Anyone like their Chromebook?

[Ed Lijewski]

So my Samsung Chromebook lost its Chrome browser support a week or so ago (expired/EOL support after ~ close to 6 years).

Today I connected my Samsung S5 with Chrome and Firefox browsers to my Chromebook via the tethering function.

Et Voila, everything I've tried accessing via the Chromebook works normally.

Happy Camper here .

[morlynon]

I got my Chromebook two years ago and so far I have no complaints.

[zxr250cc]

Another possible solution is to get an older but still good laptop that had Windows XP or 7 on it and use Linux. I think some of us mentioned that before. I have updated a couple of older laptops for a friend doing that. I used Open Suse 15 with the KDE desktop on his 64 bit dual core CPU/2.5GHZ chipset Acer laptop with 2GB of ram and it runs fast and well. I have an older Gateway 32 bit computer with 2.8GHZ single CPU Pentium of his that I have loaded Linux Mint 19 on and it runs great also. It had 1GB of ram but older ram is cheap so I bought a 1GB chipset for $13 and it has 1.5GB now (all it can support) and runs very well. I ordered a new battery for that for ~$30 and it will be good to go with a LTS release with support till 2023. (Long Term Service) Linux is secure, social and free...

www.opensuse.org
www.linuxmint.com

Oh, bye the way, Android is a based off Linux, I believe.

Cheers

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

Got a banner ad message on Ebay. Says I may not be secure enough to purchase on Ebay six months from now. So by then I will be just past the 6 year mark. I have the user agent switcher on here (to behave like various browsers on list) but Ebay still knows I'm outdated. Guess I will get a new chromebook and use this one for playing around. Remove read only screw, new os etc.
So $200/72 weeks = $2.77 a month, pretty cheap still.

[zxr250cc]

Well it seems you could have a dual boot system on a Chromebook. I will add a link below for this:
https://www.lifewire.com/install-linux- ... ok-4125253

Just a thought. Happy New Year All!

Oh, I notice that there is a free version of Android you can download and have the latest version of that on your tablet... Computers can be as addictive in their own way as cars, eh?

[zxr250cc]

A web site with free Android downloads so you could update to a new version on your Chromebook with that.

http://www.android-x86.org/

I guess a Chromebook is ARM based but not sure. This site has versions for x86 like normal PC stuff and ARM for tablet type gear.

Cheers

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

You can put basically anything on it, even chrome again. But you lose the advantage of having a chromebook in the first place. More than once while clicking on all kinds of stuff from a google search, I had to restart. Once I'm back up and running everything is perfect. No junk installed from that site. No slow stuff. Nothing. If you put chromium on a PC you will look and feel like your on your chromebook until something happens. Same thing if you change the read only stuff on an old chromebook and install chromium. The AUE policy basically forces you to get a new one.

[zxr250cc]

Hi,

Having only looked at those at point of purchase long ago I have to plead ignorance of knowing what special feature would it have as you mention? The software is somehow adding another feature? I would like to understand this. Please explain. Maybe I will go and look at one at Wally World to see what they do as it has been some time since I paid any attention to them.

Cheers

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

It's not the software really but the hardware. Read only and not read/write. So things can't become corrupted. If I remove a little screw inside it lets me install windows or linux or whatever. Then I'm basically left with a slow laptop with a small harddrive. I also thought it was running android like a phone when I was looking at them, but it is really just the chrome browser with some features added.

[zxr250cc]

Oh, OK, I understand now. So, what are the specs for the hardware?

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

The hardware is really really basic. That's one of the reasons it was only 199.99. I'm sure if I had windows it would be slow as balls.

[zxr250cc]

I see an HP model for $158 on Rakuten. They must be basic...

Cheers

[eaton53]

I like them so much that I bought the wife the exact same one that I have.
She doesn't use hers nearly as much as I do (she has a smartphone, I don't), but Chromebooks are dirt cheap so it's all good.

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

Still working. Way past end of life date. Saw some newer chromebooks and figure it's time to get one. So even if this one breaks tomorrow (six years and 5 months) or works a little longer I'm just going to buy a new one. Definite recommend. But just buy a new one (don't cheap out!) so you get the updates and security for a long time.

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

Ordered new one. Dell. Liked the Acer but couldn't get the deal I saw (150) for 15 inch screen Acer because they are sold out. Always leaned toward hp over dell but Best Buy, fresh chromebook, same size as current netbook, twice as fast and 111 total shipped to my door. I will let you all know how I like it.