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Not surprisingly, developers have already snapped up the code to Google Chrome OS, compiled it, and put it on the Web for users to download.

A quick search of BitTorrent tracking sites, including The Pirate Bay and Mininova, returned hits for Chrome OS, or at least the open-source Chromium OS version. Google's Chrome OS will not be publicly available until Google releases Chrome OS-branded netbooks in late 2010.

Technology blog gdgt, meanwhile, is offering a working version of the OS free for download to those who create an account on the site.

Users will need VMWare Player, VMWare Fusion for Macs, or Virtual Box for the gdgt download to operate properly, which lets users launch Chrome OS in a virtual machine environment. TechCrunch has a tutorial on how to access Chrome OS on Virtual Box.

Google unveiled the source code for the Chromium OS during a Thursday technical preview at its Mountain View headquarters. The company has no plans to make it available for download only, and will instead partner with hardware providers to introduce a Google co-branded Chrome OS netbook before the 2010 holiday season. It is, however, providing the uncompiled source code on the Web site.

Google has asked developers to work with the code it provided over the next year in order to enhance the OS, and has posted build instructions on the Chromium.org Web site.

For the average consumer, however, compiling that OS is not exactly a walk in the park. As a result, having access to a fully compiled Chrome OS is likely an intriguing prospect for someone who just wants to take it for a spin or try and answer some of the remaining questions about the Chrome OS. Consumers should always be wary about downloading content off of sites which also host copyrighted content, however.