Of the reviews I’ve read, the single largest complaint about Google’s Cr-48 netbook is the fact you really can’t do much of anything outside the web browser. Specifically, "I want local apps" is heard loud and clear. At this point people simply aren’t ready for an all-on-cloud operating system.
Chromium OS is, of course, Linux as it uses a Linux kernel. For anyone that likes the idea of having a netbook that’s just the browser and only the browser on a rock-solid and proven OS, the first and pretty much only thing I’d say is, "Use Linux. Duh."
In very basic terms, if the goal is to have an OS where the browser does everything, then all you really need is a super-lightweight Linux OS (like Xubuntu) and the Google Chrome or Chromium browser. That’s it. Linux hooks up to wi-fi easy enough these days with minimal fuss, the lightweight OS allows everything to run super-quick and the browser is fast by design, so… what’s the difference between using a setup like that or a Google Cr-48 netbook? None, other than the fact you can install whatever you want locally on your Linux setup.
The only thing I could see being difficult is getting Flash working because to this day it’s still a bit of a hassle – however that completely depends on what distribution you’re using (some are easier with Flash than others). Other than that, you can roll your own with a lightweight Linux and the Chrome/Chromium browser.
What was the point of a Google netbook again? 
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I think the point of the cr-48 is that it should boot up and shut down faster then any other PC. I don’t know of any other computer that boots so fast.
I for one am not willing to leave all my data on the Cloud. I would rather take my chances storing it myself. Hackers add malware javascript to legit websites, so what will stop them from hacking into the servers that store our data? I would rather keep data locally and take my chances of a hacker going after me, which is unlikely when there are so many popular websites to harvest for attack which are visted by plethora of people.
BTW I use linux. I have ubuntu and sabayon. I do have a windows 7 install but use it for only 1 thing: Adobe Acrobat Professional. By default all internet connections are blocked at boot of Windows.