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ChromeOS is wildly underrated in general, not only for software development. App sandboxing on standard (non-ChromeOS) Linux distributions is painful and finic
by isp 3y ago
ChromeOS is wildly underrated in general, not only for software development.
App sandboxing on standard (non-ChromeOS) Linux distributions is painful and finicky, while it "just works" on ChromeOS.
I wish there was a non-hacky way to use Chromebooks without a Google account.
The hacky options are:
- "Switch to dev mode". But I don't want to be prompted to factory reset each boot.
- "Create a dummy Google account and use that". But I don't want file syncing and tracking to reach Google at all, not even on a dummy account.
- "Create a dummy Google account and use guest mode". But I want persistent storage.
- freedomben 3y agoChromium OS might be a good choice for you. I ran it on my Pinebook Pro for a bit and really liked it, and it's much more open.
- isp 3y agoThanks - I had a very brief look at Chromium OS, but couldn't spot answers to: (1) Is there a de-googled version of Chromium OS? (2) Is there a non-hacky way to install it to a Chromebook?
- rd07 3y agoI haven't used it yet, but maybe openfyde.io is one of the de-googled versions of Chromium OS
- bubblethink 3y agoNobody has the time to build, test, and maintain Chromium OS. Distros barely manage to build and maintain chromium.
- ajross 3y ago> - "Switch to dev mode". But I don't want to be prompted to factory reset each boot. Developer mode simply puts up a splash at boot warning you that the OS is custom, you just press enter to boot. The requirement to do a drive wipe is a one-time thing when you enable it the first time (for obvious reasons, to prevent exfiltration of data stored by a secured OS).
- isp 3y agoThanks - has this changed in the past few years? A few years back (when I last looked in depth), it was very easy at every boot (not only first boot) to accidentally wipe everything - e.g., https://www.reddit.com/r/Crouton/comments/3be2su/reducing_risk_of_accidentally_exiting_developers/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Crouton/comments/3be2su/reducing_ri... I also remember that it made a loud beep on every boot!
- senkora 3y agoI used a Chromebook as my main laptop for a year in college, and I always had to apologize to nearby strangers for the beep. (CS major, coding happened mostly over SSH to the school servers, but I did run RStudio locally)
- ajross 3y agoHow often does one reboot their laptop around nearby strangers? I gotta be honest that some of these criticisms seem a little strained. I mean, it's true, they beep at boot when dev mode is enabled!
- senkora 3y agoIt’s been awhile and I don’t remember why I had to reboot, but it did happen. I guess past me did a lot of work in cafes, office hours, and common areas. I do remember that running a certain R program consistently caused the Chromebook to turn off, which was quite an issue for one particular office hours session!
- doubled112 3y agoI shut all of my computers all the way off when I’m finished using them, which means I have to turn them on when I start using them.
- jeffbee 3y agoIs this an adaptation to some past trauma? I can't imagine a good reason to do this today, certainly not with ChromeOS.