I've discovered a reason to like Windows: Chrome

My youngest son stole my Ubuntu-loaded convertible Classmate last week and is primarily using it so that we can email each other and talk on Skype while I'm in Miami. It also has his RTI software loaded on it, so I figured I'd grab one of the Windows Classmates we just had delivered and bring it down to the Summit with me to use as my primary laptop. Ubuntu 8.04 is a bit finicky about unsecured wireless (like they have at most hotels) as well , so the Windows Classmate found its way into my bag. I needed to set it up for a teacher anyway, so here was my opportunity.

And guess what? Although I really like Ubuntu on the Classmate, Windows has something going for it that Ubuntu doesn't. It's called Chrome. Google's browser has been extensively reviewed and I won't go into the details here; this is just a quick post in between meetings (and before they break out the free food). However, in the netbook space, Chrome absolutely rocks. It's fast, it uses screen real estate well (easy presentations of site history and no separate search bar), and did I mention that it's fast?

Netbooks, and those of us who use them, live in the cloud, so the browser becomes infinitely more important than the operating system. If I need a browser on which to hang my hat, it's Chrome. I've added another summer project to my list: Chrome all around on Windows desktops.

Chrome is coming to Linux and OS X, but for now, Windows is the only stable, production-worthy platform. At the very least, it means that I have something to look forward to when I need to set the *nix machines aside for whatever reason and break out Windows.