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Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

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Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#121

Post by toast0 »

wazoox wrote: post #49
Kaiyou wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say that, but you got a Chromebook despite everything Google did in the past. If people had gotten any message they'd have abandoned Google back in 2008.

There used to be cheap linux notebooks, that what I used to buy, then Chromebooks appeared and replaced entirely cheap linux laptops. I stupidly hoped that it would be good enough, or easily convertible to straight Linux; it isn't. In fact the main problem is that Google Docs doesn't properly support OpenDocument format, making it crippled for me even as a basic desktop (it's only useful as a browser and nothing else…

Many of the Chromebooks are pretty simple to convert to a standard OS. I've got two chrome devices flashed with 3rd party firmware and running FreeBSD. It seems more likely if you get devices running Intel Core series chips (cpu model numbers like xxxxU or maybe xxxxY, but not Nxxxx), but it's good to confirm it's supported by your 3rd party firmware of choice before you buy.

I use firmware from https://mrchromebox.tech/ these days.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#122

Post by toast0 »

dazc wrote: post #40
Kaiyou wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say that, but you got a Chromebook despite everything Google did in the past. If people had gotten any message they'd have abandoned Google back in 2008.

Chromebok was originally marketed as a simple, no-nonsense laptop and that's what it is. All iterations since have been useful but did anyone really believe it was going to be a ThinkPad killer?

The ThinkPad Chromebook 13 is actually pretty nice: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/student-chromebo...

Of course, Lenovo doesn't make those anymore, but you can find them used.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#123

Post by [deleted] »

falcolas wrote: post #119
crazygringo wrote: post #92

First of all, this was announced more than 3 years ago, and it still won't happen for another 2.5 years. Second of all, this should be treated as good news for the HN crowd: Google is transitioning from a proprietary, Chrome-only app model to the open-standard, PWA model. Who doesn't support that? There are a bunch of "typical Google cancelling a product" comments here. But for real, I simply cannot imagine any Chrom…

A chrome app that people use? There’s a lot of hobby flight controllers which are/were programmed using a Chrome app. There was no alternative. And since most web apps can’t get access to the host USB (webUSB seems to exist, but still seems pretty nascent), that whole system is probably going to have to find a new app deployment method.

[deleted]

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#124

Post by Spooky23 »

crazygringo wrote: post #92

First of all, this was announced more than 3 years ago, and it still won't happen for another 2.5 years. Second of all, this should be treated as good news for the HN crowd: Google is transitioning from a proprietary, Chrome-only app model to the open-standard, PWA model. Who doesn't support that? There are a bunch of "typical Google cancelling a product" comments here. But for real, I simply cannot imagine any Chrom…

Complaining about Google is a sport these days.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#125

Post by pier25 »

dragonwriter wrote: post #109
pier25 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So PWAs will have support for Bluetooth and all the other features of Chrome apps?

That's the broad idea of Google's Web Capabilities effort, “There are some apps that are not possible to build and deliver on the open web today. We call this, the app gap. The gap between what’s possible on the web and what’s possible on native. We want to close that gap. We believe web apps should be able to do anything native apps can.” https://developers.google.com/web/updates/capabilities

> We believe web apps should be able to do anything native apps can

It's a nice sentiment. Time will tell how that turns out.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#126

Post by Jyaif »

est wrote: post #106

That's too bad. Chrome Apps allows TCP/UDP communication and it could create interesting apps.

+1

I'm still using JSTorrent (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/jstorrent/anhdpjpo...).

It's impossible to implement the BitTorrent protocol using a webapp, which means that once Chrome Apps are gone I'll have to revert to using a native client, which I don't trust one bit.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#127

Post by jdlyga »

This really goes to show that if you're buying something for the potential of it, you're not always guaranteed to be an early adopter of a hot new trend or technology. Sometimes you are, but not always. You have to love what you're buying for what it can provide you right now.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#128

Post by Steltek »

nolok wrote: post #82
rpastuszak wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m genuinely curious to hear how this would go.

If this was indeed a fact advertised on the marketing material or worse on the packaging/product page, then he can have a refund or at least a partial one, depending on the country. If it was talked about what could happen, or not mentionned in any official marketing material but in PR pieces, then nope. See eg the PS3 claiming it could install a normal linux. I don't know how the exact laws work in other countries,…

Wasn't the PS3 refund only like $10-$20? Why even go through that effort for a Chromebook?

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#129

Post by laurent123456 »

crazygringo wrote: post #92

First of all, this was announced more than 3 years ago, and it still won't happen for another 2.5 years. Second of all, this should be treated as good news for the HN crowd: Google is transitioning from a proprietary, Chrome-only app model to the open-standard, PWA model. Who doesn't support that? There are a bunch of "typical Google cancelling a product" comments here. But for real, I simply cannot imagine any Chrom…

As often, the top HN comment is an answer to comments that very few people made. Almost nobody complains here, and even the article states that Chrome Apps weren't widely used.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#130

Post by factsaresacred »

Probably as good a place as any to highlight how broken the Chrome extension approval process has become over the last month or so.

Updates that would take an hour now take up to 10 days, including minor updates like a change to an extension's description.

Having your deployment date be determined by one of Google's algorithms is ulcer-inducing.

And the support is...well, see for yourself: https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/#!forum/chrom...

They can fix this. G Suite support is fine. I would pay for this process not to suck.

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