When the operating system wars subside, the only thing left standing may be the lowly Internet browser. The only operating system you'll have is a miniature one with just enough ability to connect you to a network, the Internet and to fire up a browser.

If you have an old machine that no longer has an operating system, you don’t have to throw that machine away. You can put it to good use with an operating system that doesn’t require a fast processor or big disk drive.

The web is no longer just a collection of sites one can visit with a browser. It’s increasingly a rich set of programming interfaces upon which applications can be built. This, at a technological level, is very good news. Interfaces make possible a greater variety of applications. This is an old idea for software in general, but a relatively new trend on the web.

Best known for its Wal-Mart Linux PC called gOS, Good OS is presenting a new Cloud browser operating system at the Netbook World Summit in Paris. The compressed Linux kernel boots up as an integrated browser.

The fervor over Google's new web-oriented operating system is surprising, even for ardent Linux supporters. After all, it's only been a couple of weeks since Chrome OS was open sourced and after personally test-driving it on a virtual machine, I can tell you that while very interesting, this is still a very young system.

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Whether you want to speed access to the Web sites you regularly visit, keep better tabs on your tabs, or protect your system from potentially dangerous active content, there’s a Firefox extension ready to help you out. Jack Wallen shares his list of favorite time-saving, browser-enhancing add-ons.

With all of this iPad buzz stirring up the tech world over the past couple of weeks, Chrome OS has almost been forgotten. That may have something to do with the fact that Google has yet to officially release the netbook-centric operating system to the public, but still, you'd expect a company like Google to keep the details flowing about a forthcoming operating system.

Netbooks—the low-power and lightweight mini-notebooks that have surged in popularity—practically beg for some tweaking and customization to increase the functionality of their diminutive screens and relatively wimpy processors. Find yourself the perfect netbook operating system from this fine selection.