio-wayland) with the Sommelier composite server running on the side of the main host, which supports hardware accelerated graphics processing.
Source: opennet.ru