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ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

aboutchromebooks.com

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Re: ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

#161

Post by ngcc_hk »

mderazon wrote: post #51
VWWHFSfQ wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find this very hard to believe. There is no "$200 Chromebook" that will ever out-perform a "high-end" machine no matter if it's running Windows + WSL2 or not. So what are the specs of this "high-end" machine?

I meant to say that it "outperforms" less in terms of speed (although it's not bad relative to the price of the laptop) but more in terms of developer experience. Everything just works in Linux and it's fast compared to WSL which I get constant issues.

I have a small amd 7840 (win 4) coming. I originally think as my win max 2 work quite well … then max 2 all goes down hill. The Ubuntu lts no longer work. As I use it just for wsl2 development and use got to sync I erase it. But then never be able to install again. Only Ubuntu non lts installed.

For Gui. Too hard. Done it once when win 11 coming up.

It is now a dreadful wait for win4 to come. Wsl2 …

For those suggest dual boot I have a whole thinkpad X now only in windows and only if it’s do a bit action in the boot loader.

May be I should try Chromebook.

Re: ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

#162

Post by circuit10 »

circuit10 wrote: post #156
brnt wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isnt suspending an adaptation to trauma? The trauma of slow drives/startup or being interrupted constantly? When I put my machine e away I am usually 'done', and when I open it, it isn't to see where I left off.

Being interrupted isn’t something that can be solved with technology, it’s more a lifestyle thing

(also sometimes you might just want to take a break or move somewhere different without starting from scratch)

Re: ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

#163

Post by PennRobotics »

scheeseman486 wrote: post #87
remir wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It became successful because the Linux-y stuff are invisible to the average non tech users, just like on Android.

What is "Linux-y stuff"? Is Linux defined by having to use a terminal? Android is basically an entirely different OS stack running on top of a Linux kernel. ChromeOS used to have it's own rendering and window management pipeline among other things, but as time has progressed their stack has gotten progressively more FOSS. You can run Linux apps, open a terminal, play Steam games via Proton, all from the default windo…

I would include footguns, conf/dotfiles, hardware incompatibilities and workarounds (why does mpv need 1000 flags? ffmpeg? this is hardly even exaggeration!), multiple ways to reach the same goal (e.g. install software), often missing some peripheral support, CUPS, systemd, package conflicts, poor availability of most paid software, need for more technical knowledge (e.g. the standard Linux directory tree, how to install dependencies, run levels), usually less power efficient OS than MS/Apple, and so on.

When I ran ChromeOS (years ago) I recall having only a few intuitively named folders with most everything in "Downloads". I never needed to build my own stylus Wacom definition or switch operating systems to get the entire audio system functional. (In fact, the Gallium team had a lot of trouble getting the ChromeOS audio to "just work" on some platforms, such as Sentry.). Everything that came with the laptop worked. You could always pop up the shortcut overlay to remember how keys were mapped, Chrome browser didn't need weird codec or GPU flags or dependencies, I didn't need any obscure addition to the bootloader, the thing would run for over ten hours on a charge, I had no issues connecting to my school's networked printers.

Sure, ChromeOS still has dotfiles for things like editors, but it's not nearly as newbie-hostile as xorg.conf, /etc/profile, fstab, /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf, GRUB, and all of the other service/module/daemon configurations needed to get something like Arch running on a random old 486 PC or laptop.

Then, the ChromeOS community started to make code editors and compilers accessible without needing crouton and needing to remove a screw from the motherboard.

Around this time, I started using a Dell XPS and stopped using the Chromebook. It developed some sort of memory problem sitting on a shelf. It still starts up but will crash anywhere between a few seconds and ten minutes, otherwise I'd repurpose it as a MIDI player/recorder for my digital piano.

From my recollection of ChromeOS, it seemed more stable and performant a decade ago than Windows 11 today.

Linux? I had rough times with Ubuntu around 10.04, it was much improved by the time I had it on the XPS in 2017, and now when I run Ubuntu on a ThinkPad Z13 or NUC Enthusiast 11, it has far more software and hardware issues than 16.04 and 18.04 on the XPS.

Re: ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

#164

Post by wffurr »

curt15 wrote: post #106
legolas2412 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nopes, everyone uses cloud VMs by default. These VMs were very powerful too.

Is gLinux[1] still a thing? https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/developers-practitioner...

Yes; that’s what’s used on the VMs, workstations, and Linux laptops.

Re: ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

#165

Post by wffurr »

pjmlp wrote: post #155
saagarjha wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can request the computer you want. They will push you towards Chromebook but you can pick a normal Linux machine or a MacBook or even a Windows computer (don't do this).

Someone at Google needs to support the top 80% desktop market.

I used a Windows laptop for some time. It made browser testing in IE significantly simpler and otherwise worked fine for running Chrome + remote access to workstation. It was also the only model offered with a garaged stylus, which I used and tested quite a lot.

I used that laptop to skip over the lousy overheating butterfly MacBook generation. Now I have an M1 Pro MacBook like everyone else.

They also offer Windows on the cloud VMs.

Re: ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

#166

Post by d3w4s9 »

maxamillion wrote: post #6

Google put in a ton of work to make all the Linux and Android sandboxing while still being able to do file sharing into the sandboxes, Wayland GUI app bridging, usb pass-through, and a bunch of other stuff. https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/docs/+/HEAD/con... ChromeOS got good and is wildly underrated for software development. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I used a Chromebook for a few months including for software development, but find there are a number of major issues (as of 2021):

* window management was a hit and miss. I was not able to do split screen for a Chrome window and a Linux window (vscode). You can do that for two Chrome windows. A big disappointment * many GUI applications are only available through... Android Play Store, e.g. Cisco Anyconnect. Fortunately this works, but it's not an enjoyable experience. * Chromebook built-in keyboards usually don't have F11 or F12 keys, but you need them as a software developer.

And there are a number of other smaller issues that made me feel it would be easier to stick with a "standard" laptop, although I do think there is a lot of potential. I sold that Chromebook later.

Re: ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

#167

Post by wffurr »

mdwalters wrote: post #26
AJRF wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All new devs are given Chromebooks unless they need a specific device (like a MacBook for iOS devs)

Which brand, though? I have a feeling it's one of those first-party Google Chromebooks...

I have a couple of Samsungs and a Pixelbook. You can BYOD with Chromebooks, too, so you can pick smaller, lighter ones or ones with bigger screens than the standard offerings if you’re willing to pay for it.

Re: ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

#168

Post by d3w4s9 »

ksaj wrote: post #89
mderazon wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I meant to say that it "outperforms" less in terms of speed (although it's not bad relative to the price of the laptop) but more in terms of developer experience. Everything just works in Linux and it's fast compared to WSL which I get constant issues.

The issue I see with WSL all the time is long waits as things start up. I have no idea what it's doing, but it is painfully slow starting nearly anything up. It's like drive reads are one character at a time or something! Once it gets going, things are fine.

WSL still has a lot of problems. You can find lots of issues on github that are common problems but yet open for years without a solution. Examples:

* Slower IO -- not sure if this can ever be fixed, but quite a bummer * cpu utilization at 100% due to an issue with WSLg #6982 * no access to Internet when host is connected to VPN #5068 * very slow network in some situations #4901

These are not some edge cases -- they affect things that I use every day. Some of them have workarounds but overall this is still not very usable. I decided that it was easier to just get a separate machine and install Linux on it.

Re: ChromeOS is Linux with Google’s desktop environment

#169

Post by jacobgorm »

martin1975 wrote: post #126
amelius wrote: post #70

What happened to the Fuchsia project?

Rumor has it, it may eventually replace Linux as the underlying OS to Android/ART. By now I'm thinking G's leadership is realizing the epic undertaking it would mean to bring Fuchsia to maturity... and I give Fuchsia a 50/50 chance of ending up in the vast Google graveyard ( https://killedbygoogle.com/ ) in the next 5 years. I'm curious why they couldn't poach one of the L4 microkernels to build Fuchsia on, specifica…

They tried that too... https://opensource.googleblog.com/2022/10/announcing-kataos-...
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