[octopus]

ChromeOS is a browser based OS, so I would guess you could use JavaScript to do a lot of things you would do in C# or Pyhton on your old PCs.

Also, ChromeOS has a developer mode and you can always install a chroot Linux along side ChromeOS. In essence you can do pretty much everything if you are a programmer and you spend a few minutes searching online.

For the average user (read non programmer), less options is always better.

[d0]

A browser is not a universal programming environment.

Neither is a chroot on a ChromeOS device. How do you install openoffice on that chroot and start hacking on it?

[blueskin_]

Well, most chromebooks are hackable to the point of installing a full Linux system on them to replace Chrome OS, at which point they just become a cheap laptop with a convoluted initial OS install process.

[d0]

But that's then not a ChromeOS machine.