This is the answer. Chromebooks are a buy-in to the web platform. That's why it's good for the consumer. It de-emphasizes the OS; users can seamlessly switch be

This is the answer. Chromebooks are a buy-in to the web platform. That's why it's good for the consumer. It de-emphasizes the OS; users can seamlessly switch between Windows, Mac, another Linux distro, iOS, Android, etc. and stick to the web platform. Chromebooks are an optimization for the web and in some ways a "less is more" prospect for consumers. From the HN "it's my hardware, let me do what I want" perspective (and count me among you), it's a bit of a paradigm shift. Sure there are some restriction but it's not as if we are completely shut out. We have Native Client to get at a lower level and the usual tools like SSH. If this isn't good enough, you aren't restricted to a single piece of hardware or just install Ubuntu.