81–90 of 90 posts
I think what is always lacking in these reviews is: compared to what? I’m always curious to see what other devices authors have used prior to this “best device”. For example, I started with a 2010 MacBook Pro, then a T430 Thinkpad, then a dell, then a desktop computer, then Apple finally fixed the butterfly keyboard so now I use a 2021 MacBook Pro. In my experience nothing comes close to the trackpad of the MacBook.…
> And what I think makes ChromeOS really powerful is Crostini, a full Linux VM that you can run inside ChromeOS. It runs Debian (it seems you can run other distros though) with a deep integration with ChromeOS, so you can run even graphical programs without issues (including OpenGL!) Agreed. WSL2 makes Windows really powerful too.
Author of the post here. WSL2 is not even in the same league of Crostini integration though. Also I find Windows really annoying nowadays. In desktops I much prefer to use NixOS with a minimal window manager (i3/Sway/Hyprland).
I used a chromebook for a long time for travel while I was using a linux desktop at home. I've now switched to a macbook as the only device I use due to apple silicon and the macbook being the only laptop I could order with a QWERTY keyboard in germany. Still there are many things I miss from the chromebook: - touchscreen - alt+tab - proper fullscreen mode - linux VM - no annoyances like apple music or "look this up"…
MacOS has a number of ways to run VMs, including VMware, virtual box, parallels, UTM, qemu
I think what is always lacking in these reviews is: compared to what? I’m always curious to see what other devices authors have used prior to this “best device”. For example, I started with a 2010 MacBook Pro, then a T430 Thinkpad, then a dell, then a desktop computer, then Apple finally fixed the butterfly keyboard so now I use a 2021 MacBook Pro. In my experience nothing comes close to the trackpad of the MacBook.…
He is not claiming it to be a best device and clearly says it is deficient in most everyway but the complete package results in something so useful and handy and easy to carry around that it makes up for all of its faults. A favorite is generally not the best, the word implies being colored by emotion and lacking in logical reasoning.
My favorite device used to be a Chromebook. I got a maxed out Pixelbook in 2018 and I loved it, especially as Crostini got better and better over the years. It was my primary dev laptop and I loved using it. I think we know where this is going... Like many other things Google over the past decade, it died on the vine - IIRC Google killed their Chromebook devices group a couple years ago. I would have loved a Pixelboo…
Adding to the noise: +1.
The software and concept remains excellent. For me ChromeOS + crostini on a Chromebook is a "good enough" Linux Desktop with guaranteed hardware compatibility, 8 years software updates, and a battery that must last at least 7 hours running on hardware that is designed to withstand the treatment handed out by a 16 year old. Because of the Android security model it's far safer than traditional desktops, be they Windows or MacOS or Linux. For example it's secure enclave is something a bank can trust.
But all bar the education hardware is mostly gone, and what hasn't gone it is produced in such small numbers it's at Macbook level pricing. It's a shame.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
My daily driver is an Acer Chromebook I bought used in 2018. Web and SSH are 80% of what I do, and it runs Debian in Crostini for the other 20%. Six years later it's still fast, still secure, updates guaranteed through 2028. Acer continues to make a few in this class with 16gb RAM and 256gb to 512gb SSD. When this eventually dies I'll get whatever similar they're selling then. It's ridiculously cheap, even cheaper pe…
Do you mind sharing what an equivalent relatively modern equiavalent would be? I would love a small portable dumb terminal with a keyboard. It runs Android apps too, right?
https://www.amazon.com/Chromebook-2560x1600-i5-1240P-LPDDR4X...
Decent CPU, 16gb RAM, 256gb SSD, quality screen with a thin bezel.
I like the extra memory because I sometimes run multiple Linux containers at the same time.
If you only want a dumb terminal for web and SSH you could easily get by with half that without sacrificing performance.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Author of the post here. WSL2 is not even in the same league of Crostini integration though. Also I find Windows really annoying nowadays. In desktops I much prefer to use NixOS with a minimal window manager (i3/Sway/Hyprland).
What do you mean by not in the same league? You only mentioned running GUI apps, and WSL2 can do that fine.
Also you can access your linux files directly from chrome os, and vice versa.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What do you mean by not in the same league? You only mentioned running GUI apps, and WSL2 can do that fine.
Well, for starters, you get hardware acceleration and device pass through. So you can use your webcam and stuff under linux and you get animations, smooth video playback, etc. Also you can access your linux files directly from chrome os, and vice versa.
You can access your Linux files from Windows easily too. They are under \\wsl$\distroname\…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, for starters, you get hardware acceleration and device pass through. So you can use your webcam and stuff under linux and you get animations, smooth video playback, etc. Also you can access your linux files directly from chrome os, and vice versa.
WSL can do hardware acceleration (for video too), and supports GPU passthrough so Linux CUDA apps can run fine. You can also use your USB devices. You can access your Linux files from Windows easily too. They are under \\wsl$\distroname\…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you mind sharing what an equivalent relatively modern equiavalent would be? I would love a small portable dumb terminal with a keyboard. It runs Android apps too, right?
If I had to replace my old Chromebook, I'd probably go with this: https://www.amazon.com/Chromebook-2560x1600-i5-1240P-LPDDR4X... Decent CPU, 16gb RAM, 256gb SSD, quality screen with a thin bezel. I like the extra memory because I sometimes run multiple Linux containers at the same time. If you only want a dumb terminal for web and SSH you could easily get by with half that without sacrificing performance.
i did look at this when i was trying to decide on an alternative before i just bought another barley used pixelbook with only 50 battery cycles.
it's half the price so if it works for you, great! but it's no pixelbook replacement imo