4 ms·

Google really isn't great at marketing. I'm sure there are many people who could use a Chromebox who don't know what it is.

by eli 3y ago

zilti 3y ago
Nah, it's for the best if as few people as possible use that crap
smoldesu 3y ago
It's a box. It has Chrome on it. In a world of ambiguously named yet-successful products, I think Chromebook/Chromebox is the most straightforward naming convention you could ask for.
- eli 3y ago
  I like ChromeOS but it has <2% market share and has the same name as the most popular web browser in the world. Every windows and mac computer is also a "box with Chrome on it."
  - smoldesu 3y ago
    I don't like ChromeOS, but I gotta admit it's a perfectly fine name for the system. They don't bury the lede ("this runs Chrome") and they suffix it with a brief product identifier. If you are looking for a device with Chrome on it, this will qualify. If you need a Windows machine or a Mac, they aren't pretending to compete with them. Is there a more straightforward name that even makes sense here?
    - eli 3y ago
      This is a weird argument. Every computer runs Chrome so that doesn't explain why anyone would want a ChromeOS device. There's nothing wrong with the name, but it's also not so well-known or self-evident that it never needs to be explained.
- neogodless 3y ago
  Whoa, just realized some of my past custom built desktops were Chromeboxes. (Current one does not have Chrome on it. Maybe it's a FirefoxBox?!) I still think there's room for better communication on the product page. It's hardware in a form factor I like. What can I use it for? Can I install any OS I want?
  - smoldesu 3y ago
    The whole "Chromebox" nomenclature is about as meaningful as the "Steam Machine" or "Mac" designations. If you build a designated gaming PC with Steam, it's a Steam Machine. If you've got a device running MacOS, it's a Mac. There's no real fanfare to the thing, it's just a nominative way to cover the base specifications of a device. > It's hardware in a form factor I like. What can I use it for? Can I install any OS I want? I'll be damned if a single product page for consumer hardware tells me any of those things anymore. I'd happily support legislation that pushes manufacturers to disclose that info, though.
- mbesto 3y ago
  Does it run Microsoft Word? Can I play Diablo 4 on it? Honestly, I don't know, but that's why it's not straightforward.
  - smoldesu 3y ago
    Does it run in Chrome? That should pretty decisively figure things out for you. It's more straightforward than explaining to people that the 'X' in Xbox stands for DirectX, or that 'i' in iPhone means internet. Chrome is a browser, it runs in a box. It neatly ties two concepts together in a way that the majority of consumers will grok. Is there a more obvious name suggestion that I'm missing here?
    - eli 3y ago
      It runs Android apps too actually, including Word.
  - toast0 3y ago
    Sure, you can run Word in a browser these days, and you can probably run the Android Word too. No, you can't run (easily) Word for Windows, as it's not Windows, nor Word for Mac. Diablo 4 is a definite no. But probably maybe one of the VNC for games services has a frontend that works on Chrome OS; with all of the baggage that comes with. If you're willing to put in work, older chromeboxes make decent, somewhat quirky general purpose PCs that can run FreeBSD or Windows or whatever, but it's still unlikely to play Diablo 4, because it's an intel laptop cpu with integrated graphics.

Google really isn't great at marketing. I'm sure there are many people who could use a Chromebox who don't know what it is.

by eli 3y ago

Google really isn't great at marketing. I'm sure there are many people who could use a Chromebox who don't know what it is.

zilti 3y ago

Nah, it's for the best if as few people as possible use that crap

smoldesu 3y ago

It's a box. It has Chrome on it. In a world of ambiguously named yet-successful products, I think Chromebook/Chromebox is the most straightforward naming convention you could ask for.

eli 3y ago
I like ChromeOS but it has <2% market share and has the same name as the most popular web browser in the world. Every windows and mac computer is also a "box with Chrome on it."
- smoldesu 3y ago
  I don't like ChromeOS, but I gotta admit it's a perfectly fine name for the system. They don't bury the lede ("this runs Chrome") and they suffix it with a brief product identifier. If you are looking for a device with Chrome on it, this will qualify. If you need a Windows machine or a Mac, they aren't pretending to compete with them. Is there a more straightforward name that even makes sense here?
  - eli 3y ago
    This is a weird argument. Every computer runs Chrome so that doesn't explain why anyone would want a ChromeOS device. There's nothing wrong with the name, but it's also not so well-known or self-evident that it never needs to be explained.
neogodless 3y ago
Whoa, just realized some of my past custom built desktops were Chromeboxes. (Current one does not have Chrome on it. Maybe it's a FirefoxBox?!) I still think there's room for better communication on the product page. It's hardware in a form factor I like. What can I use it for? Can I install any OS I want?
- smoldesu 3y ago
  The whole "Chromebox" nomenclature is about as meaningful as the "Steam Machine" or "Mac" designations. If you build a designated gaming PC with Steam, it's a Steam Machine. If you've got a device running MacOS, it's a Mac. There's no real fanfare to the thing, it's just a nominative way to cover the base specifications of a device. > It's hardware in a form factor I like. What can I use it for? Can I install any OS I want? I'll be damned if a single product page for consumer hardware tells me any of those things anymore. I'd happily support legislation that pushes manufacturers to disclose that info, though.
mbesto 3y ago
Does it run Microsoft Word? Can I play Diablo 4 on it? Honestly, I don't know, but that's why it's not straightforward.
- smoldesu 3y ago
  Does it run in Chrome? That should pretty decisively figure things out for you. It's more straightforward than explaining to people that the 'X' in Xbox stands for DirectX, or that 'i' in iPhone means internet. Chrome is a browser, it runs in a box. It neatly ties two concepts together in a way that the majority of consumers will grok. Is there a more obvious name suggestion that I'm missing here?
  - eli 3y ago
    It runs Android apps too actually, including Word.
- toast0 3y ago
  Sure, you can run Word in a browser these days, and you can probably run the Android Word too. No, you can't run (easily) Word for Windows, as it's not Windows, nor Word for Mac. Diablo 4 is a definite no. But probably maybe one of the VNC for games services has a frontend that works on Chrome OS; with all of the baggage that comes with. If you're willing to put in work, older chromeboxes make decent, somewhat quirky general purpose PCs that can run FreeBSD or Windows or whatever, but it's still unlikely to play Diablo 4, because it's an intel laptop cpu with integrated graphics.