I think all the comments about the benefits/detriments of Chrome OS as a whole are a little off topic. I think the most important element of this piece is Torva

I think all the comments about the benefits/detriments of Chrome OS as a whole are a little off topic. I think the most important element of this piece is Torvalds' recognition that "simple" UI doesn't need to limit a user's ability to visually organize. I completely agree with his comparison to GTK3 (and I think the same applies to Unity). Forcing users into a singular workflow with limited options will always seem somewhat inhibiting, regardless of how "easy to use" the UI may seem. This crucial element is lacking from these modern Linux window managers.