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Chromebooks are arguably the most secure consumer devices out there. This security is very much by design, has been there from day one and is of tremendous bene

Chromebooks are arguably the most secure consumer devices out there. This security is very much by design, has been there from day one and is of tremendous benefit to its target users.

deogeo 8y ago
Why is it so popular to conflate security with lack of user control? Making Chromebooks tamper-evident is perfectly sufficient for security.
- saagarjha 8y ago
  …which is pretty much what they do? You flash your alternative OS on it and the Chromebook tells you that it can’t verify what it’s booting.
  - deogeo 8y ago
    Unless you happen to press space or enter, in which case it wipes the device. That's a rather important detail.
    - saagarjha 8y ago
      Space then enter, and only during a little time window during the boot sequence: it's not easy to hit accidentally. Oh, and it warns you that you are reenabling OS verification for each step.
      - craftinator 8y ago
        What an important clarification, I never hit those keys in that pattern, and neither does my cat! Glad I won't have to give my Chromebook a screwdriver enema again!
        saagarjha 8y ago
        It is significantly easier to accidentally hit either of two keys than hit those two keys seconds apart in the right order. So I’d call that a pretty important clarification. > Glad I won't have to give my Chromebook a screwdriver enema again! If you’re willing to do that, you can disable this key sequence.
        craftinator 8y ago
        Those are the two largest keys on most keyboards. The space bar as also located along the edge closest to the user, making it the easiest key to hit. Having the two largest targets on a keyboard being the special combination for a factory reset is aweful. That's a coercion to foul your system. I hit space and enter quite often, but I don't wipe my OS often... Why convolute those operations? Because it's designed to push you back to Google's domain.
      - deogeo 8y ago
        It's not a little time window - the screen remains until you press Ctrl+D.
        saagarjha 8y ago
        Not for me, it boots into Chrome OS after a little bit (it does make a pair of really loud, annoying beeps in the process).

Chromebooks are arguably the most secure consumer devices out there. This security is very much by design, has been there from day one and is of tremendous benefit to its target users.

deogeo 8y ago

Why is it so popular to conflate security with lack of user control? Making Chromebooks tamper-evident is perfectly sufficient for security.

saagarjha 8y ago
…which is pretty much what they do? You flash your alternative OS on it and the Chromebook tells you that it can’t verify what it’s booting.
- deogeo 8y ago
  Unless you happen to press space or enter, in which case it wipes the device. That's a rather important detail.
  - saagarjha 8y ago
    Space then enter, and only during a little time window during the boot sequence: it's not easy to hit accidentally. Oh, and it warns you that you are reenabling OS verification for each step.
    - craftinator 8y ago
      What an important clarification, I never hit those keys in that pattern, and neither does my cat! Glad I won't have to give my Chromebook a screwdriver enema again!
      - saagarjha 8y ago
        It is significantly easier to accidentally hit either of two keys than hit those two keys seconds apart in the right order. So I’d call that a pretty important clarification. > Glad I won't have to give my Chromebook a screwdriver enema again! If you’re willing to do that, you can disable this key sequence.
        craftinator 8y ago
        Those are the two largest keys on most keyboards. The space bar as also located along the edge closest to the user, making it the easiest key to hit. Having the two largest targets on a keyboard being the special combination for a factory reset is aweful. That's a coercion to foul your system. I hit space and enter quite often, but I don't wipe my OS often... Why convolute those operations? Because it's designed to push you back to Google's domain.
    - deogeo 8y ago
      It's not a little time window - the screen remains until you press Ctrl+D.
      - saagarjha 8y ago
        Not for me, it boots into Chrome OS after a little bit (it does make a pair of really loud, annoying beeps in the process).