Google is putting Linux front and center with its new, in-development operating system. But will the introduction of its Chrome OS create a new challenger to existing Linux distributions or will it play nice with the community and help grow Linux as a whole?

That's just one of the many questions sparked by Google's formal unveiling of the Chrome OS late Tuesday -- though a public release of the open source licensed operating system is not set until 2010.

Already, it's clear that Google's Chrome OS may be bumping heads with existing operating systems. For starters, the netbook- and Web-centric OS may overlap with Android, another open source operating system in which Google is invested. Android may be aimed at smartphones, but it's also garnered interest as a netbook platform. That could put it into contention with Chrome OS, which will be available for x86 and ARM processors.

For now, at least, open source industry insiders are optimistic, seeing Chrome OS as being most threatening to Microsoft Windows.

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