10 ms·

Gallium OS: a fast and lightweight Linux distro for ChromeOS devices

136 points by mikece 5y ago

disembiggen 5y ago
so there's not a clear "why" on this page, just a "download" digging for it yields the wiki which says: "Why Linux? More applications Linux can run many different types of applicatons. No matter what you're trying to do, an application exists for Linux. ChromeOS is very limited. Sure, NaCl (Native Client) brings the ability to run native code to ChromeOS, but that's a hack at best, and there's still no good software to take advantage of it. With Linux you can install any Linux compatible software, totally natively. Firefox, Transmission (BitTorrent), LibreOffice, Steam, VLC Media Player, Kodi Media Center, the GIMP, VirtualBox, and many more are available on Linux to do things that simply aren't possible on ChromeOS. " which... isn't true? chromeos can run at least most of those just fine, and has been able to for a while? https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9145439?hl=en https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9145439?hl=en
- VSpike 5y ago
  The "why" here ... or at least the reason for me to flash my Chromebook BIOS and install Gallium ... was because my Chromebook went EoL by Google and I wanted to see if I can keep it going for a while. Gallium is an amazing piece of work, and the documentation is superb, but it's starting to show that it's on a very out of date base and there's no sign of a new version for some time. The efforts seem to have slowed down, which is a shame. It leaves me wondering if the main patches and drivers in the kernel fork could ever be merged upstream. Maybe there's some technical or legal reason why not, or maybe it's just the work required and nobody has the time. Either way, I hope it remains possible to run old Chromebooks for a while yet! They are often decent, cheap hardware if a little slow.
  - shiftoutbox 5y ago
    Yes , there are a lot of quirks in the chrome book platform . I have a 2015 hp 11e and nothing works on it but chromeos, win7 and gallium. No Ubuntu , FreeBSD , NetBSD or red hat .
- thom 5y ago
  Same reason people install Linux on their computers instead of just using WSL on Windows. It's faster, it's more natural, and the whole OS receives updates forever.
  - smm11 5y ago
    Then why is a Gallium that's out-of-date be an issue? If you have an older Chrombook, from the time when Gallium was maintained, and if Linux indeed "updates forever," go with Gallium.
- px43 5y ago
  Just the fact that it mentions NaCl means it must have been written in the 2013-2014 era.
- joosters 5y ago
  I installed Gallium several years back, on a chromebook that didn't support any of that (at the time, at least). Gallium was also the only distro I found that worked out of the box with full hardware support (audio, webcam, etc). Other commenters say that those drivers are now in other distros too, so Gallium may no longer have its original USPs... Running other OSs on my chromebook is a bit of a pain, because every time you boot, you get a BIOS screen warning you about non-google software (and offering to wipe everything!). Also, (and maybe unique to my chromebook model), it has a nasty gotcha: if you ever let the battery drain empty, then the firmware loses its settings and it will no longer boot at all :( That one was fun to diagnose and fix...
The_rationalist 5y ago
Why a dedicated distro, can't you use any distro on a chromebook?
- epirogov 5y ago
  it should be firmware for a distro to install on chromebook. macbooks i thinks also have firmware, not a bios.
beagle3 5y ago
This might be a good place to ask - I have a first generation Samsung Chromebook (exynos arm based) which is no longer supported by Google. Gallium doesn’t support it; is anyone else using this device? Which OS are you using? And did you open it to reflash the bios, or you just ctrl-d each boot and hope not to accidentally press space?
- epirogov 5y ago
  try to ask author of firmwares i have used to x86 chromebook for me: https://github.com/MrChromebox/scripts/blob/master/cbmodels.json https://github.com/MrChromebox/scripts/blob/master/cbmodels.... I am also interested on this thin Samsung for me but I lended it to a neighbour child. Can not do an experiment.
le-mark 5y ago
The “news” section shows the last release was in 2019. Not that it matters really. I never used gallium, because other distros just worked. Flash the bios with mr chromebox firmware and install whatever. I’ve been using Ubuntu 14 now 18 on an old acer for 9 years now, no issues other than its very very low powered by today’s standards. Edit to add the one thing I did have to was install gallium keybindings which support the funky chrome book function keys.
- mikece 5y ago
  > The “news” section shows the last release was in 2019. I noticed this too... is this project dead? > Flash the bios with mr chromebox firmware... I had not heard of this path before; is it a one-way trip to load linux on a Chrome OS device this way or can it be reverted to factory settings (when it's time to pawn the device off on someone else)?
  - lin83 5y ago
    I think they recommend just using normal Ubuntu now that most of the drivers have been upstreamed.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
    I've never actually done this, but the process of flashing the firmware prompts you to back up the original firmware and I'm pretty sure you can just put it back on
    - yebyen 5y ago
      My experience with this, and I'll stress that I'm sure it varies by device, is that using the Mr. Chromebox firmware to install GalliumOS works great, until you allow the device to be put to sleep or run out of battery. Then the firmware is restored to the original, without any user request. This blocks you from booting your Linux environment again but is otherwise non-destructive (you can just run Mr. Chromebox again to get the necessary firmware re-installed) (My device is a HP Chromebook 14")
epirogov 5y ago
yeah, I switched my ThinkPad 131e to GalliumOs and found how to login to google account with Chromium browser. Any lags after update, Good job! https://pirogove.blogspot.com/2021/08/gallium-is-remedy-for-my-old-chromebook.html https://pirogove.blogspot.com/2021/08/gallium-is-remedy-for-... As a bonus github.dev team already fixed js error and editor works with Chronium browser already.
mwcampbell 5y ago
Is XFCE really any faster or lighter than the Chromium OS desktop environment (IIUC, basically Chromium without an intervening display server like Xorg or a Wayland compositor)? My guess is that, since one basically has to run a web browser anyway, it's probably not.
- mikece 5y ago
  I might be bringing my own biases but I don't think speed is the primary feature of this. Rather, not being connected to Google's data collection/surveillance capitalism system is the feature.
  - flatiron 5y ago
    I would think running stuff other than just a web browser is the use case. The device goes from portable web browser to Linux laptop with every tool a professional developer uses at your finger tips (and a web browser)
    - mwcampbell 5y ago
      I suspect that this distinction will be irrelevant to the next generation, as services like GitHub Code Spaces, which provide a full development environment inside a web browser, become more normal.
      - flatiron 5y ago
        Can you run node in the web browser and debug through there? I’m not the brightest crayon in the box, I spend most of my life in the debugger!
        nickcoury 5y ago
        Yes, there's at least one option for that now! https://blog.stackblitz.com/posts/introducing-webcontainers/ https://blog.stackblitz.com/posts/introducing-webcontainers/
umvi 5y ago
Gallium OS is great, I even donated because it's provided so much value. Been running it for years on my old Acer Chromebook after Google EoL'd it.
john-tells-all 5y ago
dead: no activity since mid-2017: https://github.com/GalliumOS/galliumos-distro/graphs/code-frequency https://github.com/GalliumOS/galliumos-distro/graphs/code-fr...
- irq-1 5y ago
  That repository was updated: a0abbfc on Jan 4, 2020 And it's not the code. "Docs, issues, and artwork sources for GalliumOS"
smm11 5y ago
Browser, text editor, terminal. Seems to me old ChromeOS can do that.
KSPAtlas 5y ago
Doesn't work on AMD.
awinter-py 5y ago
per hardware compat page https://wiki.galliumos.org/Hardware_Compatibility https://wiki.galliumos.org/Hardware_Compatibility , most recent fully supported device is 2018 device from a company called positivo, supported devices from mainstream manufacturers are 2017 and earlier I wish there were a foundation that worked on linux support for more recently released devices (laptops + chromebooks), I would fund this fwupd / ubuntu certifications seem close, but they also seem more about supporting specific devices within a machine, and less about supporting the whole machine
wronglebowski 5y ago
Anyone interested should check out Breath. An active project with a similar goal. I've run it on multiple Chromebooks and love the experience. https://cb-linux.github.io/breath/ https://cb-linux.github.io/breath/
jacquesm 5y ago
If you're into this and want a cheap and stable system you could look into buying the Asus chromeboxes that Google sells for their 'meet' hardware, they're pretty neat, can be upgraded to 16G and there are some that have an i7 in them, you can typically get them at surplus prices because the sellers usually don't know what to do with them. The internal 32G SSD can be upgraded as well to a larger format one. Note that the write protect switch is on a different location on the motherboard than indicated in most docs, it is a screw with a bunch of solderpads on it, look for a large diameter very flat screwhead, that's the one. Just unscrew it and leave it out.
- Melatonic 5y ago
  Super interesting - are there multiple generations of these?
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    Yes, there are a couple of different versions, with a variety of CPUs.
    - Melatonic 5y ago
      So basically just get the ones that have a higher end i7 or i5 it sounds like, upgrade RAM if necessary + SSD ( I am guessing its mSata or NVME) and then turn that little screw for write protection? This has to be the best kept secret in PC's lol
      - jacquesm 5y ago
        Yes, that's exactly it. > This has to be the best kept secret in PC's lol Not any more. I put a link to a picture of the mb upthread so you know which screw to remove.
- zucked 5y ago
  How do they perform? I run an older Mac Mini to do all my network routing, IP Camera recording, PVR, etc. I would expect they've got some decent graphics prowess seeing as how their sole job in life to capture and display video conferencing…
bwoodward 5y ago
I've used Gallium on an old Toshiba chromebook for years. I don't use the system full time, but there are no driver issues or anything with Gallium. Its pretty impressive and gave new life to an otherwise crappy laptop.
timonoko 5y ago
It was too "lightweight". Some of the core functions of Linux were missing and there was no method to add them back to the kernel.
schwartzworld 5y ago
Gallium is great! I learned to code on a Chromebook. Originally I ran Linux in a tab using Chrouton, then I switched to gallium when I became aware of it. It just worked for me, and I still have that device for my kids to bang on.

136 points by mikece 5y ago

so there's not a clear "why" on this page, just a "download" digging for it yields the wiki which says: "Why Linux? More applications Linux can run many different types of applicatons. No matter what you're trying to do, an application exists for Linux. ChromeOS is very limited. Sure, NaCl (Native Client) brings the ability to run native code to ChromeOS, but that's a hack at best, and there's still no good software to take advantage of it. With Linux you can install any Linux compatible software, totally natively. Firefox, Transmission (BitTorrent), LibreOffice, Steam, VLC Media Player, Kodi Media Center, the GIMP, VirtualBox, and many more are available on Linux to do things that simply aren't possible on ChromeOS. " which... isn't true? chromeos can run at least most of those just fine, and has been able to for a while? https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9145439?hl=en https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9145439?hl=en

VSpike 5y ago
The "why" here ... or at least the reason for me to flash my Chromebook BIOS and install Gallium ... was because my Chromebook went EoL by Google and I wanted to see if I can keep it going for a while. Gallium is an amazing piece of work, and the documentation is superb, but it's starting to show that it's on a very out of date base and there's no sign of a new version for some time. The efforts seem to have slowed down, which is a shame. It leaves me wondering if the main patches and drivers in the kernel fork could ever be merged upstream. Maybe there's some technical or legal reason why not, or maybe it's just the work required and nobody has the time. Either way, I hope it remains possible to run old Chromebooks for a while yet! They are often decent, cheap hardware if a little slow.
- shiftoutbox 5y ago
  Yes , there are a lot of quirks in the chrome book platform . I have a 2015 hp 11e and nothing works on it but chromeos, win7 and gallium. No Ubuntu , FreeBSD , NetBSD or red hat .
thom 5y ago
Same reason people install Linux on their computers instead of just using WSL on Windows. It's faster, it's more natural, and the whole OS receives updates forever.
- smm11 5y ago
  Then why is a Gallium that's out-of-date be an issue? If you have an older Chrombook, from the time when Gallium was maintained, and if Linux indeed "updates forever," go with Gallium.
px43 5y ago
Just the fact that it mentions NaCl means it must have been written in the 2013-2014 era.
joosters 5y ago
I installed Gallium several years back, on a chromebook that didn't support any of that (at the time, at least). Gallium was also the only distro I found that worked out of the box with full hardware support (audio, webcam, etc). Other commenters say that those drivers are now in other distros too, so Gallium may no longer have its original USPs... Running other OSs on my chromebook is a bit of a pain, because every time you boot, you get a BIOS screen warning you about non-google software (and offering to wipe everything!). Also, (and maybe unique to my chromebook model), it has a nasty gotcha: if you ever let the battery drain empty, then the firmware loses its settings and it will no longer boot at all :( That one was fun to diagnose and fix...

The_rationalist 5y ago

Why a dedicated distro, can't you use any distro on a chromebook?

epirogov 5y ago
it should be firmware for a distro to install on chromebook. macbooks i thinks also have firmware, not a bios.

beagle3 5y ago

This might be a good place to ask - I have a first generation Samsung Chromebook (exynos arm based) which is no longer supported by Google. Gallium doesn’t support it; is anyone else using this device? Which OS are you using? And did you open it to reflash the bios, or you just ctrl-d each boot and hope not to accidentally press space?

epirogov 5y ago
try to ask author of firmwares i have used to x86 chromebook for me: https://github.com/MrChromebox/scripts/blob/master/cbmodels.json https://github.com/MrChromebox/scripts/blob/master/cbmodels.... I am also interested on this thin Samsung for me but I lended it to a neighbour child. Can not do an experiment.

le-mark 5y ago

The “news” section shows the last release was in 2019. Not that it matters really. I never used gallium, because other distros just worked. Flash the bios with mr chromebox firmware and install whatever. I’ve been using Ubuntu 14 now 18 on an old acer for 9 years now, no issues other than its very very low powered by today’s standards. Edit to add the one thing I did have to was install gallium keybindings which support the funky chrome book function keys.

mikece 5y ago
> The “news” section shows the last release was in 2019. I noticed this too... is this project dead? > Flash the bios with mr chromebox firmware... I had not heard of this path before; is it a one-way trip to load linux on a Chrome OS device this way or can it be reverted to factory settings (when it's time to pawn the device off on someone else)?
- lin83 5y ago
  I think they recommend just using normal Ubuntu now that most of the drivers have been upstreamed.
- yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
  I've never actually done this, but the process of flashing the firmware prompts you to back up the original firmware and I'm pretty sure you can just put it back on
  - yebyen 5y ago
    My experience with this, and I'll stress that I'm sure it varies by device, is that using the Mr. Chromebox firmware to install GalliumOS works great, until you allow the device to be put to sleep or run out of battery. Then the firmware is restored to the original, without any user request. This blocks you from booting your Linux environment again but is otherwise non-destructive (you can just run Mr. Chromebox again to get the necessary firmware re-installed) (My device is a HP Chromebook 14")

epirogov 5y ago

yeah, I switched my ThinkPad 131e to GalliumOs and found how to login to google account with Chromium browser. Any lags after update, Good job! https://pirogove.blogspot.com/2021/08/gallium-is-remedy-for-my-old-chromebook.html https://pirogove.blogspot.com/2021/08/gallium-is-remedy-for-... As a bonus github.dev team already fixed js error and editor works with Chronium browser already.

mwcampbell 5y ago

Is XFCE really any faster or lighter than the Chromium OS desktop environment (IIUC, basically Chromium without an intervening display server like Xorg or a Wayland compositor)? My guess is that, since one basically has to run a web browser anyway, it's probably not.

mikece 5y ago
I might be bringing my own biases but I don't think speed is the primary feature of this. Rather, not being connected to Google's data collection/surveillance capitalism system is the feature.
- flatiron 5y ago
  I would think running stuff other than just a web browser is the use case. The device goes from portable web browser to Linux laptop with every tool a professional developer uses at your finger tips (and a web browser)
  - mwcampbell 5y ago
    I suspect that this distinction will be irrelevant to the next generation, as services like GitHub Code Spaces, which provide a full development environment inside a web browser, become more normal.
    - flatiron 5y ago
      Can you run node in the web browser and debug through there? I’m not the brightest crayon in the box, I spend most of my life in the debugger!
      - nickcoury 5y ago
        Yes, there's at least one option for that now! https://blog.stackblitz.com/posts/introducing-webcontainers/ https://blog.stackblitz.com/posts/introducing-webcontainers/

umvi 5y ago

Gallium OS is great, I even donated because it's provided so much value. Been running it for years on my old Acer Chromebook after Google EoL'd it.

john-tells-all 5y ago

dead: no activity since mid-2017: https://github.com/GalliumOS/galliumos-distro/graphs/code-frequency https://github.com/GalliumOS/galliumos-distro/graphs/code-fr...

irq-1 5y ago
That repository was updated: a0abbfc on Jan 4, 2020 And it's not the code. "Docs, issues, and artwork sources for GalliumOS"

smm11 5y ago

Browser, text editor, terminal. Seems to me old ChromeOS can do that.

KSPAtlas 5y ago

Doesn't work on AMD.

awinter-py 5y ago

per hardware compat page https://wiki.galliumos.org/Hardware_Compatibility https://wiki.galliumos.org/Hardware_Compatibility , most recent fully supported device is 2018 device from a company called positivo, supported devices from mainstream manufacturers are 2017 and earlier I wish there were a foundation that worked on linux support for more recently released devices (laptops + chromebooks), I would fund this fwupd / ubuntu certifications seem close, but they also seem more about supporting specific devices within a machine, and less about supporting the whole machine

wronglebowski 5y ago

Anyone interested should check out Breath. An active project with a similar goal. I've run it on multiple Chromebooks and love the experience. https://cb-linux.github.io/breath/ https://cb-linux.github.io/breath/

jacquesm 5y ago

If you're into this and want a cheap and stable system you could look into buying the Asus chromeboxes that Google sells for their 'meet' hardware, they're pretty neat, can be upgraded to 16G and there are some that have an i7 in them, you can typically get them at surplus prices because the sellers usually don't know what to do with them. The internal 32G SSD can be upgraded as well to a larger format one. Note that the write protect switch is on a different location on the motherboard than indicated in most docs, it is a screw with a bunch of solderpads on it, look for a large diameter very flat screwhead, that's the one. Just unscrew it and leave it out.

Melatonic 5y ago
Super interesting - are there multiple generations of these?
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Yes, there are a couple of different versions, with a variety of CPUs.
  - Melatonic 5y ago
    So basically just get the ones that have a higher end i7 or i5 it sounds like, upgrade RAM if necessary + SSD ( I am guessing its mSata or NVME) and then turn that little screw for write protection? This has to be the best kept secret in PC's lol
    - jacquesm 5y ago
      Yes, that's exactly it. > This has to be the best kept secret in PC's lol Not any more. I put a link to a picture of the mb upthread so you know which screw to remove.
zucked 5y ago
How do they perform? I run an older Mac Mini to do all my network routing, IP Camera recording, PVR, etc. I would expect they've got some decent graphics prowess seeing as how their sole job in life to capture and display video conferencing…

bwoodward 5y ago

I've used Gallium on an old Toshiba chromebook for years. I don't use the system full time, but there are no driver issues or anything with Gallium. Its pretty impressive and gave new life to an otherwise crappy laptop.

timonoko 5y ago

It was too "lightweight". Some of the core functions of Linux were missing and there was no method to add them back to the kernel.

schwartzworld 5y ago

Gallium is great! I learned to code on a Chromebook. Originally I ran Linux in a tab using Chrouton, then I switched to gallium when I became aware of it. It just worked for me, and I still have that device for my kids to bang on.