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That's basically Chromebooks for most people, and incidentally they just started outselling Macs. Most of us "power users" will never be using one, but they're

That's basically Chromebooks for most people, and incidentally they just started outselling Macs. Most of us "power users" will never be using one, but they're designed for people who aren't going to be personally maintaining their computer.

rdl 10y ago
I love the idea behind ChromeOS, but the actual implementation is lacking in a lot of ways. Fundamentally being tied essentially exclusively to Google services just doesn't work for a lot of use cases. It's probably fine for a lot of individuals in the US, and for K-12, but it's not great in a lot of overseas markets (Google services being blocked, etc.), and probably never a viable option for medium/large businesses. (of course, "trust Google to run the infrastructure behind it" makes a lot more sense than "trust Asus or Samsung or Acer or HP or ...", or worse, "trust your carrier.")
- MichaelGG 10y ago
  I keep looking at them as they do look attractive. My kids and their teacher would probably do well with them in the classroom. But I just cannot sanction forcing them to use Google like that. My girls are 8 and 10, and it's already very hard to pushback against apps and privacy. I fear that, even if Google is OK today, giving them something like that would show them that it is OK to give up privacy, which sets a bad precedent. But I know I'm fighting a losing battle and most people wouldn't even notice or care.
  - Natanael_L 10y ago
    At least developer mode is easily accessible on most of the machines, allowing you to substitute Google's services if you wish. Though I would still prefer a native method of switching out the "root provider" to one of your own.
thebaer 10y ago
Chromebooks do the best job I've seen of being user friendly and solving the primary use case for millions of people: getting online. They're basically internet appliances, which speaks to their success -- after all, who needs help figuring out a fridge or oven once you've learned it once? I also keep one (with developer mode + Ubuntu chroot) around because of the insane battery life. :)

rdl 10y ago

I love the idea behind ChromeOS, but the actual implementation is lacking in a lot of ways. Fundamentally being tied essentially exclusively to Google services just doesn't work for a lot of use cases. It's probably fine for a lot of individuals in the US, and for K-12, but it's not great in a lot of overseas markets (Google services being blocked, etc.), and probably never a viable option for medium/large businesses. (of course, "trust Google to run the infrastructure behind it" makes a lot more sense than "trust Asus or Samsung or Acer or HP or ...", or worse, "trust your carrier.")

MichaelGG 10y ago
I keep looking at them as they do look attractive. My kids and their teacher would probably do well with them in the classroom. But I just cannot sanction forcing them to use Google like that. My girls are 8 and 10, and it's already very hard to pushback against apps and privacy. I fear that, even if Google is OK today, giving them something like that would show them that it is OK to give up privacy, which sets a bad precedent. But I know I'm fighting a losing battle and most people wouldn't even notice or care.
- Natanael_L 10y ago
  At least developer mode is easily accessible on most of the machines, allowing you to substitute Google's services if you wish. Though I would still prefer a native method of switching out the "root provider" to one of your own.

thebaer 10y ago

Chromebooks do the best job I've seen of being user friendly and solving the primary use case for millions of people: getting online. They're basically internet appliances, which speaks to their success -- after all, who needs help figuring out a fridge or oven once you've learned it once? I also keep one (with developer mode + Ubuntu chroot) around because of the insane battery life. :)