I run ChromeOS on an unmodified Chromebook, primarily for security reasons. With the situation as it is on the net, I feel more comfortable that way. Slightly newer machine, so the specs are higher (m5 CPU, 8GB of ram... still 1080p screen.)
That doesn't mean it's only usable for browsing, though. It's actually a surprisingly powerful device. I'm on the dev channel, which although occasionally buggy, also improves integration with Android a bit. It's got:
- F.lux/redshift equivalent: Night mode. It's built in, but only in dev for now.
- General Linux stuff: Termux. That's a linux-distro-as-android-app. Debian-based.
- Remote shell: SSH-in-a-window-or-tab, mosh. Or Termux.
- Remote desktop: Well, VNC, but there are tons of options here.
- Video player: mpv-android. Much better than the built-in player.
- Writing: Aint, or Google Drive. The latter does work quite well offline, the former is a good bit faster though.
- Development... Termux comes with the usual suspects; python, clang, node.js and so on all work. Can't say I've taken advantage, but it's nice to know that it's there if I need it.
All of that without flipping the development switch on the chromebook. About the only thing I'm missing is graphics support for Termux, but my needs are simple, and Emacs runs as well in a terminal as in a window.