4 ms·

Four operating systems: One device. Chromebooks will be the universal laptop

18 points by CrankyBear 6y ago

pgrote 6y ago
I used a chromebook professionally for 4.5 years. Acer C720 with an i3, external monitor and keyboard. Did everything I needed, reliable and never had an issue. Chrome remote desktop stepped in when I needed something it couldn't handle. Google decided to quit issuing updates for it and I continued to use it. Eventually, the battery began to swell, so it was time to move on. Looked around and there was nothing in the middle tier for chromebooks anymore that would match the C720s performance. It was either lower end or high upper end $s. Disappointing. Using Windows 10 on a refurbed E6430 now. Still miss the chromebook lol
mmastrac 6y ago
I realize what they are trying to say here, but the Chromebook really runs: Linux, Linux, Linux, and Windows. Maybe RMS was right to push for GNU/Linux as its own standalone OS?
- criddell 6y ago
  A Mac laptop can run Linux, MacOS, and Windows. A future laptop will likely be able to also run iOS apps. If you are going to declare a universal laptop, it's hard to beat a Mac.
  - boogies 6y ago
    A future Macbook will likely be too locked down for anyone but the most dedicated hacker to run anything but Darwin on.
    - drivingmenuts 6y ago
      And when that happens, the people who need to will likely switch to something else.
- boogies 6y ago
  Calling everything that uses the Linux kernel Linux is like calling macOS, iPadOS, and iOS Darwin, Darwin, and Darwin. Sadly the Linux Foundation is a massive collective of cloud corporations (headed by a macOS using executive director) that a small organization fighting for end-user rights like the FSF can’t compete with as long as people are sheep enough to type the 5 letter Linux and complain that the 3 letter GNU is too long.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- jayd16 6y ago
  Well I guess you could argue they're baking Parallels into the OS such that non-native apps feel native. They did a pretty good job with Android ...as far as UX anyway. It can still be buggy but it's improving. Seems like once they do this work, it would be easier to support other things.
vorpalhex 6y ago
Pay walled and generally low quality source. It also looks like this announcement was made a few months ago, here's the Verge's article on it: https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/31/21348963/google-chrome-os-windows-apps-chromebooks-features-interview https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/31/21348963/google-chrome-os...
- ocdtrekkie 6y ago
  I disagree vehemently with the belief Chromebooks are anything but disposable trash PCs, but FWIW @sjvn is a fairly well known tech journalist, the site the article is posted on regardless.
- crims0n 6y ago
  > “The analogy I give is that yes, the world is all state of the art and Dolby Atmos home theaters, but every once in a while you do have that old wedding video on a VHS that you need to get to,” says Cyrus Mistry, group product manager for Chrome OS. Certainly has a high opinion of web apps and a low opinion of traditional desktop apps.
  - Kudos 6y ago
    Given that it already runs Android mobile apps and Linux desktop apps, I think he's referring primarily to _legacy_ desktop software.
x87678r 6y ago
Working from home I'm mostly just RDPing to a remote PC. Everything else is browser based. I spend a few hours doing side projects and learning on a PC. Has anyone tried hiring remote desktops for this? It would make sense but they seem very expensive.
- isk517 6y ago
  My mother bought a Chromebook, and while she loved it for personal use the lack of good RDP support meant she couldn't use it to access her work computer from home and ultimately result in her giving it up in favour of my old laptop. That was about a year and half ago so things hopefully have gotten better.
- hyperman1 6y ago
  We had about 10 non-ICT end users testing RDP in the microsoft cloud or whatever, as a covid alternative for in-person laptops. They all hated it. One common issue: Alt GR unreliability. It just stops working, and you have to log off and on again. Another common complaint: slow graphics and artifacts, even on good internet connections.
GnarfGnarf 6y ago
I use an Acer Chromebook for casual Web browsing and watching news. I bought it to replace an iPad. The Chromebook locks up consistently every couple of days. I wouldn't want to depend on it for business.
Hackbraten 6y ago
You’d be surprised about developed countries still having shitty, flaky internet. Also, no cell service while travelling due to spotty coverage, even in metropolitan areas. YMMV.
White_Wolf 6y ago
I have just as many mixed feelings as in my first month of marriage. On one side: Convenience - Would save me having having to worry about my USB OS being up to date and if it will still work after the next one ; On the other: Safety - Can I trust that lot with my stuff?
swiley 6y ago
Chrome books are fantastic for the supposed class of users to naive to evaluate even the most basic properties of software. For adults they’re useless toys at best, and tools to extract and rent out power over individuals at worst.
ojhughes 6y ago
MacOS isn’t perfect but it does enough things well for me to consider a MacBook a truly universal laptop
antoineMoPa 6y ago
With Crouton and Wine, I have used windows apps directly on my x86 Chromebook more than 3 years ago.
Spooky23 6y ago
This seems weird to me — adding the cost of a Windows license to the already high cost of Chrome Enterprise management seems... more expensive. It’s particularly weird since Chrome isn’t aligned with Google Cloud organizationally. So who is selling this? There’s definitely a use case for ChromeOS in enterprises as a VDI/RemoteApp client as you can mostly use your existing Microsoft EA just like you would for a thin client. It’s also great as a kiosk/line worker device as an alternative to iPads. The only thing a can think of is this may enable places too small for an EA to virtualize apps... but at that scale isn’t it just better to buy a windows laptop?
sto_hristo 6y ago
A locked down laptop running things behind abstractions will never be a universal laptop. Besides, such a frankenstein concoction will demand constant support keep up with the various apps from the different environments. The whole webapp thing should have been a bulletpoint feature of a genuine full featured linux desktop implementation, not the main thing.

18 points by CrankyBear 6y ago

I used a chromebook professionally for 4.5 years. Acer C720 with an i3, external monitor and keyboard. Did everything I needed, reliable and never had an issue. Chrome remote desktop stepped in when I needed something it couldn't handle. Google decided to quit issuing updates for it and I continued to use it. Eventually, the battery began to swell, so it was time to move on. Looked around and there was nothing in the middle tier for chromebooks anymore that would match the C720s performance. It was either lower end or high upper end $s. Disappointing. Using Windows 10 on a refurbed E6430 now. Still miss the chromebook lol

mmastrac 6y ago

I realize what they are trying to say here, but the Chromebook really runs: Linux, Linux, Linux, and Windows. Maybe RMS was right to push for GNU/Linux as its own standalone OS?

criddell 6y ago
A Mac laptop can run Linux, MacOS, and Windows. A future laptop will likely be able to also run iOS apps. If you are going to declare a universal laptop, it's hard to beat a Mac.
- boogies 6y ago
  A future Macbook will likely be too locked down for anyone but the most dedicated hacker to run anything but Darwin on.
  - drivingmenuts 6y ago
    And when that happens, the people who need to will likely switch to something else.
boogies 6y ago
Calling everything that uses the Linux kernel Linux is like calling macOS, iPadOS, and iOS Darwin, Darwin, and Darwin. Sadly the Linux Foundation is a massive collective of cloud corporations (headed by a macOS using executive director) that a small organization fighting for end-user rights like the FSF can’t compete with as long as people are sheep enough to type the 5 letter Linux and complain that the 3 letter GNU is too long.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
jayd16 6y ago
Well I guess you could argue they're baking Parallels into the OS such that non-native apps feel native. They did a pretty good job with Android ...as far as UX anyway. It can still be buggy but it's improving. Seems like once they do this work, it would be easier to support other things.

vorpalhex 6y ago

Pay walled and generally low quality source. It also looks like this announcement was made a few months ago, here's the Verge's article on it: https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/31/21348963/google-chrome-os-windows-apps-chromebooks-features-interview https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/31/21348963/google-chrome-os...

ocdtrekkie 6y ago
I disagree vehemently with the belief Chromebooks are anything but disposable trash PCs, but FWIW @sjvn is a fairly well known tech journalist, the site the article is posted on regardless.
crims0n 6y ago
> “The analogy I give is that yes, the world is all state of the art and Dolby Atmos home theaters, but every once in a while you do have that old wedding video on a VHS that you need to get to,” says Cyrus Mistry, group product manager for Chrome OS. Certainly has a high opinion of web apps and a low opinion of traditional desktop apps.
- Kudos 6y ago
  Given that it already runs Android mobile apps and Linux desktop apps, I think he's referring primarily to _legacy_ desktop software.

x87678r 6y ago

Working from home I'm mostly just RDPing to a remote PC. Everything else is browser based. I spend a few hours doing side projects and learning on a PC. Has anyone tried hiring remote desktops for this? It would make sense but they seem very expensive.

isk517 6y ago
My mother bought a Chromebook, and while she loved it for personal use the lack of good RDP support meant she couldn't use it to access her work computer from home and ultimately result in her giving it up in favour of my old laptop. That was about a year and half ago so things hopefully have gotten better.
hyperman1 6y ago
We had about 10 non-ICT end users testing RDP in the microsoft cloud or whatever, as a covid alternative for in-person laptops. They all hated it. One common issue: Alt GR unreliability. It just stops working, and you have to log off and on again. Another common complaint: slow graphics and artifacts, even on good internet connections.

GnarfGnarf 6y ago

I use an Acer Chromebook for casual Web browsing and watching news. I bought it to replace an iPad. The Chromebook locks up consistently every couple of days. I wouldn't want to depend on it for business.

Hackbraten 6y ago

You’d be surprised about developed countries still having shitty, flaky internet. Also, no cell service while travelling due to spotty coverage, even in metropolitan areas. YMMV.

White_Wolf 6y ago

I have just as many mixed feelings as in my first month of marriage. On one side: Convenience - Would save me having having to worry about my USB OS being up to date and if it will still work after the next one ; On the other: Safety - Can I trust that lot with my stuff?

swiley 6y ago

Chrome books are fantastic for the supposed class of users to naive to evaluate even the most basic properties of software. For adults they’re useless toys at best, and tools to extract and rent out power over individuals at worst.

ojhughes 6y ago

MacOS isn’t perfect but it does enough things well for me to consider a MacBook a truly universal laptop

antoineMoPa 6y ago

With Crouton and Wine, I have used windows apps directly on my x86 Chromebook more than 3 years ago.

Spooky23 6y ago

This seems weird to me — adding the cost of a Windows license to the already high cost of Chrome Enterprise management seems... more expensive. It’s particularly weird since Chrome isn’t aligned with Google Cloud organizationally. So who is selling this? There’s definitely a use case for ChromeOS in enterprises as a VDI/RemoteApp client as you can mostly use your existing Microsoft EA just like you would for a thin client. It’s also great as a kiosk/line worker device as an alternative to iPads. The only thing a can think of is this may enable places too small for an EA to virtualize apps... but at that scale isn’t it just better to buy a windows laptop?

sto_hristo 6y ago

A locked down laptop running things behind abstractions will never be a universal laptop. Besides, such a frankenstein concoction will demand constant support keep up with the various apps from the different environments. The whole webapp thing should have been a bulletpoint feature of a genuine full featured linux desktop implementation, not the main thing.