Early Access to Chrome OS Flex: The Upgrade PCs and Macs

Post by pjmlp » Mon, Jun 20, 2022, 6:12 AM UTC

Zhenya wrote: post #56

sorenjan wrote: post #49

I've had two Google Nexus phones and one Android Wear watch, and all three became e-waste before their time purely because Google stopped updating them. In the case of the watch Google actually started sending out "updates" to their own apps that removed functionality from watches with older Android wear, with no possibility to update. It had less features when I threw it away than it had when I bought it. I'm using…

Not defending Google’s actions but it worth noting that not updating devices usually has to do with the SoC supplier ceasing support for the chip by not shipping BSPs which support new OS features. Yes google should have negotiated better support but it’s lack of support has to do more with inability to do so within reasonable means. They have projects ongoing to decouple OS functionality from the base firmware (proj…

Post by kennywinker » Mon, Jun 20, 2022, 6:49 AM UTC

shadowgovt wrote: post #111

kennywinker wrote: post #38

In the 1990s Microsoft was heavily criticized, and litigated against, for the deep integration of internet explorer with windows, and their monopoly on operating systems and web browsing. Stunning to think that people are willingly installing chrome the browsers, and chrome the os in 2022.

As history has unfolded, it seems to have become increasingly clear that the antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft in the 90s was ill-conceived. At the very least, it doesn't appear to have been based upon any underlying philosophy of monopoly that shows any consistency, for the very reasons you've indicated.

Post by wffurr » Mon, Jun 20, 2022, 9:25 AM UTC

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #126

wffurr wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ChromeOS Flex doesn't include the bios, firmware, or secure boot system of standard ChromeOS. It relies on an HAL that limits what can be updated. See https://support.google.com/chromeosflex/answer/11542901?hl=e... for more on the difference.

So say I have a Chromebook and I'd like to not throw it in the trash. Can I give up those things to keep getting security updates?

Post by Closi » Mon, Jun 20, 2022, 9:44 AM UTC

minerva23 wrote: post #134

Closi wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol at the comment around Microsoft's "anti-competitive efforts" which were making IE a core part of Windows, in a thread about Chrome OS which makes Chrome core to the OS, and in a world where Chrome has the dominant market share and is solidifying it by building it into their products.

Are you aware that MS is again making it difficult to switch away from their own browser and tries to force people to switch back to it even after having switched away? Would you not call that an increase in anticompetitiveness? Do you see how that plus them setting the default to Bing is harmful to Google’s interests?

Post by mdaniel » Mon, Jun 20, 2022, 4:47 PM UTC

LordDragonfang wrote: post #45

mdaniel wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a community of "ChromeOS distros" like how LineageOS does with open source Android for older phones? My only experience trying to build ChromeOS was for "Container-Optimized OS" which doesn't have nearly the same "random binary blobs" problem as trying to build for a piece of consumer hardware

The ChromeOS equivalent of LineageOS is usually just installing a normal linux desktop distro, sometimes one that's been been tweaked to have drivers specific to chromebook hardware like GalliumOS ( https://galliumos.org/ )