Cannot find anything less than $300 AUD in Australia (equivalent $180 USD). Any recommendations for how I can find a bargain?
Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
51–60 of 186 posts
Re: Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is correct, but also a lot of these machines can native boot Linux if you enable developer mode. It's not the most frictionless experience in the world, but it can work pretty well.
Oh sure; x86 Chromebooks that support https://mrchromebox.tech firmware upgrades are actually some of the nicest Linux laptops on the market once they've been unlocked and flashed. I just want to call out that the author is precisely backwards and Crostini is a VM and a container and not bare Linux on hardware. Edit: There's also Crouton, for an intermediate option that does need developer mode.
laptop runs linux (chromeos) runs a linux vm via kvm (crosvm) running one or many LXD linux containers of user's choice (ubuntu, arch, debian)
You can even run docker/containerd inside the LXD container.
Now the question is has anyone tried running everything above with chromeos flex inside a vm with nested virtualization!
Re: Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
#53I learned to code on a machine like this. It was a $200 Chromebook (9 years ago!) But I was able to install Linux, first with Crouton, later GalliumOS and learn Ruby and JS on it just fine.
Re: Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
#54I do all my work on an under $200 Chromebook. I have a VPS where I do all the actual work. I use Mosh and TMUX for connecting and saving my different projects (I'm a freelance developer who is often juggling multiple clients). Basically, the Chromebook is just an SSH client and a web browser (I can also boot into Linux if needed - slightly different than described in the Tweets).
I've been doing this for years. The battery life is great and it is also nice knowing that I never have to worry about losing my device since all of my actual work is on a server I can login to using just about any other device including my phone. Most people are shocked when they see my "work station."
I read about people using TMUX and a VPS as a development environment here on HN a long time ago and have never regretted the move.
Re: Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
#55I wonder what landfill alot of these things will end up on in a few years.
Be good to see more framework style stuff with a focus on long term usage.
Re: Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
#56How are the keyboard and trackpad? IMO, bad trackpads are the biggest pitfall of cheap (and not-so-cheap) laptops, by far. At least with a bad screen you can still generally read the interface without too much trouble, but a bad trackpad can make a computer really frustrating to use!
My experience is that the touchpad on Chromebooks is high quality and really nice (I prefer it to a lot of other touchpads I've worked with). I can also boot fully into Linux (slightly different than what is described in the tweets), however when using Linux, the touchpad becomes terrible.
I'm guessing if I spent time figuring out the proper drivers I could probably get it working nice on Linux too but it just hasn't been worth the effort for me.
I really like the keyboard too, but I think that is probably more individual taste.
Re: Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
#57That's nice, but Chromebooks are designed to become e-waste after a period of only a few years (updates stop after the device gets to be a few years old).
Assuming the machine still works, unscrew the bootloader screw, wipe and put regular Linux on.
Can this be done for all models? My impression was that this is no longer possible in many cases.
Re: Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
#58I wonder what landfill alot of these things will end up on in a few years. Be good to see more framework style stuff with a focus on long term usage.
Google doesn't want you to think about the longevity of the cheaply manufactured laptops they have OEMs peddle which have very hard expiration dates to receiving browser updates. Embrace the cheapness! /s
Re: Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bought a couple of these for the kids, and they love them. Not a Chromebook, but surprisingly well made and priced like a Raspberry Pi. Even has an LTE modem. Comes with Windows 10 Pro Education installed, and I haven't seen any difference from our other Win 10 installations. Of course, you could also buy it from Microsoft. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/evolve-iii-maestro-e-book-...
It's also 300% more expensive than the computer in the GP...
The Micro Center link above has it listed for $60.
Re: Unboxing a $100 Chromebook
#60I wonder what landfill alot of these things will end up on in a few years. Be good to see more framework style stuff with a focus on long term usage.
Google doesn't want you to think about the longevity of the cheaply manufactured laptops they have OEMs peddle which have very hard expiration dates to receiving browser updates. Embrace the cheapness! /s
It's 8 years and the browser is being separated from the OS