The final element in Google's drive to reshape the computing landscape fell into place yesterday when it unveiled plans for a PC operating system that would compete directly with Microsoft's Windows.

在谷歌(Google)重塑计算机领域格局的努力中，最后一步棋昨日终于到位：该公司宣布，计划推出一款个人电脑(PC)操作系统，与微软(Microsoft)的Windows展开直接竞争。

But the fortress that Microsoft has built around Windows is likely to withstand this attack for some time to come, giving the software company room for manoeuvre as it tries to reshape its own technology around the internet, analysts said.

但分析师们表示，微软围绕Windows建立的堡垒，很可能在相当长时间内抵挡住谷歌的这种攻击，使这家软件公司在以互联网为中心，重塑自身技术之际，获得一定的回旋余地。

Google said a number of low-priced laptops known as netbooks, based on its new operating system, would go on sale in the second half of next year.

谷歌说，明年下半年起，一些价格低廉的“上网本”(netbook)电脑将采用其新的操作系统，面向市场销售。

It predicted that the software would bring benefits to PC users from greatly cutting the time it takes for a machine to start up to reducing the complexity of managing personal computers.

谷歌预测，新操作系统将为PC用户带来各种优势，如大幅缩短启动时间，以及降低管理电脑的复杂性。

Coming in the wake of its Android operating system for smartphones and Chrome browser for accessing the internet, Google's planned operating system, to be called Chrome OS, will complete the range of software that the company produces for internet-connected devices.

继Android智能手机操作系统和Chrome互联网浏览器之后，谷歌计划推出的Chrome操作系统，将标志着该公司面向互联网连接设备的软件系列已经齐全。

Google makes no money directly from open-source software like Chrome OS.

谷歌将不直接从Chrome操作系统这样的开放源代码软件中赚钱。

The importance to the company of the software is that it serves as a platform that could eventually drive more users to its web services, feeding its dominant search advertising business. Users will not have to rely on Microsoft's dominant Windows.

这款软件对该公司的重要性在于，它将作为一个平台，最终可能为其web服务吸引更多用户，支持其占主导地位的搜索广告业务。用户将不必依赖于占支配地位的微软Windows操作系统。

The challenge to Microsoft is clear. Some 45 per cent of its $22.5bn of operating profits last year came from the Windows PC operating system, but the software's significance to Microsoft extends much further.

微软面对的挑战是显而易见的。该公司去年225亿美元运营利润中，约有45%来自Windows PC操作系统，但这款软件对微软的意义远不止于此。

Its second big money-spinner, the Office suite of applications, is tied to Windows.

微软第二大盈利的产品Office应用软件系列，是依赖Windows平台的。

As an open-source system based on freely available Linux software, Chrome OS takes aim at that.

作为基于免费Linux软件的开放源代码系统，Chrome操作系统正是瞄准这个靶子。

Given Windows's deeply entrenched position in computing, however, most analysts said that Google would find it hard to unseat the software group. “This isn't going to be something that is going to hurt Microsoft very quickly, it's going to take some time before it really makes a dent,” said Mike Silver, an analyst at Gartner.

但鉴于Windows在计算机领域根深蒂固的地位，多数分析家认为，谷歌要撼动微软将非常吃力。“这不是那种会迅速对微软造成伤害的东西，它需要一段时间，才能真正给微软带来一些不利影响，”Gartner的分析师迈克·希尔佛(Mike Silver)说。

译者/力文