Google's Chrome OS hits BitTorrent

Chrome OS, the operating system that Google released to open source yesterday, has been compiled and posted for download on several file-sharing sites, Internet searches showed today.

The ready-to-run Chrome OS has appeared on several peer-to-peer BitTorrent tracking sites, including Mininova.org and Pirate Bay. The Gdgt Web site has also posted a free download of the Chrome OS disk image. Users must create an account with the site to access the download.

The operating system, which Google bragged will be faster and more secure than rivals when it ships late next year, can be run in a virtual environment using a desktop application, such as those available from VMware or Sun Microsystems.

According to notes appended to several of the BitTorrent downloads, users compiled Chrome OS from the bits that Google publicly released as part of its move to take the operating system open source. Yesterday, Google also posted instructions on the Chromium Projects site for creating a build from the source code.

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