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$149 Chromebooks

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Re: $149 Chromebooks

#381

Post by aikah »

nightpool wrote: post #222
ntakasaki wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's sad to see folks celebrating computing devices that are more extremely locked down than even the iDevices. A Windows PC/laptop is much more open than a Chromebook. Can Mozilla even make a Firefox browser for ChromeOS? Only Google can make system and native apps, unlike the iDevices where you can access most of the native functionality even if you have to go through Apple's approval and you're not forced to uploa…

Actually, I upvoted this, but on reflection I think this is wrong. Here's why: - Most Chromebooks are freely bootloader unlocked, allowing any operating system to be loaded on them. - ChromeOS follows the same open source model as Chrome—Most core features open, with things like Flash/Wildvine/API keys held secret. - There are no native apps on ChromeOS—the correct question is not "Can Mozilla write a browser for Chr…

> - Most Chromebooks are freely bootloader unlocked, allowing any operating system to be loaded on them.

So do most Windows Notebooks. I just bought one recently at 250$, installed Linux. so there is nothing special about chromebooks in this regard.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#382

Post by [deleted] »

tracker1 wrote: post #279
TheTaO wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

[deleted]

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#383

Post by 72deluxe »

aikah wrote: post #361
mariusmg wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The middle class can afford to pluck down a few more bucks and get a device with a real OS...

Don't bother, this thread is totally astroturfed by paid googlers. What you can read here is just insane. I can't believe HN is alllowing this. This product is crap,but boy they are selling it hard here.

I too was surprised by how positive some of the comments were. Microsoft's Surface tablet seems widely panned here (unless I am looking at the wrong comments) but if Microsoft had released a Chromebook, everyone would have said "HAHA! What a piece of junk! Who'd buy that???"

When Apple released the MacBook the other week, everyone had the same reaction ("Only one port? Can't plug in a USB stick and the power adapter at the same time? It'd STOOOPID").

But, when Google releases an UNDERPOWERED netbook with abysmal 1990s screen resolution, less storage than a USB stick and that only fully works when you're on a network, it's widely praised. I don't understand it!

In the 1980s with the microcomputer boom, if you'd have told all those kids using BBC Micros at their school that they could only use their computer and the Interword ROM whilst connected to the telephone system, they'd have thought you were stupid.

Yet, essentially this is what Chrome OS offers you. You can upload all your data (as if uploading your 4GB videos to "the cloud" is an enjoyable experience), and then view it periodically when you have a network connection.

I know we normally DO have network connections but the invention of microcomputers was meant to DO AWAY with the need for mainframes, not turn our local powerful microcomputers into dumb terminals for remote corporate-controlled mainframes. If you'd proposed such a solution 20 years ago, they'd have thought you were insane.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#384

Post by dao- »

Zikes wrote: post #265
geofft wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can Mozilla even make a Firefox browser for ChromeOS? Sure, Native Client's there and should have all the functionality you need. It'll technically be running inside Chrome, but so is everything else like the settings dialog.

https://github.com/mozilla/browser.html

That's merely a browser GUI, not a full browser with a Javascript and rendering engine and whatnot.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#385

Post by han_stimme »

not-much-io wrote: post #24

I own a Acer c720p Chromebook and I have to say it is a wonderful machine. I now only use my main PC for programming, and I even do that sometimes by SSH from my chromebook. Main point: * Great battery life * Lightning fast * Small/Thin For me it is a perfect cheap laptop to use as a goto for all my less resource intensive activities. (reading, youtube, chat etc.) I might get a bigger 15 inch one so I am happy to see…

I'm using C720 with chrubuntu, a full featured ubuntu along with the native ChromeOS for dual booting. Some guys may prefer crouton and it's similar.

I should say I use my C720 everyday on my train to work mostly with linux. It's with x86 CPU, just as a normal laptop. Its performance, battery and portability are great for me as well. I really love travelling with it.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#386

Post by rbanffy »

na85 wrote: post #122
mkozlows wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The offline experience is going to be pretty much what you'd get with the offline experience of those apps in Chrome on a Windows or OSX computer, so you can try it out pretty easily.

I guess my point is that people don't always have wifi. I want to use my laptop on the plane (though some airlines now offer super-exorbitantly-priced wifi, I still refuse to pay for it) or in the back seat of a car. I should be able to tap away at a document or use a Thunderbird-style "send emails when you next have connectivity" mail client. My understanding is that the Google apps don't currently offer this.

As far as I know, most Google branded apps can do this and there is nothing preventing third parties from doing it too. You can probably boot your laptop with a ChromiumOS live stick and check it out.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#387

Post by darklajid »

na85 wrote: post #125
Karunamon wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really, we're in a day and age where most people can do their daily activities on the web. The usual "word processing, research, facebook" student load, for instance? A dedicated physical machine powerful enough to run even MS Word locally is a waste of money in this instance. Access to the global information network and ability to use things on it is step 0 in getting people into the modern era. All that other stuff…

Not everyone lives in a first-world country where ubiquitous internet access via wifi hotspots has been implemented, and not everyone can afford a 3G plan.

I rarely see working (as in usable, encrypted and not total rip-offs) hotspots in Germany. Anywhere.

Not in Cologne (~1 million) nor Dortmund/Bochum (part of the 'Ruhrgebiet' metropolitan area, which Wikipedia estimates includes about 12 million people).

Guess not a first-world country?

We're probably on the same side: I would NEVER go for a Chromebook. Always online is stupid. Mobile sucks on trains here, so forget about data on the move. Hotspots don't exist. There are still lots of places that I visit that have little to no usable data connectivity.

I have no clue what the Chromebook is for, but it would be a giant failure in my circles and my environment.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#388

Post by rbanffy »

ssmoot wrote: post #325
sjtechie wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean like Atom? A lot of the web IDEs are pretty good nowadays. Not decades behind desktop software.

No. Atom is a text-editor with plugins. It's no more a competitor for IntelliJ than UltraEdit was a competitor to Visual Studio.NET. (IMO) But I was actually talking about in-browser environments like CodeAnywhere.

Depending on the language and stack you choose, a text editor with a terminal and a REPL may be all you need. I spend most of my day switching between emacs, a terminal and a browser.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#389

Post by kaared »

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…

I think affordable Chromebooks is key in order to increase adoption, especially if Google is targeting lower-income markets like Africa, South America, etc, And I believe that might be what this is all about. It certainly complements their Loon project (http://www.google.com/loon/ -- 'Internet via balloons') very nicely. I think it's a brilliant move by Google and partners.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#390

Post by kaared »

acchow wrote: post #211
ntakasaki wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Chromebook sales are constantly rising Where are the real shipping numbers from Google then? Surely they must know the numbers? Why won't they release it then? The only reason I can think of could be that they aren't all that great.

I don't have a Chromebook, but I think you have to sign into a Google account to use a Chromebook, so surely they have the numbers?

You can use it in guest mode without a Google account or other authentication. I don't remember if you need to explicitly set it up to do that, though.

I'm sure Google has the numbers since the Chromebooks/Chromeboxes auto-update (part of the whole point, really) so given that they likely have unique device IDs (or ethernet MAC addresses), the 'live devices count' would be rather easy to figure out.

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