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My favorite device is a Chromebook

99 points by nextos 2y ago

ofalkaed 2y ago
I just got a duet 3 two weeks ago and I am surprised by how much I like it. Got it mostly for reading/annotating pdfs but I am finding that I use it for all general computer stuff. The small keyboard took abit to get used too and the chromebook's lack of many common keys with the caps lock being more a function shift still throws me off but is growing on me.
silisili 2y ago
I find them criminally underrated. Mine is also my favorite device, and I've worked months at a time on it as a programmer as my only device. I liked it so much I wanted to install it on my own desktop machine, but unfortunately ChromeOS Flex at least runs an older kernel that doesn't work on newer hardware. In my case it doesn't even try to boot.
codazoda 2y ago
I have one, but I never use it. It sits in a corner. I want to love it, for it’s simplicity if nothing else, but it’s slow and then I’ll want to run something it doesn’t support. Interestingly, I’ve fallen for a Kindle Fire lately. An even more limited device. I also have the pen. My Chromebook has a pen too, but the keyboard folds around and is awkward when in tablet mode. If you have a stylus though, I highly recommend the Squid app. It’s a pretty great app for handwritten notes and drawings. I might have loved the Chromebook more if I had discovered this app on it.
Cheer2171 2y ago
For that price (300 EUR) I'll take a used classic ThinkPad with a shiny new SSD anyday.
- nextos 2y ago
  Me too. I posted this blog, despite I prefer Linux, as I found it intriguing.
  - 0x38B 2y ago
    The message I got was that your device doesn’t have to be perfect to be satisfied with it; paradoxically, I’d wager the OP is more satisfied with his ChromeOS setup than others are with much more expensive devices.
    - kokada 2y ago
      Yes, author of the post here. BTW, I have a 500EUR Thinkpad (P14s Gen 1 AMD) that I like very much but it is heavier, the fans spins often and the battery life is bad (like, 2 hours in a good day). So definitely in a whole other league. I bought this Thinkpad thinking that I would bring everywhere, but after trying to get the battery life to something acceptable and never getting at a good level, I decided to just forget it and leave at my desk. I still love the fact that I can get a 8 core CPU in such a small profile and have 40GB of RAM, but if you ask me which device I would bring in a trip... well, you know the answer already ;).
VHRanger 2y ago
My favorite device is an android phone these days. With termux, I can get most of my work done right away. This is especially true since I switched from VS Code to yazi+helix in the command line as an IDE. The rest of what I need works in a proot ubuntu instance[1] Also, since Android 13, the overall OS is pretty good with floating windows. Some brands (Samsung, Honor, etc.) have full on desktop experiences now with kb+m. Google is slow rolling this into core android since 2017, though, to protect their Chromebook market. 1. https://ivonblog.com/en-us/posts/termux-proot-distro-ubuntu https://ivonblog.com/en-us/posts/termux-proot-distro-ubuntu
- eterps 2y ago
  What's the complete setup like? Keyboard etc.?
  - VHRanger 2y ago
    For termux: install termux from fdroid and pkg install all the stuff you need. There's a couple of gotchas if you try to build stuff directly, but it mostly just works overall. For full Linux with x11 GUI: follow the guide I linked. For the keyboard setup, I just plug keyboard, mouse and monitor on a USB c dongle. I don't use android desktop mode personally. My next device will likely be a foldable phone, with a foldable keyboard and a stand it works as a laptop in a pinch (otherwise dongle for kb/mouse/display)
Yhippa 2y ago
A long time ago, I bought an Acer Chromebook off of Groupon for $100. It was surprisingly performant despite being woefully underpowered. The screen wasn’t big but was bright and had a nice resolution. I too was able to get Crostini up and running but hit the limit with certain windowed apps. I’ve been on the hunt for a Chromebook these days but they feel like poor value to me these days. They tend to have bad speakers, resolution, and frequently processors that run hot and much worse battery life than the Acer. They seem like a worse value today because I expected them to be cheap and run all day while letting me browse the internet quickly. They can do that but at a much higher price and at that point you’re looking at a used MacBook Air or a Windows device.
- nytesky 2y ago
  You need to look for sales. I have an acer Chromebook for $80 which is my daily tagalong computer (I bring it EVERYWHERE) in case I have downtime unexpectedly and want to get stuff done. But I also am an oldster and hate typing on the phone, so a keyboard is a huge draw for me. Battery life is like 6 hours (it says 9 but I’ve never tested it). It charges off a USBC port so can even charge (slowly) from car charger. Decent keyboard and pad.
dankwizard 2y ago
if you re-arrange the letters in 'chromebook' you get 'e-waste'.
- jodrellblank 2y ago
  Nope, you get: https://new.wordsmith.org/anagram/anagram.cgi?anagram=chromebook https://new.wordsmith.org/anagram/anagram.cgi?anagram=chrome... Broke Mooch Hobo Mocker Comb Hooker Hombre Cook Mr Coke Hobo Mr Book Echo Bro Mock Hoe
  - numbsafari 2y ago
    I’m gonna stop you right there and vote for Mr Coke Hobo as the new mascot of the Chromebook.
    - mr_coke_hobo 2y ago
      [flagged]
- vachina 2y ago
  This guy isn’t wrong. Chromebooks are overpriced thin clients to Google’s services. Nothing more, nothing less. Once Google EoL your device (within a year or two lol) it’s as good as paperweight.
  - trog 2y ago
    We've got Chromebooks we bought for our org three years ago that aren't EOL until 2028 at the earliest. Some of the more recent ones are 2030.
  - bitwize 2y ago
    After about 2020 Google pledged to support Chromebooks for 10 years.
  - ewoodrich 2y ago
    I'm at seven years and counting with my OG Pixelbook and still getting regular updates. Although it is currently serving as a dedicated Home Assistant dashboard using a fantastic app called WallPanel (via the Android compatibility layer on ChromeOS).
SamuelAdams 2y ago
I think what is always lacking in these reviews is: compared to what? I’m always curious to see what other devices authors have used prior to this “best device”. For example, I started with a 2010 MacBook Pro, then a T430 Thinkpad, then a dell, then a desktop computer, then Apple finally fixed the butterfly keyboard so now I use a 2021 MacBook Pro. In my experience nothing comes close to the trackpad of the MacBook. But I haven’t tried something like a Framework or a Chromebook. So maybe those are better. I really wish there was a “rent a laptop” service where you could check out a different laptop every month and see if you really like it.
- ofalkaed 2y ago
  He is not claiming it to be a best device and clearly says it is deficient in most everyway but the complete package results in something so useful and handy and easy to carry around that it makes up for all of its faults. A favorite is generally not the best, the word implies being colored by emotion and lacking in logical reasoning.
  - wvenable 2y ago
    You can get laptops in all shapes, sizes, performances, battery-lives, prices, etc. I've never met a Chromebook that seemed like a good value. They're either cheap and underpowered or expensive and overpowered for being a Chromebook.
    - ofalkaed 2y ago
      The Duet is not a laptop, its a Chrome tablet with a detachable keyboard so you can use it as a small laptop or a proper tablet and you get Chrome's linux dev environment tossed into the deal unlike the vast majority of tablets.
      - wvenable 2y ago
        Lenovo makes a Intel i7 version also called the Duet with the same type of detachable keyboard.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
frithsun 2y ago
I'm big on digital minimalism and have relied on Chromebooks for everything for well over a decade now. I have Gimp, Inkscape, and the other flagship Linux apps I need. I have ssh and my tmux/shell/vim development environment I prefer. It would be nice if there were an open source alternative, but all that the open source community wants to deliver is rip-offs of the Windows XP experience. Chromebook is what desktop Linux was supposed to be, but nobody understood that the browser was the Linux desktop the whole time.
- zdragnar 2y ago
  I seem to recall peppermint os started out as the Linux alterative to the windows netbook (circa 2009 maybe?), with the hope of being what chrome os is now, but after awhile of losing to chromebooks it looks like they shifted gears pretty hard.
rationalfaith 2y ago
"And what I think makes ChromeOS really powerful is Crostini, a full Linux VM that you can run inside ChromeOS".... This is akin to the person that uses their left hand to touch their right ear.... Both MacOS and Windows offer that without all constraints and privacy negligent services from Google/Alphabet.
- NotSammyHagar 2y ago
  There might be something more to it. There are a world of software engineers who have access to all that, including me, who find chromeos an excellent env to work on. I have a mac, google isn't spying on your when you write code in crostini and compile it.
- kogepathic 2y ago
  > Both MacOS and Windows offer that without all constraints and privacy negligent services from Google/Alphabet. As yes, Windows, the famously privacy respecting OS. [1] [2] Apple has also been hard at work developing new ways to gatekeep users from running their own software. [3] macOS updates are also widely known to be small, quick to install, and never leave the computer unbootable. [4] /s I, like the author, have had Chromebooks for many years. They are, bar none, the most easy to use and secure by default computer I have ever used. Chromebooks are cheap and are supported for longer than any Windows/macOS release and the update process is utterly seamless and without issue. It has all but removed IT support requests from my elderly relatives. The worst thing they can do is install a sketchy Chrome extension, but that's painless to remove compared to malware. [1] https://www.windowscentral.com/how-remove-advertising-windows-10 https://www.windowscentral.com/how-remove-advertising-window... [2] https://www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-10-telemetry https://www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-10-telemetry [3] https://9to5mac.com/2024/08/06/macos-sequoia-makes-it-harder-to-run-apps-that-dont-follow-apples-security-rules/ https://9to5mac.com/2024/08/06/macos-sequoia-makes-it-harder... [4] https://support.apple.com/en-us/102531 https://support.apple.com/en-us/102531
- kokada 2y ago
  Neither macOS nor Windows offers the deep Linux integration you get with Crostini (macOS doesn't run Linux apps, while WSL2 is good it doesn't offer the same integration as Crostini). And modern version of Windows are much more of a privacy nightmare than ChromeOS, just take a look at the Windows Recall for example.
every 2y ago
The coordination between the containerized Debian terminal and ChromeOS is really quite good. I pop back and forth all day long effortlessly. [disclaimer] I was one of the pre-release beta testers for ChromeOS...
hn_throwaway_99 2y ago
My favorite device used to be a Chromebook. I got a maxed out Pixelbook in 2018 and I loved it, especially as Crostini got better and better over the years. It was my primary dev laptop and I loved using it. I think we know where this is going... Like many other things Google over the past decade, it died on the vine - IIRC Google killed their Chromebook devices group a couple years ago. I would have loved a Pixelbook 2. I'm back on a Macbook because I was just never able to find a Chromebook that had sufficient processing power and memory after the Pixelbook.
- hollerith 2y ago
  Framework makes a Chromebook that can be stuffed with RAM and storage.
  - hn_throwaway_99 2y ago
    Thanks for the reminder. I looked into it when it first came out, and I know there was something I thought was a deal breaker but can't now remember what it was. Perhaps I just didn't realize how much memory can be added. I'll take a closer look again!
- lantry 2y ago
  framework makes a chromebook that you can put 64gb ram in. I don't think you can upgrade the cpu though
  - throawayonthe 2y ago
    the chromebook in question: https://frame.work/ca/en/products/laptop-chromebook-12-gen-intel https://frame.work/ca/en/products/laptop-chromebook-12-gen-i...
  - dheera 2y ago
    Just get the normal Framework, install Ubuntu on it and delete all the icons except for Chrome
JansjoFromIkea 2y ago
Mine's a first gen 8GB Surface Go; very light, decent life, pretty good note-taking functionality with a pen, absurdly cheap used and just about powerful to do the job for situations where I'm travelling and _may_ need to do some minor dev work I use a macbook for dev work generally but the Surface Go has been a godsend for separation of concerns.
modeless 2y ago
The demise of Lacros indicates to me that CrOS is dead as an independent project. Inertia will keep it going for a while but in the long run it is doomed to be subsumed by Android in an unsatisfying way. Which is what a lot of people have predicted for a long time. I think they will eventually be right. https://9to5google.com/2024/07/12/chromeos-lacros-ending/ https://9to5google.com/2024/07/12/chromeos-lacros-ending/
fitsumbelay 2y ago
Eternal yes to this I've been Chromebooking since 2015 as soon as I found out about Crouton, which crashed more often than I'd like so I was happy to see the Linux 'Beta' become a thing. I still have a Mac mini and will probably always but no more towers for me. I have several CBs for biz vs. personal use and haven't spent more than US$180 on any of them. They're not the fastest machines as my OSX machine often reminds me but this is the way forward for me and I try to apply the same decisioning in as many purchases as possible
dosadude94 2y ago
The newer Chromebook plus devices are pretty good and they sell for around the same price. They get the basic right, 8GB Ram, 1080p IPS screen, 256Gig UFS or eMMC 5.1, good speakers and not bad trackpads. I got a ASUS CX34 at the starting of this year. It's been pretty good so far. No complaints with battery life or performance.
jojobas 2y ago
Some chromebooks are decent machines. Unfortunately some strange decisions like the circumcised keyboard layout makes it a no-go.
sedatk 2y ago
> And what I think makes ChromeOS really powerful is Crostini, a full Linux VM that you can run inside ChromeOS. It runs Debian (it seems you can run other distros though) with a deep integration with ChromeOS, so you can run even graphical programs without issues (including OpenGL!) Agreed. WSL2 makes Windows really powerful too.
- kokada 2y ago
  Author of the post here. WSL2 is not even in the same league of Crostini integration though. Also I find Windows really annoying nowadays. In desktops I much prefer to use NixOS with a minimal window manager (i3/Sway/Hyprland).
  - sedatk 2y ago
    What do you mean by not in the same league? You only mentioned running GUI apps, and WSL2 can do that fine.
    - consteval 2y ago
      Well, for starters, you get hardware acceleration and device pass through. So you can use your webcam and stuff under linux and you get animations, smooth video playback, etc. Also you can access your linux files directly from chrome os, and vice versa.
      - sedatk 2y ago
        WSL can do hardware acceleration (for video too), and supports GPU passthrough so Linux CUDA apps can run fine. You can also use your USB devices. You can access your Linux files from Windows easily too. They are under \\wsl$\distroname\…
        sedatk 2y ago
        (and vice versa of course, through /mnt/c /mnt/d etc)
rcarmo 2y ago
Yep, totally feel the same about computers these days: https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2024/07/03/2000 https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2024/07/03/2000
maxglute 2y ago
Pretty happy with chromebook duet, but faster mobile cpus = bloatier android apps. Can't even run youtube app without stuttering anymore. OS itself still pretty servicable.
kokada 2y ago
Hey, author of the post here. Didn't expect someone else to submit it to HN. Happy to answer any questions.
LucidLynx 2y ago
I have the same Chromebook since a few weeks now (got it in sales at 299 euros in France) and... it is my favorite device too. First, the build quality is very nice for 299 euros. It does not feel weak or "plastic" at all. It comes with an ok keyboard and, imoo, a "meh" touchpad. The keyboard offers a nice protection to the chromebook. Most of Android apps work well on this device, on both smartphone & tablet settings. I can open a shell on a Debian distribution using LXC, do my light coding on it without any issue, and then go back to native web apps like YouTube in tablet mode once I finish coding... 2-in-1 chromebooks are really what iPad failed to do for me: both media consumption and light coding when I need to, with a very good battery life (6 to 8h depending of my needs). Also, I can plug in via USB-C on my external screen and work on external screen without any issue. Imoo ChromeOS is really the best "it-just-works" Linux machine since a while, and I really hope Google will continue to maintain this great system (and ecosystem, plugged with my Android phone) for a while! The CPU is a bit weak for heavy coding, and the audio is just "ok" for media consumption, but otherwise I really love this device!
amadeuspagel 2y ago
I used a chromebook for a long time for travel while I was using a linux desktop at home. I've now switched to a macbook as the only device I use due to apple silicon and the macbook being the only laptop I could order with a QWERTY keyboard in germany. Still there are many things I miss from the chromebook: - touchscreen - alt+tab - proper fullscreen mode - linux VM - no annoyances like apple music or "look this up" popping up randomly An entire category of things I miss are things that make tabbed browsing more pleasant. ChromeOS is the only OS that seems designed for that: - swipe to cycle through tabs - triple tap to open in a new tab - move pointer to the top to select other tabs, in effect giving you an infinitely tall tab bar, like MacOS has an infinitely tall menu bar[1] I hope there will be chromebooks with snapdragon x elite chips and Google will figure out distribution like Apple (order and choose keyboard layout online and pick up at a store). [1]: https://blog.codinghorror.com/fitts-law-and-infinite-width/ https://blog.codinghorror.com/fitts-law-and-infinite-width/
- fragmede 2y ago
  https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/ https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/ MacOS has a number of ways to run VMs, including VMware, virtual box, parallels, UTM, qemu

99 points by nextos 2y ago

I just got a duet 3 two weeks ago and I am surprised by how much I like it. Got it mostly for reading/annotating pdfs but I am finding that I use it for all general computer stuff. The small keyboard took abit to get used too and the chromebook's lack of many common keys with the caps lock being more a function shift still throws me off but is growing on me.

silisili 2y ago

I find them criminally underrated. Mine is also my favorite device, and I've worked months at a time on it as a programmer as my only device. I liked it so much I wanted to install it on my own desktop machine, but unfortunately ChromeOS Flex at least runs an older kernel that doesn't work on newer hardware. In my case it doesn't even try to boot.

codazoda 2y ago

I have one, but I never use it. It sits in a corner. I want to love it, for it’s simplicity if nothing else, but it’s slow and then I’ll want to run something it doesn’t support. Interestingly, I’ve fallen for a Kindle Fire lately. An even more limited device. I also have the pen. My Chromebook has a pen too, but the keyboard folds around and is awkward when in tablet mode. If you have a stylus though, I highly recommend the Squid app. It’s a pretty great app for handwritten notes and drawings. I might have loved the Chromebook more if I had discovered this app on it.

Cheer2171 2y ago

For that price (300 EUR) I'll take a used classic ThinkPad with a shiny new SSD anyday.

nextos 2y ago
Me too. I posted this blog, despite I prefer Linux, as I found it intriguing.
- 0x38B 2y ago
  The message I got was that your device doesn’t have to be perfect to be satisfied with it; paradoxically, I’d wager the OP is more satisfied with his ChromeOS setup than others are with much more expensive devices.
  - kokada 2y ago
    Yes, author of the post here. BTW, I have a 500EUR Thinkpad (P14s Gen 1 AMD) that I like very much but it is heavier, the fans spins often and the battery life is bad (like, 2 hours in a good day). So definitely in a whole other league. I bought this Thinkpad thinking that I would bring everywhere, but after trying to get the battery life to something acceptable and never getting at a good level, I decided to just forget it and leave at my desk. I still love the fact that I can get a 8 core CPU in such a small profile and have 40GB of RAM, but if you ask me which device I would bring in a trip... well, you know the answer already ;).

VHRanger 2y ago

My favorite device is an android phone these days. With termux, I can get most of my work done right away. This is especially true since I switched from VS Code to yazi+helix in the command line as an IDE. The rest of what I need works in a proot ubuntu instance[1] Also, since Android 13, the overall OS is pretty good with floating windows. Some brands (Samsung, Honor, etc.) have full on desktop experiences now with kb+m. Google is slow rolling this into core android since 2017, though, to protect their Chromebook market. 1. https://ivonblog.com/en-us/posts/termux-proot-distro-ubuntu https://ivonblog.com/en-us/posts/termux-proot-distro-ubuntu

eterps 2y ago
What's the complete setup like? Keyboard etc.?
- VHRanger 2y ago
  For termux: install termux from fdroid and pkg install all the stuff you need. There's a couple of gotchas if you try to build stuff directly, but it mostly just works overall. For full Linux with x11 GUI: follow the guide I linked. For the keyboard setup, I just plug keyboard, mouse and monitor on a USB c dongle. I don't use android desktop mode personally. My next device will likely be a foldable phone, with a foldable keyboard and a stand it works as a laptop in a pinch (otherwise dongle for kb/mouse/display)

Yhippa 2y ago

A long time ago, I bought an Acer Chromebook off of Groupon for $100. It was surprisingly performant despite being woefully underpowered. The screen wasn’t big but was bright and had a nice resolution. I too was able to get Crostini up and running but hit the limit with certain windowed apps. I’ve been on the hunt for a Chromebook these days but they feel like poor value to me these days. They tend to have bad speakers, resolution, and frequently processors that run hot and much worse battery life than the Acer. They seem like a worse value today because I expected them to be cheap and run all day while letting me browse the internet quickly. They can do that but at a much higher price and at that point you’re looking at a used MacBook Air or a Windows device.

nytesky 2y ago
You need to look for sales. I have an acer Chromebook for $80 which is my daily tagalong computer (I bring it EVERYWHERE) in case I have downtime unexpectedly and want to get stuff done. But I also am an oldster and hate typing on the phone, so a keyboard is a huge draw for me. Battery life is like 6 hours (it says 9 but I’ve never tested it). It charges off a USBC port so can even charge (slowly) from car charger. Decent keyboard and pad.

dankwizard 2y ago

if you re-arrange the letters in 'chromebook' you get 'e-waste'.

jodrellblank 2y ago
Nope, you get: https://new.wordsmith.org/anagram/anagram.cgi?anagram=chromebook https://new.wordsmith.org/anagram/anagram.cgi?anagram=chrome... Broke Mooch Hobo Mocker Comb Hooker Hombre Cook Mr Coke Hobo Mr Book Echo Bro Mock Hoe
- numbsafari 2y ago
  I’m gonna stop you right there and vote for Mr Coke Hobo as the new mascot of the Chromebook.
  - mr_coke_hobo 2y ago
    [flagged]
vachina 2y ago
This guy isn’t wrong. Chromebooks are overpriced thin clients to Google’s services. Nothing more, nothing less. Once Google EoL your device (within a year or two lol) it’s as good as paperweight.
- trog 2y ago
  We've got Chromebooks we bought for our org three years ago that aren't EOL until 2028 at the earliest. Some of the more recent ones are 2030.
- bitwize 2y ago
  After about 2020 Google pledged to support Chromebooks for 10 years.
- ewoodrich 2y ago
  I'm at seven years and counting with my OG Pixelbook and still getting regular updates. Although it is currently serving as a dedicated Home Assistant dashboard using a fantastic app called WallPanel (via the Android compatibility layer on ChromeOS).

SamuelAdams 2y ago

I think what is always lacking in these reviews is: compared to what? I’m always curious to see what other devices authors have used prior to this “best device”. For example, I started with a 2010 MacBook Pro, then a T430 Thinkpad, then a dell, then a desktop computer, then Apple finally fixed the butterfly keyboard so now I use a 2021 MacBook Pro. In my experience nothing comes close to the trackpad of the MacBook. But I haven’t tried something like a Framework or a Chromebook. So maybe those are better. I really wish there was a “rent a laptop” service where you could check out a different laptop every month and see if you really like it.

ofalkaed 2y ago
He is not claiming it to be a best device and clearly says it is deficient in most everyway but the complete package results in something so useful and handy and easy to carry around that it makes up for all of its faults. A favorite is generally not the best, the word implies being colored by emotion and lacking in logical reasoning.
- wvenable 2y ago
  You can get laptops in all shapes, sizes, performances, battery-lives, prices, etc. I've never met a Chromebook that seemed like a good value. They're either cheap and underpowered or expensive and overpowered for being a Chromebook.
  - ofalkaed 2y ago
    The Duet is not a laptop, its a Chrome tablet with a detachable keyboard so you can use it as a small laptop or a proper tablet and you get Chrome's linux dev environment tossed into the deal unlike the vast majority of tablets.
    - wvenable 2y ago
      Lenovo makes a Intel i7 version also called the Duet with the same type of detachable keyboard.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

frithsun 2y ago

I'm big on digital minimalism and have relied on Chromebooks for everything for well over a decade now. I have Gimp, Inkscape, and the other flagship Linux apps I need. I have ssh and my tmux/shell/vim development environment I prefer. It would be nice if there were an open source alternative, but all that the open source community wants to deliver is rip-offs of the Windows XP experience. Chromebook is what desktop Linux was supposed to be, but nobody understood that the browser was the Linux desktop the whole time.

zdragnar 2y ago
I seem to recall peppermint os started out as the Linux alterative to the windows netbook (circa 2009 maybe?), with the hope of being what chrome os is now, but after awhile of losing to chromebooks it looks like they shifted gears pretty hard.

rationalfaith 2y ago

"And what I think makes ChromeOS really powerful is Crostini, a full Linux VM that you can run inside ChromeOS".... This is akin to the person that uses their left hand to touch their right ear.... Both MacOS and Windows offer that without all constraints and privacy negligent services from Google/Alphabet.

NotSammyHagar 2y ago
There might be something more to it. There are a world of software engineers who have access to all that, including me, who find chromeos an excellent env to work on. I have a mac, google isn't spying on your when you write code in crostini and compile it.
kogepathic 2y ago
> Both MacOS and Windows offer that without all constraints and privacy negligent services from Google/Alphabet. As yes, Windows, the famously privacy respecting OS. [1] [2] Apple has also been hard at work developing new ways to gatekeep users from running their own software. [3] macOS updates are also widely known to be small, quick to install, and never leave the computer unbootable. [4] /s I, like the author, have had Chromebooks for many years. They are, bar none, the most easy to use and secure by default computer I have ever used. Chromebooks are cheap and are supported for longer than any Windows/macOS release and the update process is utterly seamless and without issue. It has all but removed IT support requests from my elderly relatives. The worst thing they can do is install a sketchy Chrome extension, but that's painless to remove compared to malware. [1] https://www.windowscentral.com/how-remove-advertising-windows-10 https://www.windowscentral.com/how-remove-advertising-window... [2] https://www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-10-telemetry https://www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-10-telemetry [3] https://9to5mac.com/2024/08/06/macos-sequoia-makes-it-harder-to-run-apps-that-dont-follow-apples-security-rules/ https://9to5mac.com/2024/08/06/macos-sequoia-makes-it-harder... [4] https://support.apple.com/en-us/102531 https://support.apple.com/en-us/102531
kokada 2y ago
Neither macOS nor Windows offers the deep Linux integration you get with Crostini (macOS doesn't run Linux apps, while WSL2 is good it doesn't offer the same integration as Crostini). And modern version of Windows are much more of a privacy nightmare than ChromeOS, just take a look at the Windows Recall for example.

every 2y ago

The coordination between the containerized Debian terminal and ChromeOS is really quite good. I pop back and forth all day long effortlessly. [disclaimer] I was one of the pre-release beta testers for ChromeOS...

hn_throwaway_99 2y ago

My favorite device used to be a Chromebook. I got a maxed out Pixelbook in 2018 and I loved it, especially as Crostini got better and better over the years. It was my primary dev laptop and I loved using it. I think we know where this is going... Like many other things Google over the past decade, it died on the vine - IIRC Google killed their Chromebook devices group a couple years ago. I would have loved a Pixelbook 2. I'm back on a Macbook because I was just never able to find a Chromebook that had sufficient processing power and memory after the Pixelbook.

hollerith 2y ago
Framework makes a Chromebook that can be stuffed with RAM and storage.
- hn_throwaway_99 2y ago
  Thanks for the reminder. I looked into it when it first came out, and I know there was something I thought was a deal breaker but can't now remember what it was. Perhaps I just didn't realize how much memory can be added. I'll take a closer look again!
lantry 2y ago
framework makes a chromebook that you can put 64gb ram in. I don't think you can upgrade the cpu though
- throawayonthe 2y ago
  the chromebook in question: https://frame.work/ca/en/products/laptop-chromebook-12-gen-intel https://frame.work/ca/en/products/laptop-chromebook-12-gen-i...
- dheera 2y ago
  Just get the normal Framework, install Ubuntu on it and delete all the icons except for Chrome

JansjoFromIkea 2y ago

Mine's a first gen 8GB Surface Go; very light, decent life, pretty good note-taking functionality with a pen, absurdly cheap used and just about powerful to do the job for situations where I'm travelling and _may_ need to do some minor dev work I use a macbook for dev work generally but the Surface Go has been a godsend for separation of concerns.

modeless 2y ago

The demise of Lacros indicates to me that CrOS is dead as an independent project. Inertia will keep it going for a while but in the long run it is doomed to be subsumed by Android in an unsatisfying way. Which is what a lot of people have predicted for a long time. I think they will eventually be right. https://9to5google.com/2024/07/12/chromeos-lacros-ending/ https://9to5google.com/2024/07/12/chromeos-lacros-ending/

fitsumbelay 2y ago

Eternal yes to this I've been Chromebooking since 2015 as soon as I found out about Crouton, which crashed more often than I'd like so I was happy to see the Linux 'Beta' become a thing. I still have a Mac mini and will probably always but no more towers for me. I have several CBs for biz vs. personal use and haven't spent more than US$180 on any of them. They're not the fastest machines as my OSX machine often reminds me but this is the way forward for me and I try to apply the same decisioning in as many purchases as possible

dosadude94 2y ago

The newer Chromebook plus devices are pretty good and they sell for around the same price. They get the basic right, 8GB Ram, 1080p IPS screen, 256Gig UFS or eMMC 5.1, good speakers and not bad trackpads. I got a ASUS CX34 at the starting of this year. It's been pretty good so far. No complaints with battery life or performance.

jojobas 2y ago

Some chromebooks are decent machines. Unfortunately some strange decisions like the circumcised keyboard layout makes it a no-go.

sedatk 2y ago

> And what I think makes ChromeOS really powerful is Crostini, a full Linux VM that you can run inside ChromeOS. It runs Debian (it seems you can run other distros though) with a deep integration with ChromeOS, so you can run even graphical programs without issues (including OpenGL!) Agreed. WSL2 makes Windows really powerful too.

kokada 2y ago
Author of the post here. WSL2 is not even in the same league of Crostini integration though. Also I find Windows really annoying nowadays. In desktops I much prefer to use NixOS with a minimal window manager (i3/Sway/Hyprland).
- sedatk 2y ago
  What do you mean by not in the same league? You only mentioned running GUI apps, and WSL2 can do that fine.
  - consteval 2y ago
    Well, for starters, you get hardware acceleration and device pass through. So you can use your webcam and stuff under linux and you get animations, smooth video playback, etc. Also you can access your linux files directly from chrome os, and vice versa.
    - sedatk 2y ago
      WSL can do hardware acceleration (for video too), and supports GPU passthrough so Linux CUDA apps can run fine. You can also use your USB devices. You can access your Linux files from Windows easily too. They are under \\wsl$\distroname\…
      - sedatk 2y ago
        (and vice versa of course, through /mnt/c /mnt/d etc)

rcarmo 2y ago

Yep, totally feel the same about computers these days: https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2024/07/03/2000 https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2024/07/03/2000

maxglute 2y ago

Pretty happy with chromebook duet, but faster mobile cpus = bloatier android apps. Can't even run youtube app without stuttering anymore. OS itself still pretty servicable.

kokada 2y ago

Hey, author of the post here. Didn't expect someone else to submit it to HN. Happy to answer any questions.

LucidLynx 2y ago

I have the same Chromebook since a few weeks now (got it in sales at 299 euros in France) and... it is my favorite device too. First, the build quality is very nice for 299 euros. It does not feel weak or "plastic" at all. It comes with an ok keyboard and, imoo, a "meh" touchpad. The keyboard offers a nice protection to the chromebook. Most of Android apps work well on this device, on both smartphone & tablet settings. I can open a shell on a Debian distribution using LXC, do my light coding on it without any issue, and then go back to native web apps like YouTube in tablet mode once I finish coding... 2-in-1 chromebooks are really what iPad failed to do for me: both media consumption and light coding when I need to, with a very good battery life (6 to 8h depending of my needs). Also, I can plug in via USB-C on my external screen and work on external screen without any issue. Imoo ChromeOS is really the best "it-just-works" Linux machine since a while, and I really hope Google will continue to maintain this great system (and ecosystem, plugged with my Android phone) for a while! The CPU is a bit weak for heavy coding, and the audio is just "ok" for media consumption, but otherwise I really love this device!

amadeuspagel 2y ago

I used a chromebook for a long time for travel while I was using a linux desktop at home. I've now switched to a macbook as the only device I use due to apple silicon and the macbook being the only laptop I could order with a QWERTY keyboard in germany. Still there are many things I miss from the chromebook: - touchscreen - alt+tab - proper fullscreen mode - linux VM - no annoyances like apple music or "look this up" popping up randomly An entire category of things I miss are things that make tabbed browsing more pleasant. ChromeOS is the only OS that seems designed for that: - swipe to cycle through tabs - triple tap to open in a new tab - move pointer to the top to select other tabs, in effect giving you an infinitely tall tab bar, like MacOS has an infinitely tall menu bar[1] I hope there will be chromebooks with snapdragon x elite chips and Google will figure out distribution like Apple (order and choose keyboard layout online and pick up at a store). [1]: https://blog.codinghorror.com/fitts-law-and-infinite-width/ https://blog.codinghorror.com/fitts-law-and-infinite-width/

fragmede 2y ago
https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/ https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/ MacOS has a number of ways to run VMs, including VMware, virtual box, parallels, UTM, qemu