Google’s browser-based operating system will be released to the public “within a week,” claims TechCrunch editor Mike Arrington, who says he has inside sources. The small, fast, and hopefully bug-free system takes advantage of the fact that most interactive Web content now runs within an Adobe Flash player, and many computer users are using cloud-based computing services that eliminate the need for installed desktop software.

Chrome OS consists of Google’s Chrome browser running on top of a Linux operating system. It’s designed to run nearly all functions via the browser. When Chrome was first released in Google published a comic-book intro to Chrome aimed at software developers but accessible to lay people.

An early launch of Chrome OS could undermine sales of Microsoft’s Windows 7, since Chrome is free.