YNOT — Could the word “Chrome” be some kind of internet jinx, or will Google get it right? In early 1998, Microsoft launched a set of APIs it marketed under the name “Chrome,” a project that was killed in the months after its release. Fast-forward to 2009, and Google is now pushing two new projects, both with the name Chrome. One is Google’s own Web browser, while the other appears to be no less than a new operating system. If the murmurs around the internet are right, and they’re growing louder, Google’s new Chrome OS could be launched within the week – at least to developers.“Today’s rumor is the OS will be released to developers next week, answering some questions but probably raising even more,” wrote David Coursey for PC World. “Google had previously promised Chrome OS, in some form, before the end of this year.”

“Google continues to drop bombs on new product sectors by introducing free alternatives and crippling competition,” wrote Taylor Buley for Forbes.com. “Now in the crosshairs: operating systems.”

Chrome the OS was announced in July, and it appears that Google’s approach is to do for operating systems what it already did for search engines; the Chrome OS will be an extremely lightweight piece of open source software that sits on top of a Linux kernal while providing users with a new windows-style interface for navigation. It’s no secret that Google has an interest in Internet applications, as seen with its free Google Apps office suite. Add all of this up, and one can expect the Google Chrome OS to be ideal for netbooks and internet terminals.

“The operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no Web,” Google said previously when announcing the Chrome OS. “We’re announcing a new project that’s a natural extension of Google Chrome [browser] —the Google Chrome Operating System. It’s our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.”

Although Chrome probably won’t threaten OSX or Windows 7 for serious computer users, it could provide an alternative to people who just want to check their social circles or browse the Web.

“We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear – computers need to get better,” Google said previously. “People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them.”