Living with ChromeOS, intro.

So, I've had the Google CR-48 (and therefore Chrome OS) since February or so. I was lucky enough to be one of the people in my area selected to be part of the Chrome OS pilot program. I had used it on and off, but mainly as a second computer, my main one being an Acer Timeline laptop I did most of my computing on.

Well, last week my power supply died, and I was forced to rely on my CR-48 as my primary machine until I could get a new one. I just got the replacement power supply today (Thank you eBay!), but I thought I would give my impressions of the CR-48 as a primary computer.

First, let's get a few disclaimers out of the way. I am not a tech journalist. I am not really even THAT advanced a user compared to some others I know. I have used Linux in the past (and still do, as we'll get to in a second), but I don't know how to do much other than to search online for a way to fix any particular issue. That's its own set of stories, of course, but we'll save that (maybe) for another time.

Also; Even though I was using the CR-48 as my main computer, it was not my only computer. I own a very small ASUS netbook (a eeePC 900A I've upgraded the RAM and the SSD on). I have access to a full-sized desktop at work. Worst comes to worst, I have a smartphone (my trusty Motorola Droid) that can do a lot of the things i need to do.

Lastly, I use a LOT of cloud services, and Google online services in particular. I host files on Dropbox, and make extensive use not only of their application, but also of their web services (yes, I am aware of their security issues. That's for another day). When I write, I tend to use Google Docs. I keep my bookmarks the same on multiple machines using Google Sync. If you don't use online services like these, you will have a vastly different experience than I do.

So, without further ado, let's get into the review in what is possibly the most cliched (but useful) mechanism in literary history; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

I am going to mix up the format just a little bit by starting with the Ugly first. For the purposes of this review, the Ugly can be classified as things that are limitations of ChromeOS and the CR-48 as a concept. They may not apply to commercial versions of ChromeOS PCs, or they may be on their way to being fixed. Either way, I'm going to put them in a separate area from "The Bad", because I don't think they're things that will affect anyone other than CR-48 owners, or even anyone other than me.