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According to Ubergizmo, Canonical seems to be looking into the possibility of dropping Mozilla Firefox in their upcoming Netbook Edition of the world's most popular Linux distro, Ubuntu. In its place Canonical will use Google's Chrome, or possibly Chromium--the open-source, less stable project that Chrome is based on.
For as long as most can remember, Firefox has been the default browser of choice for Ubuntu, as well as many other popular Linux distros. The reason for this is likely due to Mozilla's open approach towards developer and their add-ons. Firefox prides itself on its magnificently large add-on repository--something which Chrome has just recently begun building.
No official decision has been made regarding the fate of Firefox in Ubuntu, but it's very possible that we will begin seeing test versions of Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.10 sporting Chrome in some form or another. Should Canonical make the switch to Chrome, it's unclear if it would also affect Ubuntu's desktop version. If Chrome becomes the default Ubuntu browser, many devoted followers would likely rise up in protest.
The first ever Ubuntu Netbook Edition is expected for debut alongside its desktop counterpart. The difference between this version and the desktop one is the new, single menu bar design, which gives the release more of a Mac look and feel. Since netbooks have less screen real estate, having a single menu bar allows users maximize their workspace. The bar will operate similarly to the one found in Mac OS X and will be only be enabled by default in Ubuntu's Netbook Edition. Ubuntu 10.10 will be called Maverick Meerkat and is scheduled for an October 28th release.
