The release of the operating system Chrome OS 96 , based on the Linux kernel, the upstart system manager, the ebuild / portage build toolkit, open components and the web browser has been Chrome 96 published . The user environment of Chrome OS is limited to a web browser, and instead of standard programs, web applications are used, however, Chrome OS includes a full-fledged multi-window interface, desktop and taskbar. Chrome OS 96 build is available for most current Chromebooks. Enthusiasts have formed unofficial assemblies for ordinary computers with x86, x86_64 and ARM processors. Source code is distributed under the free Apache 2.0 license.
Major changes in Chrome OS 96 :
The significantly expanded capabilities of the application for working with the camera have been . The program has a built-in separate mode for scanning documents, allowing you to use the front or rear camera instead of a scanner. During the scanning process, the program automatically detects the borders of the document to cut off unnecessary background. The resulting document can be saved in PDF or JPEG format, sent to a social network or Gmail, transferred to a smartphone using the Nearby Share function.
When connecting an external camera to the Chromebook, added support for adjusting the tilt angle and zooming in / out using the “Pan-Tilt-Zoom” settings block to select the visible area of the image.
The program for working with the camera also offers a “video” mode for quick video recording, the ability to create a snapshot on a timer and a scan mode for QR codes. All snapshots and videos are automatically saved to the “Camera” directory and are accessible from the file manager. Next year it is planned to add the ability to create animated GIFs and implement voice control of the camera via Google Assistant (for example, to take a picture, it will be enough to say “take a photo”).
A new sidebar has been proposed that simplifies the comparison in the browser of data from pages on different sites, for example, when working with a search engine, you can open a page of interest without closing the list with search results – if the information does not meet expectations, you can immediately open another page without going back and without losing searching results.
Added the ability to use Nearby Share from ARC ++ (App Runtime for Chrome), a layer for running Android apps on Chrome OS. Nearby Share allows you to quickly and securely transfer files to nearby devices running the Chrome browser. Previously, Nearby Share could be used from the file manager, web apps, and system apps on Chrome OS. The function is now available for Android applications as well.
Added a setting to allow applications to be used as default handlers for different kinds of links. For example, you can configure a call to the Zoom PWA application to handle clicks on links to zoom.us.
A recommendation for pasting data added to the clipboard within the last two minutes has been added to the on-screen keyboard. If you put data on the clipboard and open the virtual keyboard, the added data will be shown in the top line and one click is enough to insert it into the text.
Improved interface for setting desktop wallpaper.
A separate section with settings for displaying notifications has been added to the configurator (previously, notifications were configured only through the Quick Settings menu).
Chrome OS branch 96 will be followed by 8 weeks of LTS (Long-term support) cycle.