6 ms·

interesting. Just how cheap are they, and how cut down can we make them, and are they easy to jailbreak? I'd love to play around with some for making into serve

interesting. Just how cheap are they, and how cut down can we make them, and are they easy to jailbreak? I'd love to play around with some for making into servers or even pi-like things for robotics

als0 3y ago
They can be as cheap as $89 at Walmart.
- RugnirViking 3y ago
  I was thinking more about second hand ones. i'd love to pick up a bulk of 10 or 20 them if it wont be an enormous pain to jailbreak them all
  - alchemist1e9 3y ago
    I have such an ambition also. There was a link recently to models which can be flashed and run pure Linux kernels.
  - traverseda 3y ago
    https://mrchromebox.tech/#devices https://mrchromebox.tech/#devices You probably want one that supports uefi firmware, which I think is libreboot.
    - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
      It's coreboot, plus I think tianocore/edk2 to provide UEFI
deelowe 3y ago
They are not easy to jailbreak. Many can't run Linux natively due to hardware restrictions.
- DHowett 3y ago
  https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/docs/+/HEAD/write_protection.md https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/docs/+/HEAD/wri... Chromebooks are among the better-documented and more open hardware platforms. The document above indicates how to disable firmware write protection both within and without the operating system. It also includes this quote: > Since the start of the project, the Chrome OS team strongly believes that when someone buys a device, they own it fully. ... To that end, we strongly believe that users must be free to fully program their device in any way they want. Can you point to any ChromeOS devices that have violated this principle?
  - mdwalters 3y ago
    >> [...] we strongly believe that users must be free to fully program their device in any way they want. If this is the case, then why doesn't Google provide an official utility to install another OS on it?
  - deelowe 3y ago
    I don't have the model in front of me, but many lenovo chromebooks cannot have any other OS installed.
jacobwilliamroy 3y ago
I have an Acer Chromebook. It dual boots into debian but in order to remove the chrome OS I think I have to unscrew some part and then short a couple of pins somewhere. This is the best I can remember. I read those instructions like 6 years ago and never bothered to try and follow them.
- mdwalters 3y ago
  Really? All it took for me was to format `/dev/mmcblkp1` to use Fedora 38 exclusively.
  - jacobwilliamroy 3y ago
    Oh it looks so easy now. Like I said it's been a few years since I read those instructions so things have probably changed. And I haven't actually used my chromebook since I lost the power cable in 2019.
  - jraph 3y ago
    Yes, it was a thing on some models. It was easy to do, but opening a laptop can be scary to many people and it voided the warranty. At least it was possible to hack the devices, but no such bullshit is ever necessary on any regular laptop.
    - phpisthebest 3y ago
      >>and it voided the warranty. Opening the laptop would not void any warranty in the EU, or US. That is FUD. Manufacturers can not prevent people from "opening their devices" with threats of voiding warranty, and even putting the stickers that say that are illegal for which the FTC sent a latter to many manufacturers including Apple to tell them to knock that off.
      - jraph 3y ago
        Good to know.
  - 3y ago

interesting. Just how cheap are they, and how cut down can we make them, and are they easy to jailbreak? I'd love to play around with some for making into servers or even pi-like things for robotics

als0 3y ago

They can be as cheap as $89 at Walmart.

RugnirViking 3y ago
I was thinking more about second hand ones. i'd love to pick up a bulk of 10 or 20 them if it wont be an enormous pain to jailbreak them all
- alchemist1e9 3y ago
  I have such an ambition also. There was a link recently to models which can be flashed and run pure Linux kernels.
- traverseda 3y ago
  https://mrchromebox.tech/#devices https://mrchromebox.tech/#devices You probably want one that supports uefi firmware, which I think is libreboot.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
    It's coreboot, plus I think tianocore/edk2 to provide UEFI

deelowe 3y ago

They are not easy to jailbreak. Many can't run Linux natively due to hardware restrictions.

DHowett 3y ago
https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/docs/+/HEAD/write_protection.md https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/docs/+/HEAD/wri... Chromebooks are among the better-documented and more open hardware platforms. The document above indicates how to disable firmware write protection both within and without the operating system. It also includes this quote: > Since the start of the project, the Chrome OS team strongly believes that when someone buys a device, they own it fully. ... To that end, we strongly believe that users must be free to fully program their device in any way they want. Can you point to any ChromeOS devices that have violated this principle?
- mdwalters 3y ago
  >> [...] we strongly believe that users must be free to fully program their device in any way they want. If this is the case, then why doesn't Google provide an official utility to install another OS on it?
- deelowe 3y ago
  I don't have the model in front of me, but many lenovo chromebooks cannot have any other OS installed.

jacobwilliamroy 3y ago

I have an Acer Chromebook. It dual boots into debian but in order to remove the chrome OS I think I have to unscrew some part and then short a couple of pins somewhere. This is the best I can remember. I read those instructions like 6 years ago and never bothered to try and follow them.

mdwalters 3y ago
Really? All it took for me was to format `/dev/mmcblkp1` to use Fedora 38 exclusively.
- jacobwilliamroy 3y ago
  Oh it looks so easy now. Like I said it's been a few years since I read those instructions so things have probably changed. And I haven't actually used my chromebook since I lost the power cable in 2019.
- jraph 3y ago
  Yes, it was a thing on some models. It was easy to do, but opening a laptop can be scary to many people and it voided the warranty. At least it was possible to hack the devices, but no such bullshit is ever necessary on any regular laptop.
  - phpisthebest 3y ago
    >>and it voided the warranty. Opening the laptop would not void any warranty in the EU, or US. That is FUD. Manufacturers can not prevent people from "opening their devices" with threats of voiding warranty, and even putting the stickers that say that are illegal for which the FTC sent a latter to many manufacturers including Apple to tell them to knock that off.
    - jraph 3y ago
      Good to know.
- 3y ago