Re: The Chromebook Option

On Tue, 7/1/2025 8:44 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

Another alternative to running Windows is to get a Chromebook. These
are purpose-built for many business/educational needs, and because
they run on a Linux kernel, there is even the option (officially
provided by Google now, I believe) to put on a regular Linux distro
side-by-side with the locked-down Chrome OS.
 
This review
<https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-lenovo-chromebook-easily-replaced-my-windows-laptop-for-work-and-i-cant-go-back/>
is interesting not just because the title says they are so impressed
they can’t be bothered going back to Windows, but also note that the
laptop in question is running an ARM chip.
 
Now, the claim that this is “the first ARM chip to appear in a
Chromebook” is wrong, I’m pretty sure. I recall some ARM-based
offerings in the early days of ChromeOS, which I think disappeared
because they didn’t (at the time) offer any compelling advantage over
x86-based machines.
 
Note also that this ARM chip is from one of the dozens (hundreds?) of
ARM chip makers that are not Qualcomm. These chips run Linux fine, but
as for Windows-on-ARM, I wouldn’t waste my time.
 

You can install ChromeOS Flex on an old Intel laptop,
if you want ChromeOS. At some point, you would enter
your GMail address, to gain access to the Play Store or
something.

That does not work on desktops, especially using the
NVidia plugin cards. It is generally limited to iGPU
devices.

But basically, you're just sitting there looking at a browser,
so it's not exactly exciting.

If using ChromeOS Flex or an older copy of NeverWare CloudReady,
use a storage device that doesn't have anything else on it. You can
get cheap SATA SSDs for less than $50. And use that as your
test donkey drive.

   Paul