You forgot the critical part right after: Maybe Chrome OS will change all that, but Linux-based netbooks are usually running some wonky, kiosk-oriented installa

You forgot the critical part right after: Maybe Chrome OS will change all that, but Linux-based netbooks are usually running some wonky, kiosk-oriented installation, making them nigh-on unusable. I got an HP Mini 1000 a few months ago with XP preinstalled and only because the HP Mini that came preinstalled with Linux had a crippled distro on it with no command line. What the heck is Linux with no command line? It was some "user friendly" version that was to me unusable. And the price difference: the hardware for the XP version was marginally better than the linux version, so it was negligible. So, if I could spend a little more on the slightly better version and end up reinstalling Linux anyway, it's not worth getting Linux preinstalled.