6 ms·

Google: Go ahead and hack the Chrome Book

80 points by MatthewB 15y ago

cosgroveb 15y ago
Not surprising to me as a CR48 beta tester: http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices/cr-48-chrome-notebook-developer-information/how-to-boot-ubuntu-on-a-cr-48 http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-fo... Pretty awesome though that they are bucking the trend of locking down consumer devices.
- jrockway 15y ago
  "Bucking the trend"? I can't think of a single x86 laptop in existence that's locked down.
  - cosgroveb 15y ago
    I'm talking about consumer devices in general. XBOX, PS3, iPhones, carrier locked Android phones, iPads, you name it. Also, this is not an ordinary x86 laptop. I think most people would assume that considering that you cannot by default install anything on it, and that it has a verified boot sequence (will not boot an unsigned OS by default) that it would be completely locked down.
    - jrockway 15y ago
      I think your list is the end. I can microwave metal. I can put a newspaper in my toaster. I can submerge my hairdryer in water and be amused as it pumps the water around. Most consumer devices can do whatever you want. It's just gaming consoles and phones that can't. Everything else... do whatever you want. Hell, handguns are still legal in the US, and you can use those to do some mighty antisocial dealings.
  - deleted 15y ago
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- deleted 15y ago
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  - rb01usa 15y ago
    I don't recall them to being too thrilled with people messing with their device at the beginning; it seemed that they embraced it after the fact to seem supportive of the community unlike other corporations.
  - mquander 15y ago
    Wow, their PR guys did a number on you. Not only did they not encourage it, they threatened lawsuits! "Microsoft does not condone the modification of its products," a company spokesperson told CNET. "With Kinect, Microsoft built in numerous hardware and software safeguards designed to reduce the chances of product tampering. Microsoft will continue to make advances in these types of safeguards and work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant." [1] It was only after several days, when it became clear that they couldn't do anything to stop people, that they decided they wouldn't bother about it. [1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1874118 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1874118
    - MatthewB 15y ago
      I know they were hesitant at the very beginning but quickly changed their minds...guess I was wrong.
    - robryan 15y ago
      Yeah I laughed at a conference when a Microsoft exec brought it up as a strong point that the Kinect has developed an ecosystem of hacking for interesting alternate uses.
evangineer 15y ago
As someone who's enjoyed building my own customized distros & livecds with homebrew packages, I'm looking forward to being able to put my own customized chromiumOS build and other distros onto a Chromebook.
cristoperb 15y ago
This is good. But it's a little bit sad that we are at a point where companies have to assure me beforehand that I'll be allowed to, you know, use their products if I buy one.
stcredzero 15y ago
What really matters isn't what people can install or not. What really matters is if people can remotely verify if it's still locked or it's jailbroken. This gives organizations and users a choice to install whatever they want, or to have a verifiable environment. It also gets you out of Sony's losing position, where you get neither security and you piss off people who have the technical knowledge to make your life harder.

80 points by MatthewB 15y ago

Not surprising to me as a CR48 beta tester: http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices/cr-48-chrome-notebook-developer-information/how-to-boot-ubuntu-on-a-cr-48 http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-fo... Pretty awesome though that they are bucking the trend of locking down consumer devices.

jrockway 15y ago
"Bucking the trend"? I can't think of a single x86 laptop in existence that's locked down.
- cosgroveb 15y ago
  I'm talking about consumer devices in general. XBOX, PS3, iPhones, carrier locked Android phones, iPads, you name it. Also, this is not an ordinary x86 laptop. I think most people would assume that considering that you cannot by default install anything on it, and that it has a verified boot sequence (will not boot an unsigned OS by default) that it would be completely locked down.
  - jrockway 15y ago
    I think your list is the end. I can microwave metal. I can put a newspaper in my toaster. I can submerge my hairdryer in water and be amused as it pumps the water around. Most consumer devices can do whatever you want. It's just gaming consoles and phones that can't. Everything else... do whatever you want. Hell, handguns are still legal in the US, and you can use those to do some mighty antisocial dealings.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
- rb01usa 15y ago
  I don't recall them to being too thrilled with people messing with their device at the beginning; it seemed that they embraced it after the fact to seem supportive of the community unlike other corporations.
- mquander 15y ago
  Wow, their PR guys did a number on you. Not only did they not encourage it, they threatened lawsuits! "Microsoft does not condone the modification of its products," a company spokesperson told CNET. "With Kinect, Microsoft built in numerous hardware and software safeguards designed to reduce the chances of product tampering. Microsoft will continue to make advances in these types of safeguards and work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant." [1] It was only after several days, when it became clear that they couldn't do anything to stop people, that they decided they wouldn't bother about it. [1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1874118 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1874118
  - MatthewB 15y ago
    I know they were hesitant at the very beginning but quickly changed their minds...guess I was wrong.
  - robryan 15y ago
    Yeah I laughed at a conference when a Microsoft exec brought it up as a strong point that the Kinect has developed an ecosystem of hacking for interesting alternate uses.

evangineer 15y ago

As someone who's enjoyed building my own customized distros & livecds with homebrew packages, I'm looking forward to being able to put my own customized chromiumOS build and other distros onto a Chromebook.

cristoperb 15y ago

This is good. But it's a little bit sad that we are at a point where companies have to assure me beforehand that I'll be allowed to, you know, use their products if I buy one.

stcredzero 15y ago

What really matters isn't what people can install or not. What really matters is if people can remotely verify if it's still locked or it's jailbroken. This gives organizations and users a choice to install whatever they want, or to have a verifiable environment. It also gets you out of Sony's losing position, where you get neither security and you piss off people who have the technical knowledge to make your life harder.