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$149 Chromebooks

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Re: $149 Chromebooks

#271

Post by georgemcbay »

ntakasaki wrote: post #228
haberman wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can Mozilla even make a Firefox browser for ChromeOS? Can Google even make a Chrome browser for FirefoxOS? All of the PR surrounding the creation of FirefoxOS lauded how it was completely open because it was built on standards like HTML/CSS/JavaScript. But when Google does the same thing, it is an example of "locking everything down while still calling itself open." Mozilla has been arguing for years that compile-t…

Folks aren't talking about FirefoxOS replacing laptops or desktops though, unlike Chromebooks, if you follow this thread. Nor does Mozilla do a lot of cloud business nor is it in the business of tracking users for advertizing purposes. The PC software ecosystem has been open historically, even with Windows and OS X, and now there's talk of it being replaced by a completely closed alternative

You are kind of conflating a few different issues here.

iDevices are locked down for the purposes of Apple maintaining iron-fisted control over the platform at the expense of both developers and end-users. Chromebooks are locked down for end-user security and ease-of-administration.

Chromebooks allow the end-user to unlock the bootloader and/or run them in developer mode if they really want to do that (and this is all well documented by Google, not akin to jailbreaking), and pretty much the only reason a lot of developers even consider Chromebooks as full laptop replacements is for this reason.

Want to run Firefox on a Chromebook? Install crouton (a project developed by a Google employee) and just go ahead and run Firefox, works fine, just like any other Linux app. Google does nothing to stop this (in fact, they go out of their way to make tools to enable it), they just put enough friction into it to let you know that when you do this all bets are off as to the security of the chroot you are running native Linux apps in.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#273

Post by jpatokal »

aikah wrote: post #263

This thread is being totally astroturfed by Googlers, or people actually like the specs of that thing? I don't get it. People, you can buy machines that have a proper os AND a browser ... but you're ready to spend money on a glorified browser?

So where's this proper machine of yours that sells for $150?

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#274

Post by tkubacki »

amyjess wrote: post #231
Sargos wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't release Firefox for an iDevice either as Apple does not allow native code that you need for Gecko so they are about equal in ability to run system apps front. Chromebooks also run Android apps so in the near future there will be a lot more flexibility in what kinds of either web apps or Android apps you can develop. Firefox already runs on Android and presumably will be available for Chrome OS within this y…

Apple allows native code. What they don't allow is the use of any other rendering engine besides WebKit.

and that's fucking stupid - because web browsers can't compete on iOS

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#275

Post by Dylan16807 »

freehunter wrote: post #208
munificent wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consumers do care, they just care about different things that some of us do.

I liken it to techies running out and buying a Tesla. You can't put your own turbo on it, you can't do much to improve the performance or customize it, you can't repair the engine in your garage, you can't drop in a new transmission when yours goes out, and it's not a manual transmission, so you're giving up a lot of control in driving it. That's what an automotive-minded person might believe. Why would you buy an el…

>I liken it to techies running out and buying a Tesla. You can't put your own turbo on it, you can't do much to improve the performance or customize it, you can't repair the engine in your garage, you can't drop in a new transmission when yours goes out, and it's not a manual transmission, so you're giving up a lot of control in driving it.

That is an interesting analogy, but it's pretty misleading. Tesla happens to be locked down but not because it's electric. It doesn't need a turbo, that's like being upset you can't put a new zip disk in your SSD. The engines are fixed ratio, that's a more direct control than using a gear box. Electric cars have either simpler transmissions, or no transmissions at all. In general that means easier replacement, or not having to replace anything, surely a positive, right?

Electric cars are capable of being simpler and more alteration-friendly than ICEs. They just cost more.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#276

Post by jeromegv »

jhall1468 wrote: post #239
ntakasaki wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean Google does not know exactly how many Chromebooks are being sold by Asus, Lenovo, HP, etc?

No. Why would they? You think Asus, Lenovo and HP are giving sales data to Google?

They do know about Android activations, it's not so far fetched.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#277

Post by tracker1 »

I bought an Asus chromebook for my grandmother a few months ago for $159 (via Amazon), though a few days later it jumped to $199. It was a pretty great deal.

I love ChromeOS... it's grandma/mom safe, and works very well. The only limitations I've really struggled with in my own use, is VPN to work, and the lack of an IMAP mail client. Other than that, it's worked great for everyone I've given one to.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#278

Post by derekp7 »

georgemcbay wrote: post #26
dpcan wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought this was interesting too... but are you also carrying around a keyboard and mouse?

Not necessarily. I do virtually all my work split between my home office and an actual workplace office. Currently I drag a laptop back and forth between the two, but having a monitor/keyboard/mouse at both (which I already do and dock the laptop into) and just bringing a small stick literally in my pocket that I can plug in to either place and get my full, familiar, always-up-to-date development environment is very…

For this workflow (where you already have most of a computer at two locations), wouldn't having a diskless workstation at work and home also work out, and just carry around a USB thumbdrive? That way you still have the same environment in both locations.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#279

Post by tracker1 »

TheTaO wrote: post #168
jdietrich wrote: post #94

This is a colossal, market-moving play from Google. Look at the brand names. TRUE, XOLO, Nexian. Recognise them? Consumers in Thailand, India and Indonesia do - they are local smartphone brands. Look at the promo video. Notice how many Asian faces there are? This isn't about cheap Chromebooks, it's about a major strategic effort to court the global middle class. As with the Android One initiative, Google are seeking…

> This is a colossal, market-moving play from Google. Is it that or is it just an effort to stay relevant? If you can get a laptop/tablet that can do the same thing that this Chromebook does and has a full OS for a few bucks more, would you do it? There are tons of tablets from HP/Dell that cost 100-200$ and run full windows OS and have comparable specs to the Chromebooks. As far as I know they are selling quite well…

For my mom/grandmother/dad... They're all using chromebooks... not for the reduced cost, but because the environment is more secure, and fits their needs.

So the answer is maybe.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#280

Post by threeseed »

georgemcbay wrote: post #271
ntakasaki wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Folks aren't talking about FirefoxOS replacing laptops or desktops though, unlike Chromebooks, if you follow this thread. Nor does Mozilla do a lot of cloud business nor is it in the business of tracking users for advertizing purposes. The PC software ecosystem has been open historically, even with Windows and OS X, and now there's talk of it being replaced by a completely closed alternative

You are kind of conflating a few different issues here. iDevices are locked down for the purposes of Apple maintaining iron-fisted control over the platform at the expense of both developers and end-users. Chromebooks are locked down for end-user security and ease-of-administration. Chromebooks allow the end-user to unlock the bootloader and/or run them in developer mode if they really want to do that (and this is al…

> Apple maintaining iron-fisted control over the platform at the expense of both developers and end-users.

There are legitimate benefits to having a locked down platform which Apple (and developers/consumers) have decided is worth the negatives. There are zero viruses or malware on iOS compared to quite a few on Android. The quality of applications is significantly higher on iOS because (a) developers have a consistent platform to optimize for and (b) majority of iOS users are more than likely on the latest release.

This approach is working so well for Apple that Google, Samsung and Microsoft are all trying to emulate it.

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