I think the problem with Linux was that it has no argument for it.

Everything is just "it's just like Windows and Mac OS, except it's not" and not always equates to "free, open source, no cost, no licence fees, customizable, faster, etc..." but never anything that was a true blue selling point.

To the users that have the know how to switch to Linux, all it sounds like is a slight upgrade over their existing setup with less software support.

I think Chrome OS is slowly getting attention because it gets out of your way completely. No setup, no worries about losing files, extremely low risk of viruses or malware, you already understand it, and it's the easiest to leave in case you don't like it.