[DEcosse]

.... OE does not have a browser, at least not that I am aware of. I'd consider just loading Linux, but frankly my UNIX skills are rusty and it looks like a pain in the ass to set up and maintain.

I'm using xbmc over Linux Mint 16 - Mint is extremely intuitive to use, the Cinnamon desktop in Mint, for me, is a lot easier to adapt to (if you are a Windows user) than the Unity desktop
It is really simple to install and set-up. Comes with Firefox but you can easily add whatever browser you prefer (Opera or Chrome or more)
You use the software manager to find the applications you want and they will install automatically.
And installing xbmc is a breeze too - you will need to use the Terminal for the Beta but if you can cut/paste that is all you need.