Chrome OS gained supported for Linux applications last year, but if you've never used the Terminal before, it can be tricky to figure out how to do... anything. The search bar on Chrome OS can already be used to download Android apps from the Play Store, and it might be able to install Linux software soon.

Chrome Story discovered a commit on the Chromium repo which adds the ability to search for and install Linux packages from the Chrome OS launcher. The bug tracker description reads, "Add APT search into Chrome OS App Launcher, so that uninstalled Linux packages and Apps can be searched for and installed via the App launcher." The feature doesn't appear to be live on Chrome OS Canary yet, but the flag will be called #crostini-app-search.

While this would make it easier for users to install Linux applications and tools on Chrome OS, you would still need to know the Debian package name for whatever you want to install. Most of the time, they're similar to the application's name (Firefox's package name is 'firefox'), but some are different. For many users, installing an 'app store' like the Gnome Software Center makes the whole process much easier.

Source: Chromium Gerrit, Chromium Bugs

Via: Chrome Story, OMG Ubuntu