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HP Chromebook 11

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Re: HP Chromebook 11

#191

Post by sneak »

AlexDanger wrote: post #91
sneak wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My dad loves his Chromebook. TBH he's older and gets confused pretty easily and I don't think I'd trust him to keep even a Mac free of malware. It's basically only either a thin client or an iPad, and we already FaceTime on his iPhone, so dropping the Apple Tax on another iOS device (that doesn't come with a keyboard) doesn't make sense when Chromebooks are so cheap.

I'm also considering a Chromebook for my dad. He's quite computer literate but not really happy with his Win8 laptop. A Chromebook would serve all his writing/email/browsing needs, but the only question I have is about USB peripherals - can you plug your digital camera in and have it pop up with all the pictures? And then a nice easy workflow to upload to google drive? Also I presume it doesnt play nice with iPhones?

I don't buy digital cameras for old people that aren't cellphones.

Re: HP Chromebook 11

#192

Post by mrbill »

alayne wrote: post #176
phaus wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can understand buying a Chromebook instead of a Macbook Air, but I see lots of people saying that they have both yet still prefer the Chromebook. What is it that makes a Chromebook so much better than a Macbook that has vastly superior construction, better battery life, and significantly more power? The Macbook air is small enough to take anywhere, and let me assure you, people will steal anything. Didn't Stallman'…

I seriously doubt there are many people with MBAs that prefer using a Chromebook. It's worse in every way except cost.

This entirely depends on each person's specific use case. It's not a black or white answer. Sure, the MBA is "better" - and more expensive - but it's also a case of the Chromebook being "good enough" for a lot of tasks where the MBA is overkill.

Re: HP Chromebook 11

#193

Post by cheald »

phaus wrote: post #130
mrbill wrote: post #98

Ordered. I absolutely love my ARM-based Chromebook, and have wished for the same specs with a bit better construction and build quality. This is absolutely perfect for my needs, and the keyboard looks to be marginally better as well. I've hardly touched my MB Air (2012 refurb) since I got the Chromebook. Small and light enough to throw in any bag/backpack without care, cheap enough to not worry about theft. I don't m…

I can understand buying a Chromebook instead of a Macbook Air, but I see lots of people saying that they have both yet still prefer the Chromebook. What is it that makes a Chromebook so much better than a Macbook that has vastly superior construction, better battery life, and significantly more power? The Macbook air is small enough to take anywhere, and let me assure you, people will steal anything. Didn't Stallman'…

I have an rMBP and a Pixel. I actually prefer the Pixel most of the time - it's smaller and lighter while still packing a high-density display, has a fantastic build quality, and is just zippy. The built-in LTE radio is handy for when I'm out and about, too. The sleep/wake times are incredible (it's generally woken up before I've fully opened the lid), so it's trivially easy to just flip the lid closed, go somewhere, flip it open, and keep doing what I'm doing.

ChromeOS is perfectly functional for so many use cases (though not all of them). I do all my development on a Linux machine on my home network through SSH anyhow, so I can work at my Windows desktop, or pick up the Macbook or Chromebook and continue working easily. It actually outperforms the Macbook in regards to video (I can't watch fullscreen on the rMBP without it going all laggy).

I still go for the Macbook sometimes, but if I just need a portable terminal and browser, the Chromebook is perfect.

Re: HP Chromebook 11

#194

Post by cheald »

ris wrote: post #181
6cxs2hd6 wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also you can quickly wipe the thing before entering a situation where it might get lost/stolen/confiscated [1]. Then take 5 minutes to set it up again on the other end. [1]: Such as: - A sketchy neighborhood - Leaving it at home while you're away for a long time - Customs/border (where 4th amendment is N/A) - Non-border transfer at LHR (e.g. David Miranda)

> - Non-border transfer at LHR (e.g. David Miranda) No, in this case the authorities would have asked google to seize/snoop on your account ages ago, so they wouldn't need to bother. ChromeOS may be the right answer in some cases, but secure against authorities it is not - please don't kid yourself.

Many not-high-profile people are forced to turn over their electronics at the border on a regular basis. A device that you can wipe and restore once you're through customs is quite valid here.

Re: HP Chromebook 11

#195

Post by pm90 »

How good are the trackpads? If any other vendor starts using trackpads as good as Apple's, I will switch in a heartbeat

Re: HP Chromebook 11

#196

Post by enobrev »

I have a personal distrust towards HP products. Their customer service has always been good to me, but I've owned 3 separate HP laptops (from before and after the Compaq merger) and all three have essentially fallen apart after the first 12 - 18 months. Same goes for Toshiba (2 laptops). In comparison, every thinkpad I've owned (3) has always outlasted my need for them due to outdated specs over time.

Re: HP Chromebook 11

#197

Post by karangoeluw »

omni wrote: post #160
netcan wrote: post #132

I'm so frustrated by these chromebooks. On one hand, the form factor and aesthetics are great. The price/power engineering is great. The mission/concept is fantastic. On the other hand, we've learned something from Android/IOS. We need apps and they do not necessarily lead to a computer that cannot be managed by a below average user. Even the average 'your mother' has some needs that aren't well met by this machine.…

Skype has a competitor called Google Hangouts that works just fine in the browser. Word has a competitor called Google Docs that works just fine in the browser. Desktop-only apps need to adapt or get left behind.

Gave you ever tried printing something from GDoc?

Re: HP Chromebook 11

#198

Post by terminus »

3825 wrote: post #178
Osmium wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we have to have corporate oversight to get a decent OS, then I'd rather one I pay (e.g. Apple for iOS) than one I don't (e.g. Google for Android/Chrome OS). I want to be the customer, not the product being sold. Even if that's not what you want, choice is still a good thing: without choice, we have vendor lock-in and stagnation of ideas. To pick an example, I think the mobile ecosystem would be a lot better right…

>I want to be the customer, not the product being sold Sorry but this is not either or anymore. They will take your money and you will still be a product being sold. Just because you paid money doesn't mean they won't try to squeeze an extra penny off of your information if they can get away with it.

Witness: iAds.

Re: HP Chromebook 11

#199

Post by InTheSwiss »

blinkingled wrote: post #147
InTheSwiss wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Acer C720 actually looks quite nice although AFAICT you still can't wipe and install your own OS? You have to use the same methods as we currently have like crouton.

That's right. Something to do with the different type of firmware used in the Chromebooks you couldn't install Windows on them. XFCE on ChromeOS is as close as you'll get.

I don't care about Windows but Chrome OS is based on Gentoo so why the hell can't I just install some other Linux distro like I do on any other computer? It annoys me that it is coming to the end of 2013 and I still can't get the kind of laptop I want running Linux. The closest I can get is the Dell XPS 13 DE but I don't want to run Ubuntu and people I know with them have found getting other distros to work well a pain in the ass. I don't know if things are any better now as I know Dell was trying to improve things for other distros by making drivers more available outside of Ubuntu.

Re: HP Chromebook 11

#200

Post by magicalist »

ris wrote: post #181
6cxs2hd6 wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also you can quickly wipe the thing before entering a situation where it might get lost/stolen/confiscated [1]. Then take 5 minutes to set it up again on the other end. [1]: Such as: - A sketchy neighborhood - Leaving it at home while you're away for a long time - Customs/border (where 4th amendment is N/A) - Non-border transfer at LHR (e.g. David Miranda)

> - Non-border transfer at LHR (e.g. David Miranda) No, in this case the authorities would have asked google to seize/snoop on your account ages ago, so they wouldn't need to bother. ChromeOS may be the right answer in some cases, but secure against authorities it is not - please don't kid yourself.

If they're after you in particular, yes. But the standards for seizure at the border are basically at the customs officer's discretion and requires no forethought or preparation. They can just decide you are suspicious and take your machine, making a copy if they like.

Also, you can encrypt all settings and history locally before syncing in ChromeOS. While that won't help your gmail account or search history, those are products you can much more easily use alternatives to while still using ChromeOS itself. That leaves you vulnerable pretty much only to the authorities forcing google to send you a corrupted update, which can't be trivial and is an even higher barrier protecting you from casual and dragnet snooping.

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