Chromebooks

[maryslittlegarden]

Anyone have any experience with these at all?

[Kaesekopf]

Yes.  Why?

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[maryslittlegarden]

I'm looking at buying one... .  It's a good price and most of what I need is online.

[Kaesekopf]

I like them.  It's all chrome, so just be warned.  Lol

Neat little devices.

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[Lynne]

Here's a comparison between tablets and chromebooks.

http://blog.laptopmag.com/chromebook-vs-tablet

I would be uncomfortable with the fact that you can only have Chrome apps on the chromebook.

What is steering you towards a chromebook versus a laptop, price? You could get a used/refurbished laptop...

[maryslittlegarden]

Here's a comparison between tablets and chromebooks.

http://blog.laptopmag.com/chromebook-vs-tablet

I would be uncomfortable with the fact that you can only have Chrome apps on the chromebook.

What is steering you towards a chromebook versus a laptop, price? You could get a used/refurbished laptop...

I have a regular laptop right now - just looking for a backup.  I use Chrome on my computer now (not as an operating system, though.)

[Gardener]

http://www.datamation.com/open-source/google-chrome-os-vs.-ubuntu-1.html

Chrome has some features... but for that matter, you could just get a cheaper laptop and just install Ubuntu or even another copy of Windows so you have a true backup machine.


If you notice... a "good" Chromebook is still around 300 bucks: http://blog.laptopmag.com/best-chromebooks.

You could easily do a windows machine for that.

To be fully honest, I have literally 0% experience with Chromebooks, but lines like, "And while Chromebooks have limited offline capability, there's a growing number of apps that work without a Wi-Fi connection." do not bode well with me.

In my view, a laptop should be 100% capable offline, with apps exception, and should not be apps based. Online ability is icing on a cake, not part of the integral recipe.

To clarify, Chrome OS is largely what is known as a thin client. Meaning, everything is actually done somewhere else for the most part. This is changing and more native applications/ability are being introduced, but still... if internet is down, the majority of your laptop's ability is down too.

What this translates to is that the intention of a backup is not actually achieved.

Therefore, I do not recommend the Chromebook for such a purpose as the intended goal is not truly realized.

[Lynne]

Here's a comparison between tablets and chromebooks.

http://blog.laptopmag.com/chromebook-vs-tablet

I would be uncomfortable with the fact that you can only have Chrome apps on the chromebook.

What is steering you towards a chromebook versus a laptop, price? You could get a used/refurbished laptop...

I have a regular laptop right now - just looking for a backup.  I use Chrome on my computer now (not as an operating system, though.)

Ah, that makes sense...

My only other concern would be the printer. Is your printer connected to your wifi? If not, you may not be able to print from a chromebook?

[Lynne]

http://www.datamation.com/open-source/google-chrome-os-vs.-ubuntu-1.html

Chrome has some features... but for that matter, you could just get a cheaper laptop and just install Ubuntu or even another copy of Windows so you have a true backup machine.


If you notice... a "good" Chromebook is still around 300 bucks: http://blog.laptopmag.com/best-chromebooks.

You could easily do a windows machine for that.

To be fully honest, I have literally 0% experience with Chromebooks, but lines like, "And while Chromebooks have limited offline capability, there's a growing number of apps that work without a Wi-Fi connection." do not bode well with me.

In my view, a laptop should be 100% capable offline, with apps exception, and should not be apps based. Online ability is icing on a cake, not part of the integral recipe.

It sounds like a chromebook is a step up from a tablet (in that it has a physical keyboard). So it might be a good temporary solution if one's laptop suddenly needs to go into the shop.

To be honest with you, I wouldn't recommend Ubuntu for someone who isn't technically-inclined...

[Gardener]

http://www.datamation.com/open-source/google-chrome-os-vs.-ubuntu-1.html

Chrome has some features... but for that matter, you could just get a cheaper laptop and just install Ubuntu or even another copy of Windows so you have a true backup machine.


If you notice... a "good" Chromebook is still around 300 bucks: http://blog.laptopmag.com/best-chromebooks.

You could easily do a windows machine for that.

To be fully honest, I have literally 0% experience with Chromebooks, but lines like, "And while Chromebooks have limited offline capability, there's a growing number of apps that work without a Wi-Fi connection." do not bode well with me.

In my view, a laptop should be 100% capable offline, with apps exception, and should not be apps based. Online ability is icing on a cake, not part of the integral recipe.

It sounds like a chromebook is a step up from a tablet (in that it has a physical keyboard). So it might be a good temporary solution if one's laptop suddenly needs to go into the shop.

To be honest with you, I wouldn't recommend Ubuntu for someone who isn't technically-inclined...

It's fairly user friendly. Best is, it's free and can run on pretty much any junker laptop had for 25 bucks at the thrift.

But for the stated goal of a backup, it has the same downfall as chromebook.

[maryslittlegarden]

I really  like chrome and wish that it had a fully functioning operating system (like windows only hopefully better.) I'm thinking I'll got the cheap laptop route.  I wish I knew enough to go the Linux/ Ubuntu route.

[LouisIX]

I've owned 3 different models of the Chromebook.  I've loved them all.  They're fantastic so long as you understand what they do and what they do not do.  If you have any specific questions I might be able to answer them.

[Gardener]

I've owned 3 different models of the Chromebook.  I've loved them all.  They're fantastic so long as you understand what they do and what they do not do.  If you have any specific questions I might be able to answer them.

Did you find the lack of native apps to be a problem when without connectivity, as the reviews indicate is an issue?

[LouisIX]

No, but I'm always connected, and the new Chromebooks have optional 3G.

[Duchamp]

Chrome is a promising model, but too many developers find that the work they do is too exposed (I figure)...the majority of apps written as scripts running in the browser. This belief is unfounded, because you can use server side stuff, and there are other chrome introduced options, not to mention the fact that you can take responsibility for protecting your own code even in an open source model; But because of this, the number of true software options on chrome is very very limited (no one has even bothered to make a blender3d port--open source--in all these years).


Add to this the fact that Google can't really decide whether or not this is an open source project, bending to unfounded attacks from Microsoft, that make the absurd claim that an in browser graphic crash is the same thing as malicious software: and you have further limitations on the developer.

Even though chrome has a kiosk mode, I was unable to make a kiosk for my dad recovering from a stroke that linked to his favorite sites. The reason for this is that even linking to a website is considered a security privilege only afforded to the verified author of that site, when writing an app.

This is an environment that encourages neither commercial or open source development. In the end all a developer or user will have is a browser, nothing more.

As for not recommending Ubuntu for someone who isn't technically inclined. I respectfully assert this is a patently false perception. It shouldn't be recommended to people who are only guided by expectations The level of complexity involved with learning Ubuntu as a simple user, is far less than any other OS: programs installed with two words on a terminal or browsing through an in OS app catalog package manager.The real reason you shouldn't use Ubuntu is that they started collecting information from their gnome search bar and selling it to a third party. They have become a massive corporation. And all of this is done simply to recreate a far more limited version of a terminal on your desktop, surrounded by windows with useless transparency effects. This is why so many users reverted to older versions of Gnome and flavors like Linuxmint.

The level of complexity you reach when it gets down to something like gentoo, I would assert--even though considered a "power user" scenario--is even less. With command line text editors writing to simple buffers. Though I wouldn't recommend entering the realm without reading and guidance, there aren't many realms worth entering that don't require those two things. (Remember the first time you used a computer, you had to do the same thing  ^_^   .. Keep Growing! ... The fate of humanity depends on it..fight the singularity!)