Chromebooks

digitalscream · September 2023

Y'know, I didn't really realise how far Chromebooks had come. Last time I used one was a couple of years after they came out, and I can hardly even say the experience was mediocre, much less usable.

I've got to head over to Belfast next month, so I've just picked up a cheap second-hand 2017 Pixelbook with the 7th gen Intel i7 CPU, 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD - that's a very good spec for any laptop, really. The ChromeOS experience is vastly different to the one I saw back then - everything's smooth as you like, the Android integration works perfectly (including the seamless hotspot integration, which is nice), and for us developers it even has a built-in Linux virtual machine that lets you run any Linux app as though it was running natively on the device.

Oh, and the screen is outstanding. 3:2 displays are inherently better than widescreens anyway, but this one is beyond retina-level of resolution and you'd swear it was painted on the screen.

Did I mention the price? £250. Which, to me, is an absolute bargain for a quality machine. Sure, a 7th Gen i7 CPU isn't the fastest around, but then...I don't need it to be. It's still fast enough to be snappy when I want to be, and I guarantee that it'll spend more time waiting for me than vice versa.

Grunfeld · September 2023

That's how they look to me too. My partner got a decent one last year and it's lovely and didn't cost the earth even new. It does all your everyday tasks really well, fast and no fuss.

As it happens she gave me an old Chromebook, which I swear gave the warning message, "This is your last chance -- you are about to brick the system!" just before I installed Mint Xfce. That was my first Linux desktop and it gave the Chromebook a new lease of life.

digitalscream · September 2023

Grunfeld said:

That's how they look to me too. My partner got a decent one last year and it's lovely and didn't cost the earth even new. It does all your everyday tasks really well, fast and no fuss.

As it happens she gave me an old Chromebook, which I swear gave the warning message, "This is your last chance -- you are about to brick the system!" just before I installed Mint Xfce. That was my first Linux desktop and it gave the Chromebook a new lease of life.

Yeah...part of me wants to hose it and install Linux on it bare (particularly since it can take 20s or so to launch the virtual machine when you fire up the first Linux app), but I'm also kind of enjoying the seamless Android integration etc. I also suspect the battery life is better running ChromeOS on its own, which is what I'll likely be doing most of the time.

Chris.B · September 2023

Chromebooks seem to be excellent value for money compared to Windows or Mac OS laptops.

The biggest downside is that I have not see a DAW app that will support VSTs - unless anyone out there knows better?

EricTheWeary · September 2023

My son had a Chromebook many years ago and it was quite limited. However, as I don't have access to a laptop or PC these days I have been thinking about getting one, basically as a word processor plus a slightly larger screen than my iPad for YouTube,etc.

monquixote · September 2023

Totally agree

I have a windows machine and a Mac and prefer the Chromebook.

It's the computer that "it just works" really applies to.

EricTheWeary · September 2023

Is there a good place to look for a used/refurbished Chromebook (for those of us who aren't computer savvy)?

digitalscream · September 2023

EricTheWeary said:

Is there a good place to look for a used/refurbished Chromebook (for those of us who aren't computer savvy)?

I think the trick is to decide what specs you want, and then hunt on eBay. That's what I did...the 2017 Pixelbook is basically the most premium one you could get, and I don't think any released since have been better. I just happened to have a look, and I was quite surprised by the prices.

It used to be that they weren't such a good idea because of the short support window for updates, but Google have extended it to 10 years...so, suddenly the more premium but older models have become really quite attractive.

sev112 · September 2023

So could you run office 365 on these ?

Stratavarious · September 2023

Can the Linux VM run Reaper? And do USB audio interfaces connect?

EricTheWeary · September 2023

digitalscream said:

EricTheWeary said:

Is there a good place to look for a used/refurbished Chromebook (for those of us who aren't computer savvy)?

I think the trick is to decide what specs you want, and then hunt on eBay. That's what I did...the 2017 Pixelbook is basically the most premium one you could get, and I don't think any released since have been better. I just happened to have a look, and I was quite surprised by the prices.

It used to be that they weren't such a good idea because of the short support window for updates, but Google have extended it to 10 years...so, suddenly the more premium but older models have become really quite attractive.

Cheers. I'll get my son to look at specs with me and see what's out there.

digitalscream · September 2023

sev112 said:

So could you run office 365 on these ?

Only the browser version.

Stratavarious said:

Can the Linux VM run Reaper? And do USB audio interfaces connect?

I bet it would run, but it wouldn't be using the realtime kernel or the proper low-latency audio services that you'd get in Linux. I think you'd probably have to scrub the machine completely and install Linux raw to make that work with any degree of success.

EricTheWeary said:

digitalscream said:

EricTheWeary said:

Is there a good place to look for a used/refurbished Chromebook (for those of us who aren't computer savvy)?

I think the trick is to decide what specs you want, and then hunt on eBay. That's what I did...the 2017 Pixelbook is basically the most premium one you could get, and I don't think any released since have been better. I just happened to have a look, and I was quite surprised by the prices.

It used to be that they weren't such a good idea because of the short support window for updates, but Google have extended it to 10 years...so, suddenly the more premium but older models have become really quite attractive.

Cheers. I'll get my son to look at specs with me and see what's out there.

For what it's worth, this is the one I got:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165896627036

Nitefly · September 2023

I've been using one for about 18 months now, with no hassles except that there doesn't seem to be a driver for my printer, an ancient Samsung colour laser printer.

@sev112 you can use Google Docs and Sheets instead of MS Office - it will save as docx and xlsx formats. That said, I don't use any heavy-duty features...

stimpsonslostson · September 2023

I've been using a chromebook as my day-to-day computer for quite a while.
I picked it up cheaply at the start of the COVID pandemic, it's really low spec:
4gb Ram, 16gig hd

but it just worked, Android app support, seamless syncing with my google account etc. The battery life and convenience are the two biggest selling points to me. I routinely get 13hrs out of a charge and as the laptop weighs virtually nothing & only cost me £40 I can throw it into a bag and take it with me wherever I go.
I've written 3 novels on it using google docs and use it for web browsing.

The only issue I had was that it reached EoL two years ago, so rather than bricking the machine I unlocked the BIOS (not for the faint hearted but surprisingly easy if you follow a youtube video) then I was able to install Peppermint OS. This gave me a full Linux setup.
Recently I've switched to ChromeFlex OS- which has returned it to being a Chromebook but lacks the Android apps.

crunchman · September 2023

We've got an old Chromebook that probably hasn't been turned on for two years. I must say I am tempted by these stories of putting Linux on them.

As for using it as a Chromebook, my daughter was trying to use it at the start of the pandemic for online school, but it was rubbish. I bought a refurbished Windows desktop instead.

There is stuff that the Google Docs does not handle well. Maybe if you use it full time in the native Google Docs format they are ok, but there were worksheets she was getting with boxes for her to complete them electronically, and the Google stuff just wouldn't let her fill out those boxes. She had all kinds of problems.

It kept flaking out on the the Zoom or whatever they were using for the lessons as well.

If you just want something portable for surfing the net, email, and online banking, then it will be ok. I wouldn't want one as my main machine though, and I'd probably still look at getting a refurbished Windows laptop in preference, so I could put Office on it.

stimpsonslostson · September 2023

This is the video I used.

If you go for Linux you can get a full office suite like libre office. Especially if you're not using the device, what have you got to lose?

stimpsonslostson · September 2023

Just remember to check the system requirements for your distro before installing.
I found that Linux lite and MX didn't get on with my touch pad, but Peppermint (very lightweight) or Zorin (fully featured OS) both worked really well.

ThePrettyDamned · September 2023

I have a feeling it'll go from strength to strength. I want a laptop for photo editing and while lightroom isn't quite there, the cloud-based app is getting exceedingly good and is available on the Google store.

So for now I'm still in windows, but I reckon my next windows laptop will be the last. As soon as a chromebook has p3 colour and cloud based lightroom has really caught up to lightroom classic there will be no need to have anything heavier.

mudslide73 · September 2023

My only experience is with the basic student models that are totally reliant on Google Workspace. Initially, there were compatibility issues with resources that were created with Office, but that seems to have been ironed out now. I may get a decent one with some storage to see if it can bridge the gap. They've really changed people's expectations when waiting for any other machine to boot up

Axe_meister · September 2023

You can now install ChromeOS on anything with Chrome OS Flex, even an old Macbook.

digitalscream · November 2023

test test

digitalscream · November 2023

test

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