Even with the low price, why not just put a lean version of linux or bsd on the netbook? I can definitely see how the cost of windows could be prohibitive on a $250 netbook, but I can't see any reason why you would use chrome over ubuntu netbook edition - or for that matter, Android.
Apps are the future for regularly used online services. The web will be for searching for info, not programs you run on a regular basis.
They're really building this product for a futuristic web model. The idea is that, with enough bandwidth, computers will barely need hard drives. All of your programs will be in the cloud, all of your files will be on the cloud, and most of your compute power will probably be in the cloud. So, they took a stripped down Linux kernel and built an operating system around the idea that hardly anything is local.
It's a very interesting and forward-thinking product. Is it really sensible now? No. But if the only products you build are what's sensible now, you'll end up like Microsoft, constantly developing products for technology from 2-3 years ago. Google is pushing the envelope with Chrome; the operating system itself could take off or not, but it's success as a product (I think) lies more in the implications of an operating system LIKE Chrome than in the OS itself.
Computing in the cloud isn't a big deal yet for the typical end user, but its usefulness is absolutely skyrocketing for the technology industry. When the infrastructure is there (which could take 5-10 years) the Chrome OS model will start to look a lot more appealing.
Apps are the future for regularly used online services. The web will be for searching for info, not programs you run on a regular basis.
I think Google would agree. But their app interface would be web-backed, not run locally. I like your posts a lot, MRD, but I wouldn't say that Chrome is DOA. I would say it hasn't had the chance to come to life yet. Today's web interface would absolutely suck for running all of today's applications, but that doesn't mean it's always going to be that way. The idea here is that the web will get good enough to
be your desktop, and when that happens, all you need is a browser
for everything. And THEN, all your OS needs to be is Chrome OS.
Don't want software as a service. I already choose a 100% libre GNU/Linux distro for a very specific reason. I'm not about to hand over my freedom without a fight.
If the cloud model takes off, this isn't the issue. It's not where the software comes from, like tightly-controlled Apple software or open source efforts, but rather the medium. The medium will be the web, and you'd be able to use your open source products and services through a web platform.