Chromebooks and ChromeOS

How to know when ChromeOS support is ending on your ChromeBook

(February 26, 2019) Chromebooks are so perfect at what they do - light weight computing that just works. We bought our Acer C720's a few years ago and then haven't thought a bit about whether Google would keep support going, meaning continuing to patch and update the software. Turns out that Google's promise is approximately 6 years of support updates for each ChromeBook model. That timeline is not from the date you purchased your device, but from the date the specific model was launched.

Google starting Androidization of ChromeOS with v70 release due mid-October

(August 29, 2018) ChromeOS 70 is due in mid-October, and this video demonstrates many new features that are directly related to Android P. Remember that ChromeOS is in a transition period with incorporating Android Application support, Linux support, and tablet computers. The video says there is indications a new ChromeOS tablet is on its way, and should be announced in early October.



Crostini supports running Linux apps on Chromebooks, should supplant Crouton

(April 23, 2018) Chromebooks are built on Linux, but does not allow access to the command line -- for security reasons. Therefore it's attractive to access the command-line, and Crouton has existed for years allowing us to install a Linux version on a Chromebook. Crouton requires the Chromebook to be put into Developer mode. Crostini is different as it is leveraging virtual machine and/or container technology Google is building into ChromeOS.

HP Chromebook x2, worlds first detachable screen Chromebook tablet/notebook

(April 8, 2018) A tablet-like computer running both ChromeOS and Android, with a detachable keyboard, has exciting potential. The keyboard is there if/when required, and it operates as a tablet (with pen) when/if required. Potentially it's the best of both worlds, offering keyboard, touch, and pen input, to applications running in either browser or Android applications. The pen is only available for selected models. As a tablet, it is an ultra-thin device (8.2mm) weighing a diminuitive 1.62 lbs. Attaching the keyboard makes it 15mm, and increases weight to 3.14 lbs. It sports a 7th generation Core processor, up to 8GB memory, up to 32GB SSD storage, and has an MicroSD slot for up to 256GB external storage. It has two USB type C ports for charging and data transfer. Price starts at US $599, with availability starting in June 2018 through the HP online store and Best Buy.

Acer Chromebook Tab 10, First Chrome OS Tablet

(March 26, 2018) The first Chromebook Tablet computer has arrived from Acer. It is a 9.7 inch tablet that weighs just 1.21 lbs. It is geared for the education market, and some of the specs (5 megapixel rear camera) are not top end. It does include the Google Play store for easy access to Android applications. It comes standard with a Wacom EMR stylus for drawing on the screen or taking notes.

Is it worthwhile to buy a Chromebook over other laptops or tablet computers?

(Sun Oct 29 2017 20:59:52 GMT-0700 (Pacific Daylight Time))

Even though Chromebooks have been on the market for several years, many still view them with suspicion. Chrome is just a web browser, so how could it be a useable operating system for a laptop computer? Or, the price is so low, how could these computers be any good? Or, Chromebooks are what my kid uses at school, how could they be any good for any serious computing? Or, Chromewhats?

There are many reasons to be skeptical of Chromebooks and therefore be leery of buying one. Chromebooks will not satisfy every purpose, but then there's no computer that does so. Chromebooks fill a certain target area very well, while traditional laptop computers fill a different target area very well, and tablet computers fill another target area very well. A Chromebook makes a lot of sense for some people, and no sense for others.

Installing Android on (almost) any Chromebook








Mounting Dropbox, SFTP and other remote filesystems on ChromeOS

(2015-03-28 12:14)

A crazy limitation of Chromebooks has been the inability to access remote file systems (other than Google Drive). While Google Drive is a fine cloud oriented file system, and works great with Google Docs, I need to access files on my Drobo (with SMB/CIFS protocol), or various remote services like Dropbox or an SFTP connection to webservers. My needs may be a little more complex than most because of the web development work I do. Anyone contemplating adopting a Chromebook in a business would have to be nervous about handing company documents or other files over to Google for safekeeping. Hence, there's a serious need for Chromebooks to access remote file systems other than Google Drive.

Successfully mounting Drobo shares from a Chromebook with Crouton w/ Ubuntu 14.04 installed

(2015-02-16 13:10) The last couple weeks I've switched my working environment from a MacBook Pro to a Chromebook that has Ubuntu installed under Crouton. A lot of my work is developing Node.js software, and writing website content, and my habits are to live at the command line typing commands. But it also means accessing the large amount of content I have stashed on the MacBook Pro, and a Drobo 5N. MacOSX can easily mount shares on the Drobo, letting me access those files as if they were on the local machine. By default Chromebooks cannot do this, meaning the Chrome browser side of my Chromebook cannot (at this time) access anything stored on the Drobo. Because Ubuntu is installed (via Crouton), that side of the Chromebook theoretically can mount shares on the Drobo, but I ran into problems trying to directly mount the SMB share using Ubuntu 14.04 tools. Fortunately I've developed an alternate method that's nearly as good and quite easy to implement.