"The instructions for building your own version of Chromium OS, and installing it on a CR-48 are given elsewhere," it notes. "Some enthusiasts, however, may want to install something completely different. This page provides an example, showing how the official Chrome OS software can coexist with Ubuntu, a popular linux distribution."

The tutorial goes on from there to describe how to get Ubuntu on the CR-48 side by side with Chrome OS, including freeing SSD space, configuring the kernel and setting boot priority.

The result, it seems, is a dual-boot machine that has all the Web-centric advantages of Chrome OS along with the more traditional benefits of Linux.

A Dual-Boot Scenario

Will official Chrome OS netbooks offer a dual-boot option when they finally debut?