Google is developing a new user interface for Chrome OS. It’s code-named “Athena,” and clues about the new UI have been appearing in the source code for the browser-based operating system for a while.

Now Google’s François Beaufort gives us an idea of what it will look like (and how to enable an early version yourself).

athena

Athena is still a work in progress, so it will probably look a lot nicer by the time it rolls out as an update to Chrome OS. But you can already see how it presents your open browser windows as if they were a stack of cards you could flip through.

Earlier versions of Chrome OS let you switch between browser windows by viewing side-by-side thumbnails.

The new window manager looks a bit more like the “recent” menu from the Google Android L developer preview. Incidentally, it also looks a bit like Windows 7’s Aereo Flip 3D.

Athena is more than just a system for switching between windows. It’s basically a replacement for most part of the Chrome OS user interface that are separate from the Chrome web browser. But since the browser is the thing you see the most on a Chromebook or Chromebox, there’s a chance that when the new UI goes live you’ll hardly notice anyway.

Support Liliputing

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal

* If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it.

Subscribe to Liliputing via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 9,547 other subscribers

4 replies on “First look at Athena: Chrome OS is getting a new user interface”

  1. Athena:
    My heart felt like a shattered glass in an acid bath.
    I felt like one of those flattened ants you find on a crazy path.
    I would have topped myself to give her time she didn’t need to ask.
    Was I a suicidal psychopath?
    She’s just a girl…

Comments are closed.