12 ms·

Neverware is now part of Google

172 points by jccalhoun 6y ago

castis 6y ago
I dont even know what this product is but my kneejerk reaction is that it will be shuttered in a years time.
- wccrawford 6y ago
  After clicking around a lot more than I should have had to, they make CloudReady, something to turn old PCs/Laptops into Chromebooks. So... Yeah, I kind of feel like you're right.
- syntheticnature 6y ago
  My likely-imperfect understanding is they basically had a free release of Chrome OS (Chromium OS?) you could install to arbitrary old laptops.
- 43920 6y ago
  From the FAQ: "Over the long term CloudReady will become an official Chrome OS offering, and existing customers will be upgraded seamlessly as that happens." So it sounds like there is some kind of actual migration plan, even if Neverware itself is getting shut down.
  - tsumnia 6y ago
    While true to some degree, Google's prior record with services, like Songza -> Google Music Play-> YouTube Music, support the knee jerk reaction. It'll start as an official Chrome OS offering before it eventually is shut down and assimilated into Chrome OS entirely.
    - yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
      The question is the step after full assimilation: I suspect that just folding neverwhere into normal Chrome OS would actually be a win for users; the question is of whether that assimilation is followed by the whole thing getting killed off or not.
- unixhero 6y ago
  Assimilated, Resistance is futile.
rhacker 6y ago
You would think Google would try to avoid the acquisition by name alone just to spare itself of the jokes about Google shutting things down...
- microtherion 6y ago
  They'll probably rebrand it to Nomoreware.
- markstos 6y ago
  I give Google some credit as a larger company to try experiments that fail. Big companies can be come slow-moving risk-adverse creatures that avoid failures by not taking risks.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
bigtones 6y ago
FYI: Neverware is a Google Chromium OS based distribution that you can load onto most laptops through a USB stick. It's main aim is to be able to transform your old PC or Mac laptop into a ChromeOS laptop. They've been working pretty closely with the Google ChromeOS team for a while across the consumer, business, and education markets. This deal may be a way for Google to expand the number of devices running ChromeOS.
- jcastro 6y ago
  I've used neverware on old thinkpads, it's a pretty great tool for rescuing old laptops.
  - thinkingemote 6y ago
    Could installing xubuntu be an alternative? What benefits do neverware have over installing a light weight Ubuntu repo?
    - snazz 6y ago
      It's a little easier to use and easier to manage for most people compared to a traditional Linux distro.
      - p1necone 6y ago
        Isn't this only because ChromeOS doesn't do anything. xubuntu would be just as easy to use if you confined yourself to a web browser and only used web apps too.
    - Google234 6y ago
      Why install Ubuntu when you could install the vastly superior Arch Linux?
      - eindiran 6y ago
        Because not everyone wants to live on the bleeding edge. Because typing ‘pacman -Syu’ 7 times a week gets annoying. Because you want to use the apt/.deb package ecosystem. Because Ubuntu is easier to install, and doesn’t require you to make a huge number of choices about what packages to install. Because you want to use Proton, Lutris and Steam without needing to patch things. Because most $BIGCORP orgs don’t realize that there are ecosystems besides .deb and .rpm. Because Ubuntu is what you already know. Don’t get me wrong: I am a big fan of Arch, but there are a lot of reasons to not prefer it over Ubuntu.
fnord77 6y ago
not a fan of press releases that assume you already know what their product is
- coding123 6y ago
  It's weird right? I mean if you were the Neverware people you're just updating your customers about this change. In steps a third party like HN and publishes that announcement, and suddenly it's this out of context, wtf is this moment for tens of thousands of people.
  - barkingcat 6y ago
    That's more the fault of hacker news and the submitters of the url (it's a page inside of a knowledgebase ...) and also the upvoters of the article. Imagine, all those upvotes needed to make this a front page article, NONE of those upvoters know what the company is or the context behind it, just that Google did something, so they upvote. Then you see all these discussion posts about not knowing what it was, and why it's on the front page, etc. It's basically HN's version of the blind leading the deaf.
    - gowld 6y ago
      24 pts. Surely 24 people know what Neverware is.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - thekyle 6y ago
      > NONE of those upvoters know what the company is or the context behind it I'm one of the people who upvoted this story and am fully aware of Neverware's products. I've actually used their distribution on some old laptops.
    - jccalhoun 6y ago
      I submitted it. I found the story on android central https://www.androidcentral.com/google-just-bought-neverware-makers-free-cloudready-upgrade https://www.androidcentral.com/google-just-bought-neverware-... but it was basically just a regurgitation of the press release so I submitted the press release instead because I assumed it would be better to submit the original source but I can see that android central's article does give some context. I've used cloudready a little bit when I was teaching an introductory class to high school students who I knew all had chromebooks and I wanted to make sure things I was assigning would work on them.
titanomachy 6y ago
A lot of comments here about the name, it's probably a reference to Neil Gaiman's (excellent) fantasy novel Neverwhere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwhere_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwhere_(novel)
- rgovostes 6y ago
  And not to be confused with Neversoft: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neversoft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neversoft
- the_af 6y ago
  I've read (and like) Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere but I fail to see the connection here. Is it just the name? Because I don't see any other relation to this product. It's as if I released a tool called Silmarillion and it was just some productivity app or whatnot. I CTRL+F'ed through their "about us" page and no mention of Gaiman, either.
hx2a 6y ago
I use Neverware's Chrome OS on an old Google Pixel Chromebook. Google stopped supporting that Chromebook so I needed to switch to Neverware's version of the Chrome OS if I wanted to keep getting updates. Neverware's Chrome OS is a downstream version of the Chrome OS that you get on new Chromebooks. I do hope that with this acquisition, Neverware's product improves. One chronic problem I have with my pixel chromebook is that I had to disable some security settings to install Neverware's Chrome OS, which causes some problems every time they do an update.
- AdmiralAsshat 6y ago
  I had an OG Chromebook Pixel, too. Beautifully-crafted laptop, still probably my favorite looking piece of hardware I've ever owned I hated to see it gathering dust in a drawer, so I removed the write-protect screw on the motherboard, blew away the BIOS, and installed a normal BIOS w/ Linux Mint on it. Runs fine. In hindsight I wish I had tracked down the 2015 LS version, since the OG version only has about 4 hours of battery life.
  - hx2a 6y ago
    I agree, it is a beautiful laptop! I need to remove the write-protect screw from the motherboard to fix the update problems. I haven't gotten around to it yet. When I do that I will also replace the battery, as mine now has a 2 hour battery life and requires 10 hours to charge. Were you able to get the touch screen working under Linux? How did you install a normal BIOS?
    - AdmiralAsshat 6y ago
      > Were you able to get the touch screen working under Linux? How did you install a normal BIOS? https://mrchromebox.tech/#devices https://mrchromebox.tech/#devices Be careful when removing the case to get at the write-protect screw, though! Mine was being incredibly stubborn when I tried to get it off, and I unfortunately broke off one of the plastic clips. I was able to get it back on after a few attempts and there's no longer an air-gap between the lid and the board, but I can unfortunately hear the broken clip rattling around when I carry the laptop.
balozi 6y ago
Neverware will be nowhere. Thanks Google.
dunnevens 6y ago
This was a nice project. Used the open source variation of Chrome OS: Chromium OS. They have a nice hardware compatibility list. In my brief experiments with them, it worked well. They gave away the OS and charged for support in large deployments. I hope they'll survive this acquisition. I personally think they will. In a time when many schools are short of money, it makes sense to allow deployment of Chrome OS to existing hardware. Allows Google to expand Chrome OS's base while working within budgets that don't allow for mass purchases of new machines. For those looking to try Chrome OS on their personal equipment, there's not only Neverware, but there's also the Brunch Project. The Brunch Project uses the official Chrome OS images and provides a way to install them. Neverware sometimes lacked certain features because of their use of Chromium OS, but the Brunch Project avoids that problem by using the official images. https://sites.google.com/view/brunch-project/downloads https://sites.google.com/view/brunch-project/downloads
- rahimnathwani 6y ago
  "The Brunch framework purpose is to create a generic x86_64 ChromeOS image from an official recovery image. To do so, it uses a 1GB ROOTC partition (containing a custom kernel, an initramfs, the swtpm binaries, userspace patches and config files) and a specific EFI partition to boot from it."
- bigiain 6y ago
  > They gave away the OS and charged for support in large deployments. I hope they'll survive this acquisition. I’m now imagining the announcement to existing support contract users. “Your account has been migrated to Google’s legendary customer support platform. To receive support, ensure you’re logged in using your paid support email address. Google search will then unlock enhanced Chrome OS problem search mode, allowing you to find other user’s workarounds to your problems! In the event this does not solve your issue, please scream into the void as usual. Our support staff will get back to you never.“
- franga2000 6y ago
  I don't suppose you know of any that don't use Chrome? The main reason I wanted to use this is because it used ChromiumOS without all the Google proprietary crap. Now it looks like I'm back to rolling a custom Linux distro...
hartator 6y ago
Well I guess they named their company right!
osipovas 6y ago
This will be frustrating when Google decides (as they always do) to stop supporting the older hardware. I use the Home Edition for my parent's computer. The update process is virtually seamless for my parents and it just works. What to do when they end support...
- notatoad 6y ago
  ChromeOS has been going through a big process to divorce the browser updates from the operating system updates, so that they can continue to deliver updates to the browser itself even after older hardware stops being supported. as it is, you can keep using the old hardware after support ends, you'll just have an outdated browser and linux kernel. In the future, that problem should be reduced to just having an outdated kernel.
- buck4roo 6y ago
  Is there a similar project that releases current Android distros for post-end-of-support android phones?
  - chaosharmonic 6y ago
    If I were splitting hairs about it I wouldn't personally call the bulk of them "distros," if only because the overall Android ecosystem is that much more homogeneous compared to one like GNU. The extent to which features or visual tweaks are added will vary, but your underlying system will generally be the same regardless of whether you're running LineageOS, Paranoid Android, Carbon or most others. (Some exceptions include Bliss, which maintains a desktop-focused x86 build; /e/, which is specifically built around MicroG; and GrapheneOS, a hardened build specifically for Pixels.) With that said though -- yes, if you're into modding or general preservation there are a variety of community spins of Android, and potentially even a small scattering of other Linux-based systems depending on your device. Now that Android requires the use of a GSI -- or generic system image -- in testing, device compatibility is also significantly better than it used to be. That said, you're still limited to those that support bootloader unlocking. (Notably, while they don't implement this internationally, if you're US-based Samsung is out.) Additionally, GSIs will still have edge cases around drivers (since they don't have to actually work on production devices), Google apps generally have to be loaded separately, and even then the act of opening your bootloader to begin with trips SafetyNet -- which breaks everything from banking apps (for the sensitive-data protections this was originally intended to cover) to Netflix (for DRM) to various games (for anti-cheat) to... Snapchat for some reason? Where this starts to really get exciting is that, over the next year or two, that requirement for generic image compatibility will be extending to the kernel, on devices that are actually shipping to users. Treble's launch triggered a sort of second wave within the custom ROM scene, as it meant they no longer strictly needed to be ported to devices on an individual basis -- a limitation which up until now has still existed for the kernel. Some particularly interesting details around this are that a custom kernel is required to run Halium (a GNU compatibility layer for Android devices that allows images like Ubuntu Touch to be loaded as GSIs), and that Android 11 can actually boot on a minimally-patched mainline assuming that all necessary drivers exist.
xnx 6y ago
Very cool. Would be great if they could do something similar for Android! (Not realistic given that the driver situation on mobile devices is such a nightmare.)
- wmf 6y ago
  Treble is supposed to fix this so you can (theoretically) load an Android generic system image after your phone loses official support.
gagege 6y ago
I was thinking "why would Google buy the developer of the Tony Hawk games?" but that's Neversoft. Oops.
tibbydudeza 6y ago
Great !!!.
thekyle 6y ago
I hope this means that Cloudready could get support for Android apps.
Emendo 6y ago
My guess is that the existance of Neverware Chrome OS prevents Google from making certain changes to Chrome OS, and that buying out Neverware eliminates that obstacle.
- yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
  How so? It's not like Google had any contractual obligations; if they made a change that was incompatible with neverwhere, then neverwhere would just be stuck, wouldn't they? Unless you mean that Google intends to do something user-hostile, but then there's nothing stopping another Chromium OS derivative from coming along.
  - Emendo 6y ago
    Right. Perhaps Google wants to renegotiate their contract with the OEMs and buying out Neverware weakens the bargaining position of the OEMs?
markphip 6y ago
When the lockdown hit in March I used this to repurpose a stack of old Thinkpads I had lying around as Chromebooks and handed them out to nieces and nephews that needed them. It worked great. I hope Google does not intend to shut them down.
awill 6y ago
This is a little like IBM acquiring Red Hat. I wonder if Google will just kill Neverware, similar to what IBM did to CentOS
- markstos 6y ago
  It's more like RedHat acquiring CentOS, but yes that's a legitimate concern. I've used CloudReady to turn old laptops that would otherwise be junked into Chromebooks, adding years to their life for family members that needed very low maintenance simple laptop like a Chromebook. It will be a shame environmentally if it becomes harder to rehab old laptops like this in the future.
  - SOLAR_FIELDS 6y ago
    One other option that I like is ElementaryOS - simple enough UI and lightweight. It's not Chromebook lightweight but I've put it on some 10+ year old clunkers with no issues. Plus it keeps you and your family members out of the Google surveillance dragnet.
znpy 6y ago
> CloudReady will continue to be available as-is, and we’re committed to supporting and maintaining existing customers. They're getting axed in a year, two if they're lucky.
- bigiain 6y ago
  I count two “for the moment”s, two “no immediate changes”s and five “at this time” weasel word qualifiers in the thirteen answers they provide in this FAQ. I know an acquired company cannot ever say with any certainty or conviction “things won’t change!”, so it’s kinda as honest as I suspect legal has allowed them to be. If I were responsible for a fleet of Neverware devices, I’d be immediately fast tracking investigations into suitable alternatives and migration plans.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
    It's weirdly weasel-worded, too, like... your company was acquired by Google. There is exactly 0% chance of there being no changes. Why even bother pretending otherwise? Does anyone actually believe that things aren't going to change? EDIT: Like, it doesn't even have to be a bad thing! Sell it! Go hog with "we're integrating processes to make the product better for users" and "this will let us ship updates faster" and "you'll get more features now that we're an official Google product" (Android support, hopefully). There's no reason to go with this absurd premise that there will be no change (which nobody's going to believe anyways) when you could be saying "yes there will be changes and that's a good thing for you".
- nashashmi 6y ago
  I feel the same. The faq reads in summary “nothing is changing, for now” when it should be stating all of the changes that are about to come. Knowing what I have learned over the last couple of years with changes at google ever since Larry page and pichai took over is that the fun is over and money should now be rolling in. And they are hiding the google effect of this acquisition. In other words, the project is axed. But the enterprise management is cool. And where google will make their money on this bit. Also we won’t support old hardware because enterprise does not like old hardware. And it stops people from buying better chromebooks.
easton_s 6y ago
Neverware was too good for Google not to kill. If you are a Neverware employee "Thank you" for saving our K-12 10's of thousands of dollars. Great product and great customer support. Good Luck!
intrasight 6y ago
I originally assumed that this ran from a USB drive. But it appears that it only boots from USB and then installs itself onto the hard drive. Is that the only option?
- intrasight 6y ago
  I just read this: Note: CloudReady Home Edition provides the option to “live boot”, running CloudReady directly from a USB device without installing. Live booting has performance and storage limitations and does not support updates, so we recommend that you only use this method temporary testing.
8organicbits 6y ago
Woah, that supported device list is much larger than I expected. https://guide.neverware.com/supported-devices/ https://guide.neverware.com/supported-devices/
markstos 6y ago
If the CloudReady and Chrome OS Linux distros really merge, both could benefit. CloudReady never included Android apps due to licensing issues. A merger could bring Android apps to more devices. Also, CloudReady added native support for installing Flatpaks, which Chrome OS lacks. I imagine if Chrome OS really wanted that on their roadmap they would have added it already, but it would be a welcome addition to Chrome OS if they merge it from CloudReady.
coldtea 6y ago
So, shutting down soon?

172 points by jccalhoun 6y ago

castis 6y ago

I dont even know what this product is but my kneejerk reaction is that it will be shuttered in a years time.

wccrawford 6y ago
After clicking around a lot more than I should have had to, they make CloudReady, something to turn old PCs/Laptops into Chromebooks. So... Yeah, I kind of feel like you're right.
syntheticnature 6y ago
My likely-imperfect understanding is they basically had a free release of Chrome OS (Chromium OS?) you could install to arbitrary old laptops.
43920 6y ago
From the FAQ: "Over the long term CloudReady will become an official Chrome OS offering, and existing customers will be upgraded seamlessly as that happens." So it sounds like there is some kind of actual migration plan, even if Neverware itself is getting shut down.
- tsumnia 6y ago
  While true to some degree, Google's prior record with services, like Songza -> Google Music Play-> YouTube Music, support the knee jerk reaction. It'll start as an official Chrome OS offering before it eventually is shut down and assimilated into Chrome OS entirely.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
    The question is the step after full assimilation: I suspect that just folding neverwhere into normal Chrome OS would actually be a win for users; the question is of whether that assimilation is followed by the whole thing getting killed off or not.
unixhero 6y ago
Assimilated, Resistance is futile.

rhacker 6y ago

You would think Google would try to avoid the acquisition by name alone just to spare itself of the jokes about Google shutting things down...

microtherion 6y ago
They'll probably rebrand it to Nomoreware.
markstos 6y ago
I give Google some credit as a larger company to try experiments that fail. Big companies can be come slow-moving risk-adverse creatures that avoid failures by not taking risks.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

bigtones 6y ago

FYI: Neverware is a Google Chromium OS based distribution that you can load onto most laptops through a USB stick. It's main aim is to be able to transform your old PC or Mac laptop into a ChromeOS laptop. They've been working pretty closely with the Google ChromeOS team for a while across the consumer, business, and education markets. This deal may be a way for Google to expand the number of devices running ChromeOS.

jcastro 6y ago
I've used neverware on old thinkpads, it's a pretty great tool for rescuing old laptops.
- thinkingemote 6y ago
  Could installing xubuntu be an alternative? What benefits do neverware have over installing a light weight Ubuntu repo?
  - snazz 6y ago
    It's a little easier to use and easier to manage for most people compared to a traditional Linux distro.
    - p1necone 6y ago
      Isn't this only because ChromeOS doesn't do anything. xubuntu would be just as easy to use if you confined yourself to a web browser and only used web apps too.
  - Google234 6y ago
    Why install Ubuntu when you could install the vastly superior Arch Linux?
    - eindiran 6y ago
      Because not everyone wants to live on the bleeding edge. Because typing ‘pacman -Syu’ 7 times a week gets annoying. Because you want to use the apt/.deb package ecosystem. Because Ubuntu is easier to install, and doesn’t require you to make a huge number of choices about what packages to install. Because you want to use Proton, Lutris and Steam without needing to patch things. Because most $BIGCORP orgs don’t realize that there are ecosystems besides .deb and .rpm. Because Ubuntu is what you already know. Don’t get me wrong: I am a big fan of Arch, but there are a lot of reasons to not prefer it over Ubuntu.

fnord77 6y ago

not a fan of press releases that assume you already know what their product is

coding123 6y ago
It's weird right? I mean if you were the Neverware people you're just updating your customers about this change. In steps a third party like HN and publishes that announcement, and suddenly it's this out of context, wtf is this moment for tens of thousands of people.
- barkingcat 6y ago
  That's more the fault of hacker news and the submitters of the url (it's a page inside of a knowledgebase ...) and also the upvoters of the article. Imagine, all those upvotes needed to make this a front page article, NONE of those upvoters know what the company is or the context behind it, just that Google did something, so they upvote. Then you see all these discussion posts about not knowing what it was, and why it's on the front page, etc. It's basically HN's version of the blind leading the deaf.
  - gowld 6y ago
    24 pts. Surely 24 people know what Neverware is.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - thekyle 6y ago
    > NONE of those upvoters know what the company is or the context behind it I'm one of the people who upvoted this story and am fully aware of Neverware's products. I've actually used their distribution on some old laptops.
  - jccalhoun 6y ago
    I submitted it. I found the story on android central https://www.androidcentral.com/google-just-bought-neverware-makers-free-cloudready-upgrade https://www.androidcentral.com/google-just-bought-neverware-... but it was basically just a regurgitation of the press release so I submitted the press release instead because I assumed it would be better to submit the original source but I can see that android central's article does give some context. I've used cloudready a little bit when I was teaching an introductory class to high school students who I knew all had chromebooks and I wanted to make sure things I was assigning would work on them.

titanomachy 6y ago

A lot of comments here about the name, it's probably a reference to Neil Gaiman's (excellent) fantasy novel Neverwhere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwhere_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwhere_(novel)

rgovostes 6y ago
And not to be confused with Neversoft: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neversoft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neversoft
the_af 6y ago
I've read (and like) Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere but I fail to see the connection here. Is it just the name? Because I don't see any other relation to this product. It's as if I released a tool called Silmarillion and it was just some productivity app or whatnot. I CTRL+F'ed through their "about us" page and no mention of Gaiman, either.

hx2a 6y ago

I use Neverware's Chrome OS on an old Google Pixel Chromebook. Google stopped supporting that Chromebook so I needed to switch to Neverware's version of the Chrome OS if I wanted to keep getting updates. Neverware's Chrome OS is a downstream version of the Chrome OS that you get on new Chromebooks. I do hope that with this acquisition, Neverware's product improves. One chronic problem I have with my pixel chromebook is that I had to disable some security settings to install Neverware's Chrome OS, which causes some problems every time they do an update.

AdmiralAsshat 6y ago
I had an OG Chromebook Pixel, too. Beautifully-crafted laptop, still probably my favorite looking piece of hardware I've ever owned I hated to see it gathering dust in a drawer, so I removed the write-protect screw on the motherboard, blew away the BIOS, and installed a normal BIOS w/ Linux Mint on it. Runs fine. In hindsight I wish I had tracked down the 2015 LS version, since the OG version only has about 4 hours of battery life.
- hx2a 6y ago
  I agree, it is a beautiful laptop! I need to remove the write-protect screw from the motherboard to fix the update problems. I haven't gotten around to it yet. When I do that I will also replace the battery, as mine now has a 2 hour battery life and requires 10 hours to charge. Were you able to get the touch screen working under Linux? How did you install a normal BIOS?
  - AdmiralAsshat 6y ago
    > Were you able to get the touch screen working under Linux? How did you install a normal BIOS? https://mrchromebox.tech/#devices https://mrchromebox.tech/#devices Be careful when removing the case to get at the write-protect screw, though! Mine was being incredibly stubborn when I tried to get it off, and I unfortunately broke off one of the plastic clips. I was able to get it back on after a few attempts and there's no longer an air-gap between the lid and the board, but I can unfortunately hear the broken clip rattling around when I carry the laptop.

balozi 6y ago

Neverware will be nowhere. Thanks Google.

dunnevens 6y ago

This was a nice project. Used the open source variation of Chrome OS: Chromium OS. They have a nice hardware compatibility list. In my brief experiments with them, it worked well. They gave away the OS and charged for support in large deployments. I hope they'll survive this acquisition. I personally think they will. In a time when many schools are short of money, it makes sense to allow deployment of Chrome OS to existing hardware. Allows Google to expand Chrome OS's base while working within budgets that don't allow for mass purchases of new machines. For those looking to try Chrome OS on their personal equipment, there's not only Neverware, but there's also the Brunch Project. The Brunch Project uses the official Chrome OS images and provides a way to install them. Neverware sometimes lacked certain features because of their use of Chromium OS, but the Brunch Project avoids that problem by using the official images. https://sites.google.com/view/brunch-project/downloads https://sites.google.com/view/brunch-project/downloads

rahimnathwani 6y ago
"The Brunch framework purpose is to create a generic x86_64 ChromeOS image from an official recovery image. To do so, it uses a 1GB ROOTC partition (containing a custom kernel, an initramfs, the swtpm binaries, userspace patches and config files) and a specific EFI partition to boot from it."
bigiain 6y ago
> They gave away the OS and charged for support in large deployments. I hope they'll survive this acquisition. I’m now imagining the announcement to existing support contract users. “Your account has been migrated to Google’s legendary customer support platform. To receive support, ensure you’re logged in using your paid support email address. Google search will then unlock enhanced Chrome OS problem search mode, allowing you to find other user’s workarounds to your problems! In the event this does not solve your issue, please scream into the void as usual. Our support staff will get back to you never.“
franga2000 6y ago
I don't suppose you know of any that don't use Chrome? The main reason I wanted to use this is because it used ChromiumOS without all the Google proprietary crap. Now it looks like I'm back to rolling a custom Linux distro...

hartator 6y ago

Well I guess they named their company right!

osipovas 6y ago

This will be frustrating when Google decides (as they always do) to stop supporting the older hardware. I use the Home Edition for my parent's computer. The update process is virtually seamless for my parents and it just works. What to do when they end support...

notatoad 6y ago
ChromeOS has been going through a big process to divorce the browser updates from the operating system updates, so that they can continue to deliver updates to the browser itself even after older hardware stops being supported. as it is, you can keep using the old hardware after support ends, you'll just have an outdated browser and linux kernel. In the future, that problem should be reduced to just having an outdated kernel.
buck4roo 6y ago
Is there a similar project that releases current Android distros for post-end-of-support android phones?
- chaosharmonic 6y ago
  If I were splitting hairs about it I wouldn't personally call the bulk of them "distros," if only because the overall Android ecosystem is that much more homogeneous compared to one like GNU. The extent to which features or visual tweaks are added will vary, but your underlying system will generally be the same regardless of whether you're running LineageOS, Paranoid Android, Carbon or most others. (Some exceptions include Bliss, which maintains a desktop-focused x86 build; /e/, which is specifically built around MicroG; and GrapheneOS, a hardened build specifically for Pixels.) With that said though -- yes, if you're into modding or general preservation there are a variety of community spins of Android, and potentially even a small scattering of other Linux-based systems depending on your device. Now that Android requires the use of a GSI -- or generic system image -- in testing, device compatibility is also significantly better than it used to be. That said, you're still limited to those that support bootloader unlocking. (Notably, while they don't implement this internationally, if you're US-based Samsung is out.) Additionally, GSIs will still have edge cases around drivers (since they don't have to actually work on production devices), Google apps generally have to be loaded separately, and even then the act of opening your bootloader to begin with trips SafetyNet -- which breaks everything from banking apps (for the sensitive-data protections this was originally intended to cover) to Netflix (for DRM) to various games (for anti-cheat) to... Snapchat for some reason? Where this starts to really get exciting is that, over the next year or two, that requirement for generic image compatibility will be extending to the kernel, on devices that are actually shipping to users. Treble's launch triggered a sort of second wave within the custom ROM scene, as it meant they no longer strictly needed to be ported to devices on an individual basis -- a limitation which up until now has still existed for the kernel. Some particularly interesting details around this are that a custom kernel is required to run Halium (a GNU compatibility layer for Android devices that allows images like Ubuntu Touch to be loaded as GSIs), and that Android 11 can actually boot on a minimally-patched mainline assuming that all necessary drivers exist.

xnx 6y ago

Very cool. Would be great if they could do something similar for Android! (Not realistic given that the driver situation on mobile devices is such a nightmare.)

wmf 6y ago
Treble is supposed to fix this so you can (theoretically) load an Android generic system image after your phone loses official support.

gagege 6y ago

I was thinking "why would Google buy the developer of the Tony Hawk games?" but that's Neversoft. Oops.

tibbydudeza 6y ago

Great !!!.

thekyle 6y ago

I hope this means that Cloudready could get support for Android apps.

Emendo 6y ago

My guess is that the existance of Neverware Chrome OS prevents Google from making certain changes to Chrome OS, and that buying out Neverware eliminates that obstacle.

yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
How so? It's not like Google had any contractual obligations; if they made a change that was incompatible with neverwhere, then neverwhere would just be stuck, wouldn't they? Unless you mean that Google intends to do something user-hostile, but then there's nothing stopping another Chromium OS derivative from coming along.
- Emendo 6y ago
  Right. Perhaps Google wants to renegotiate their contract with the OEMs and buying out Neverware weakens the bargaining position of the OEMs?

markphip 6y ago

When the lockdown hit in March I used this to repurpose a stack of old Thinkpads I had lying around as Chromebooks and handed them out to nieces and nephews that needed them. It worked great. I hope Google does not intend to shut them down.

awill 6y ago

This is a little like IBM acquiring Red Hat. I wonder if Google will just kill Neverware, similar to what IBM did to CentOS

markstos 6y ago
It's more like RedHat acquiring CentOS, but yes that's a legitimate concern. I've used CloudReady to turn old laptops that would otherwise be junked into Chromebooks, adding years to their life for family members that needed very low maintenance simple laptop like a Chromebook. It will be a shame environmentally if it becomes harder to rehab old laptops like this in the future.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 6y ago
  One other option that I like is ElementaryOS - simple enough UI and lightweight. It's not Chromebook lightweight but I've put it on some 10+ year old clunkers with no issues. Plus it keeps you and your family members out of the Google surveillance dragnet.

znpy 6y ago

> CloudReady will continue to be available as-is, and we’re committed to supporting and maintaining existing customers. They're getting axed in a year, two if they're lucky.

bigiain 6y ago
I count two “for the moment”s, two “no immediate changes”s and five “at this time” weasel word qualifiers in the thirteen answers they provide in this FAQ. I know an acquired company cannot ever say with any certainty or conviction “things won’t change!”, so it’s kinda as honest as I suspect legal has allowed them to be. If I were responsible for a fleet of Neverware devices, I’d be immediately fast tracking investigations into suitable alternatives and migration plans.
- yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
  It's weirdly weasel-worded, too, like... your company was acquired by Google. There is exactly 0% chance of there being no changes. Why even bother pretending otherwise? Does anyone actually believe that things aren't going to change? EDIT: Like, it doesn't even have to be a bad thing! Sell it! Go hog with "we're integrating processes to make the product better for users" and "this will let us ship updates faster" and "you'll get more features now that we're an official Google product" (Android support, hopefully). There's no reason to go with this absurd premise that there will be no change (which nobody's going to believe anyways) when you could be saying "yes there will be changes and that's a good thing for you".
nashashmi 6y ago
I feel the same. The faq reads in summary “nothing is changing, for now” when it should be stating all of the changes that are about to come. Knowing what I have learned over the last couple of years with changes at google ever since Larry page and pichai took over is that the fun is over and money should now be rolling in. And they are hiding the google effect of this acquisition. In other words, the project is axed. But the enterprise management is cool. And where google will make their money on this bit. Also we won’t support old hardware because enterprise does not like old hardware. And it stops people from buying better chromebooks.

easton_s 6y ago

Neverware was too good for Google not to kill. If you are a Neverware employee "Thank you" for saving our K-12 10's of thousands of dollars. Great product and great customer support. Good Luck!

intrasight 6y ago

I originally assumed that this ran from a USB drive. But it appears that it only boots from USB and then installs itself onto the hard drive. Is that the only option?

intrasight 6y ago
I just read this: Note: CloudReady Home Edition provides the option to “live boot”, running CloudReady directly from a USB device without installing. Live booting has performance and storage limitations and does not support updates, so we recommend that you only use this method temporary testing.

8organicbits 6y ago

Woah, that supported device list is much larger than I expected. https://guide.neverware.com/supported-devices/ https://guide.neverware.com/supported-devices/

markstos 6y ago

If the CloudReady and Chrome OS Linux distros really merge, both could benefit. CloudReady never included Android apps due to licensing issues. A merger could bring Android apps to more devices. Also, CloudReady added native support for installing Flatpaks, which Chrome OS lacks. I imagine if Chrome OS really wanted that on their roadmap they would have added it already, but it would be a welcome addition to Chrome OS if they merge it from CloudReady.

coldtea 6y ago

So, shutting down soon?