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Who is this really for? Students who have a cheap Chromebook and couldn't write / test code due to OS restrictions? Developers who have a Chromebook (and love

Who is this really for? Students who have a cheap Chromebook and couldn't write / test code due to OS restrictions? Developers who have a Chromebook (and love it) and wanted to use it for everything?

nxc18 8y ago
I got a chromebook because I needed a device with a keyboard I could use from my couch/patio. I've been extremely impressed - I can use Android apps, and they work well, due to tablet mode support. Being able to have a Linux laptop that just works is really awesome. I think you could make the argument that ChromeBook is just as versatile as Windows now - huge app store (Play), great browser, and a Linux terminal. So I guess its for everyone that Windows is for.
- Nicksil 8y ago
  >I got a chromebook because I needed a device with a keyboard I could use from my couch/patio. That's a laptop, right? Were you in search of a form factor other than laptop? What about the Chrome Book's form factor was more appealing to you than that of the "standard" laptop? >Being able to have a Linux laptop that just works is really awesome. What Linux distribution were you using that didn't work to your liking? What were the pitfalls and what did Chrome Book do different to mitigate the issues you were having with other versions of Linux?
  - nxc18 8y ago
    It's really cheap and really rugged. I didn't think I'd like the tablet/tent modes, but I actually do find them convenient and do them a lot. Really I needed a device exclusively for light browsing and writing - and what I got was actually more powerful than I realized; they snuck a full laptop into what used to be an internet appliance.
mav3rick 8y ago
People who want usability without security being an afterthought.
pjmlp 8y ago
You need a flagship Chromebook for proper Crostini support.
- jvagner 8y ago
  What's not supported on my $280 Acer Chromebook 13?
  - pjmlp 8y ago
    Not having 8GB and a powerful enough CPU?
    - jvagner 8y ago
      OK, is Crostini different than the Linux VM? 'cause that does work.
      - pjmlp 8y ago
        Having a proper battery friendly dual core GNU/Linux laptop with 8GB, which sometimes struggles to load everything, having seen the hardware specifications of Pixelbook, the testing platform for Crostini, I have some doubts anything less powerful can take the load of Chrome + Android containers + Linux VM/containers, including the required harddisk space. Crostini is the codename for the official Linux VM support.
        foldr 8y ago
        I used Crostini without issues on an Acer Chromebook 13 while traveling for a week or so. The performance was as good as you would expect for a laptop in that category. I didn't find it noticeably worse than when I used Crouton (which isn't behind a virtualization layer).
        pjmlp 8y ago
        Thanks for the feedback, was it the 4 GB or 8 GB model?
stronglikedan 8y ago
I don't have time to watch the video at work, but doesn't this usually come down to battery life? I.e., the subset of developers who want an all day battery in an untethered workstation that's streamlined for their development tasks.

Who is this really for? Students who have a cheap Chromebook and couldn't write / test code due to OS restrictions? Developers who have a Chromebook (and love it) and wanted to use it for everything?

nxc18 8y ago

I got a chromebook because I needed a device with a keyboard I could use from my couch/patio. I've been extremely impressed - I can use Android apps, and they work well, due to tablet mode support. Being able to have a Linux laptop that just works is really awesome. I think you could make the argument that ChromeBook is just as versatile as Windows now - huge app store (Play), great browser, and a Linux terminal. So I guess its for everyone that Windows is for.

Nicksil 8y ago
>I got a chromebook because I needed a device with a keyboard I could use from my couch/patio. That's a laptop, right? Were you in search of a form factor other than laptop? What about the Chrome Book's form factor was more appealing to you than that of the "standard" laptop? >Being able to have a Linux laptop that just works is really awesome. What Linux distribution were you using that didn't work to your liking? What were the pitfalls and what did Chrome Book do different to mitigate the issues you were having with other versions of Linux?
- nxc18 8y ago
  It's really cheap and really rugged. I didn't think I'd like the tablet/tent modes, but I actually do find them convenient and do them a lot. Really I needed a device exclusively for light browsing and writing - and what I got was actually more powerful than I realized; they snuck a full laptop into what used to be an internet appliance.

mav3rick 8y ago

People who want usability without security being an afterthought.

pjmlp 8y ago

You need a flagship Chromebook for proper Crostini support.

jvagner 8y ago
What's not supported on my $280 Acer Chromebook 13?
- pjmlp 8y ago
  Not having 8GB and a powerful enough CPU?
  - jvagner 8y ago
    OK, is Crostini different than the Linux VM? 'cause that does work.
    - pjmlp 8y ago
      Having a proper battery friendly dual core GNU/Linux laptop with 8GB, which sometimes struggles to load everything, having seen the hardware specifications of Pixelbook, the testing platform for Crostini, I have some doubts anything less powerful can take the load of Chrome + Android containers + Linux VM/containers, including the required harddisk space. Crostini is the codename for the official Linux VM support.
      - foldr 8y ago
        I used Crostini without issues on an Acer Chromebook 13 while traveling for a week or so. The performance was as good as you would expect for a laptop in that category. I didn't find it noticeably worse than when I used Crouton (which isn't behind a virtualization layer).
        pjmlp 8y ago
        Thanks for the feedback, was it the 4 GB or 8 GB model?

stronglikedan 8y ago

I don't have time to watch the video at work, but doesn't this usually come down to battery life? I.e., the subset of developers who want an all day battery in an untethered workstation that's streamlined for their development tasks.