Before Chome OS, there were 3 devices being promoted just before the first Recession of 2000 , Microsoft & AOL were kicking in devices. AOL at the time were pushing a new campaign to go beyond the desktop by creating tons of mini pagers, TV devices similar to Tivo (Even partnered for a little while) with AOL TV. One that I remeber was this little device. A small device made by Gateway which you could mount in any small kitchen to jump online to check your email. The concept of the device was simple. Access to the web, but using a Linux based operating system  which looked a lot like the software client. 

 It didn't allow you to download anything (Like Chrome OS). It didn't allow you to install 3rd party applications (Like Chrome OS). It was just what it was made for. surfing the web on your blazing dialup to the interwebs.   This device started at $599.00 if I can remember. The problem with it though was it's price & it's limitations. Many people assumed it was a computer. & attempted to do computer funtions on it. However it came at a bad time when people were more concerned with keeping their job, then buy lavish gizmos. (Remember Palm's recession woahs?)

Things have changed a bit since then with the nettops. Hole younger crowed just does everything online. Many of those people are not application hoarders, or big fans of just using the computer for one thing.. going online.  Essentially the faster, badass quad cores are just too much umph for what many home users use their computer for. It's like those who by a gigantic Hummer, but use it to hall kids to soccer practice. It's a good waist of money when the majority of end users just don't need the 12 cylinder behemoth when all they are doing is such simple tasks. 

 So when I hear & seen Chrome OS, I think problems with Ubuntu on Netbooks when it came with too many high expectations from end users who were introduced to the product by a salesman who didn't know two shits from anything but Windows. they tried pushing it as a device for everyday use. My concern is Chrome OS on a low powered nettop might get jacked by yet an annoying arrogant salesmen who .. yet again don't know jack about Linux.

It better be some real uptraining on the salesmen end  to make sure this is presented on what it is. A device to do casual online use. If not, my concern is expectations high - disappointed customer = return to the store.  So dear wannabe tech salesmen. don't F**K THIS UP!

Manufactures for some time now been using Linux in a few devices now. Many of those are available for product use at your local Electronics store.

 Was thinking back on the over 600,000 banned XBOX360 account lately & even made a 2 cent remark on how technically, I thought this was a bit stupid. So yes, the consumers were running pirated games. Wouldn't of been easier to run something to disable game play. They obviously were able to determine the devices modifications, maybe have the end user put in the ISDN or CD press number in to make them verify original copy? I don't know, but a consumer buys something, it's is theirs. If I wanted to tear it apart & incorporate the components to install into my car, or make it just look unique. It's stupid that technically thousands of tinkerers are doing something illegal with hardware they worked hard for.

 Example. I got an HDTV at home. It's TV aspects to me are honestly worthless to my personal use. It's was a cheaper option at the time I bought it then buying a traditional monitor.  I been thinking if I would want to measure the rears dimensions & incorporate a ATOM motherboard with in it & attach the video links directly to the TV. With some of the copyright restrictions with some companies.. that would be illegal.. well if I shared how I did it. 

 Example: last year I did a hole howto repair an xbox360 on ustream. My current box had the common "overheating" problem & decided since I saw thousands of kids making the issue worse by doing the towel wrapping trick. It's a computer for god sakes. Reading from official posts on that matter, they mentioned the first generation (Like mine) has thermal paste problems where the applied paste was poor. Causing it to separate during shipping & weather conditions many were losing their bond to the GPU/CPU. I decided to shows how to tear it apart, apply the paste, & reassemble. Well those videos were yanked by MS take down notice. *sigh*

When did fixing your devices & letting me, the consumer in which didn't have a warrenty with in the first place tell me I shouldn't know how to fix your 50% failure rated $400.00 at initial release device? It's like you buying a car, & you couldn't go to Pepboys & buy a repair car manual to service it. It's illegal in my eye's. I'd give them an exception if it's was a $50.00. This device however if stolen is value-wise police reportable as grand theft in many states. 

 I seeing posts on recent discussions which brought me to write this was with new kitchen appliances with smart  settings on them are now trying to make the same stake. With the waisted money spent trying to keep consumers from dinking with their stuff, wouldn't it just be easier to say "sorry warranty claim denied" & you as a company saved yourself a potential liability? 

Might I mention my opinions on running Linux on my system with a combination of non-free software is an decision choice on my part, I don't think those who are hard nosed convicted advocates of nothing but free applications are all that bad. If it isn't for watchdogs, many mistakes of industries past might very well have erased by those with financial power to monopolise every industry standard of computing.

If you think about it, the pace in which how quickly technology evolves would pretty much be only accessible to those with large financial stakes in these variety of industries. No startups from the last 20 years of the boom would have even be able to have a starting point in the garage of someone's home if patents plagued multiple new standards established by new faces to build something better. There honestly would be nothing I've learned recently even in reachable access if it wasn't honestly for people who are the heads of FLOSS at this moment. Not even a developing nation would have tools which create foundations for reachable educational & social economic new avenues. Even Shuttleworth would not of had the option to even create Thawte or Canonical if it wasn't for it. 

 I'm just a peon. A person with enough curiosity to jump into something with no knowledge. I see something & do it. My first business I had was the same way. No experience into it. Just took 50 g's & ran with it. With unexpected fail of the economy I didn't make it to 5 years which is considered the "you made it" mark, I didn't let it take me down. Learned from the mistakes. Who knows now. Still in limbo just hacking away. Trying to keep my mind from experiencing boredom. One thing Free Software given me is complete challenge of things over 18 years ago I would never see me messing with. You got to understand from where I was before. I was told I was handicapped intellectually, when the honest truth was not seeing the interests at the current time of the important years of education as just plain boring. It was stagnate, with no flexible base to just allow you to find an interest and run with it. I think the problem with attempting to formulate school to try stamping at least the majority with a few educational standards doesn't fit like a glove for all. I didn't until after school attempt on my own to educate myself did I find education more rewarding.

 I might not have a computer science degree, nor a piece a paper that  states I went to a 4 year college. The thing is neither did some of the biggest known faces like Einstein, Lincoln, Bill Gates,or Steve Jobs. Free software pretty much given me a set of tools. Allowed myself figure out much of the information. The Internet being my library, & the interaction of those willing to share knowledge has pretty much expanded my knowledge beyond the point if I sit with family & explain what I have picked up. They pretty much with glazed eyes attempt to comprehend & keep up with the conversation. I got an IT career at the moment that revolves around free software. When I head into work & something breaks. I can majority of the time visualise the mechanics of what happened now. Three dimensional immediate models of the issues are contrived in my head all based on the know how I got both at work & at home. It's hard to explain this to someone; the artistic side I got is what I heavily rely on to troubleshoot an issue. I don't think in patterns or in mathematical equations to solve a problem. It's all in simulation, developed in my head. 

 So for those advocates out there, I appreciate your work. I might not agree on everything, but I know if you don't remind us all the value of flexible software freedom. Many people like myself likely wouldn't of ever had the opportunity to find out.