my problem is still that (absent paying exorbanent fees for 3G/LTE data), I still can't guarantee that I will be able to get online every time I want to use my computer.
HP Chromebook 11
171–180 of 264 posts
Re: HP Chromebook 11
#172Earlier quoted context omitted.
Google isn't a shining beacon of hope, but I do delight in seeing hurt put on closed ecosystems. The Apple app store is a flat-out threat to human freedom. I do not want to live in a world where the only software available is the software approved by Apple and the governments that have jurisdiction over it. edit: Note that I take no warmth in it being Google. Yes, they are closed. The good news is that HP just offere…
ChromeOS is pretty much closed. You don't have a say on what goes in, you don't have a say on what they're going to do with it, you don't have a say if they want to fully close most of it. In fact, you can only see the parts they let you see (in ChromiumOS), and that is the only difference with Apple or Microsoft (albeit arguyably, Apple also open sources it's kernel)
> You don't have a say on what goes in
Generally, you remove a washer and you get developer mode. From that point you can change anything.
> (albeit arguyably, Apple also open sources it's kernel)
When was the last time someone managed to build a binary identical kernel to Apple's from the supplied sources?
Re: HP Chromebook 11
#17311.6" display with 16:9 aspect ratio (IPS Panel) 1366 x 768 Meh.
For all the hype it gets about being an ideal 'developer' machine, the screen resolution makes me laugh the most.
I totally agree. I own a Samsung Chromebook and even if i'm able to get a lot of work done with it and that it's absolutely a blessing to carry around (i'm a CS student) the screen isn't suited for long work session unless you want to go blind...
Re: HP Chromebook 11
#174"Tapered edges to help keep your wrists comfortable" ---> seems like a specific shot at the Macbooks Air
Re: HP Chromebook 11
#175Hemingway said that one goes broke "gradually, then suddenly." I hope the same thing is happening to Windows marketshare. I hope the same thing is happening to iOS. edit: Note that I said "marketshare." I'm not wishing bankruptcy on Apple and Microsoft. It would be a weird desire.
If this was desktop Linux, I would agree, but Chromebooks are even more locked down and more painful to install other OSes than even Win8 PCs with Secure Boot. Having to type Ctrl-L on every boot sucks.
The default OS ties everything to Google's cloud including even the login. There can be no native apps that modify the system except for Google's own. Can there be a Firefox for ChromeOS that runs on a non-dev mode ChromeOS like there is for OS X or Windows?
Not sure what there is to cheer about people replacing their Macs and PCs with a dumb terminal to Google's cloud.
As usual, RMS says it the best:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/15/stallman_on_chrome_o...
>"In essence, Chrome OS is the GNU/Linux operating system. However, it is delivered without the usual applications, and rigged up to impede and discourage installing applications," he told The Guardian. "I'd say the problem is in the nature of the job ChromeOS is designed to do. Namely, encourage you to keep your data elsewhere, and do your computing elsewhere, instead of doing it in your own computer."
Re: HP Chromebook 11
#176Ordered. 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 seriously doubt there are many people with MBAs that prefer using a Chromebook. It's worse in every way except cost.
Re: HP Chromebook 11
#177Earlier quoted context omitted.
why would you hope for something like that? what do you gain if Windows/iOS/OSX go broke?
Google isn't a shining beacon of hope, but I do delight in seeing hurt put on closed ecosystems. The Apple app store is a flat-out threat to human freedom. I do not want to live in a world where the only software available is the software approved by Apple and the governments that have jurisdiction over it. edit: Note that I take no warmth in it being Google. Yes, they are closed. The good news is that HP just offere…
Apple's app store is closed, yes; to call it a "flat-out threat to human freedom" is a bit extreme. Restricting some bits isn't an issue of human freedom; buy into a different ecosystem.
Google is the greatest machine for data gathering and mining in the history of humanity. (Perhaps the NSA or other 3-letter agency eclipses them, but in the private sector, no one outdoes them) Google's entire purpose for all they do is to get more information so they can show you ads. They have the capability (not the desire, I believe) to censor the Internet in monumental ways. (Imagine shaping search results based on political leanings that my search history suggests) They have a dossier of info on me they can turn over to whom they wish. (Probably won't, but a few public statements doesn't disprove the possibility) Which company, at face value, is "a flat-out threat to human freedom".
Re: HP Chromebook 11
#178Hemingway said that one goes broke "gradually, then suddenly." I hope the same thing is happening to Windows marketshare. I hope the same thing is happening to iOS. edit: Note that I said "marketshare." I'm not wishing bankruptcy on Apple and Microsoft. It would be a weird desire.
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.
Re: HP Chromebook 11
#179I really wish i could find a use for the chromebooks for my family, but i failed. This one seems similar to the samsung chromebook, which i tried for a while (also lending it to mother, sister, children) but we all found it basically useless for any everyday task. Surely one can blame the ecosystem; but still the conclusion does not change, and as a comparison, tablets and phones had a more successful approach at ada…
I'm kind of surprised. My dad is an over the road truck driver who isn't too tech savvy. The most I've ever been able to teach him to use on a computer is how to browse the web with Google Chrome. When he left to go back over the road, I got him a Samsung Chromebook with the built-in 3G and he loves it.
He plays his online Texas hold'em (flash based), looks up unfamiliar destinations on Google Maps to see the satellite imagery, and checks the weather radar regularly to avoid storms. He's also able to better keep in touch with us now that he can shoot off e-mails whenever he wants.
It's actually a handy, useful tool for him.
Re: HP Chromebook 11
#180Hemingway said that one goes broke "gradually, then suddenly." I hope the same thing is happening to Windows marketshare. I hope the same thing is happening to iOS. edit: Note that I said "marketshare." I'm not wishing bankruptcy on Apple and Microsoft. It would be a weird desire.
MacOS is pretty darn good. I'd like to see them own the high end, and devices like this own the low end, squeezing Windows out of my life entirely. For "low end", this is a pretty darn good machine. And it would mean that everything is a Unix.