Chrome OS Linux Application Support Exits Beta

Chrome OS announced that support for Linux apps is out of beta.

During the Google I / O 2021 developer conference, it was announced that the feature is out of beta three years after the Chrome OS operating system began offering support for Linux applications. Android Central says this support will be available in the next version of Chrome OS, Chrome OS 91.

As an operating system, it is stated that Chrome OS has always been based on Linux. Since 2018, the operating system’s Linux development environment also offers access to a Linux terminal that developers can use to run command line tools. This feature also allows full-fledged Linux applications to be installed and launched with your other applications. In addition to Linux apps, Chrome OS also supports Android apps.

Google developer spokesperson Emilie Roberts announced the end of the beta, as well as a number of improvements Google made to Linux functionality in Chrome OS over the past year. These include a new terminal implementation, a faster update process that updates the Linux container at the same time as the Chrome OS itself, and better support for USB devices.

In addition to announcing that the Linux development environment is out of beta, Google has shared a few additional updates on Chrome OS. The company is rolling out Android 11 to more machines, which will bring new features such as better Android app optimization and a new dark theme. Additionally, Google shares that 50 new Chromebooks will be released this year.

Note that Google’s announcement comes exactly one year after Microsoft announced that it supports Linux GUI applications in Windows 10. Microsoft recently started testing Linux GUI applications on Windows, and this feature is expected to be available to all users later this year.