Chromebook sales to nearly triple by 2017, says Gartner

Discussion in 'hardware' started by Dogbiscuit, Aug 11, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Dogbiscuit

    Dogbiscuit Guest

    http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobile-devices/chromebook-sales-surge/d/d-id/1297921
     
  2. Techwiz

    Techwiz Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2012
    Posts:
    541
    Location:
    United States
    I like the idea behind Chrome OS since it makes the operating system much lighter. Just would like to see much better specs closer to a performance systems (at least 1-2TBs SSD, 4+GB ram, etc. and offline support for web apps more along the lines of portable apps you can host from your own server or from an external drive. Having that separation between system and resources is important to me. Have been looking at Chrome OS as a sort of replacement for Windows in the event my Win Vista and Win 7 machine dies. I honestly don't like Windows 8 and I've been managing it on my father's laptop and on one of my former employers desktops. Unless threshold can cut the bloat, bringing back the start button/menu is the least of their problems. I've also been playing with Ubuntu and Mint as other options. Didn't initially like Mint, but it's growing on me.
     
  3. mattdocs12345

    mattdocs12345 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2013
    Posts:
    1,892
    Location:
    US
    If you don't like bloated then you will love Debian. Easier on resources than Mint, less freeze or crashes. Personally I wouldn't mind using Chrome OS as long as it was open source and available to use without internet.
     
  4. zapjb

    zapjb Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2005
    Posts:
    5,554
    Location:
    USA still the best. But barely.
    Google wouldn't do this OS without the cloud. Monetization baby monetization.
     
  5. SirDrexl

    SirDrexl Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2012
    Posts:
    556
    Location:
    USA
    Without the internet, what could you do with it? The whole idea of ChromeOS is that you work with web applications, not local ones. They added a few local things like a music player and photo editor, but the focus has been and will continue to be on the web as the platform.

    I think they have their place, especially the cheaper models. I could see them being great for schools (where you don't want kids installing programs).
     
  6. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2009
    Posts:
    8,738
    You could do a lot with it, the hardware isn't limited to one OS after all. Nor is that OS as limited as you think, hint: Developer Mode.
     
  7. SirDrexl

    SirDrexl Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2012
    Posts:
    556
    Location:
    USA
    Sure, but the comments seem to have been specifically about ChromeOS, not subverting it to run something else.
     
  8. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2009
    Posts:
    8,738
    I did say Developer Mode as well right? Although barebones, it is a pretty capable offline terminal that can be expanded.
     
  9. Dogbiscuit

    Dogbiscuit Guest

    That 35% of all laptop sales this year? 85% of that 35% were to schools.
     
  10. Dogbiscuit

    Dogbiscuit Guest

    Chromebooks probably have the best out of the box security of any computer for consumers that I know of right now. But in terms of privacy, if you want to run the open source generic OpenVPN client for using an OpenVPN-based VPN, for example, you'll need to switch to Developer Mode (which disables security features) or use the built-in support for L2TP. On the other hand, if you rely on Power Wash to return your system back to the secure factory state, that exits Developer Mode and everything is lost, etc.
     
  11. Wroll

    Wroll Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2011
    Posts:
    549
    Location:
    Italy
    The cheapest I've seen around here it costs 220€. Why do people buy these things?
     
  12. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2009
    Posts:
    8,738
    In the U.S. it can be ~$100 cheaper. These things are great secondary devices, and might be all an average user needs.
     
  13. Wroll

    Wroll Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2011
    Posts:
    549
    Location:
    Italy
    I took an eye on Newegg and Amazon (US) and the difference seems to be 50$ on new stuff, but comparing hardware and the software possibilities, I think I rather pay 50-100$ more for the usual PC.

    Last time I got a laptop, for my sister, I payed 265€ for a Samsung Ativ 2 with 4gb RAM, 500gb hdd space and an Intel processor which I can't remember what numbers had. The cheapest Chromebook, an Acer, had 2gb RAM, 16gb drive space and 11' monitor.
     
  14. Techwiz

    Techwiz Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2012
    Posts:
    541
    Location:
    United States
    Thanks, I'll give a Debian a go and see if I like it. I've only had some small chances to play around with a friends chromebook. I'm interested to research more on developer mode and see what other options. YouTube shows dual booting into Linux for gaming which seems to work okay, but I did note there were some issues with unsupported drivers, etc. Presuming I can find a work around, I'd have a pretty light dual-boot system and in some ways division between Chrome and Linux would make it easier to separate my personal life from school and work.

    I'm not sure how much security has changed since the initial beta, but I remember Chrome OS was particularly vulnerable to similar permissions problems that afflict android. In particular, the built-in note taking application, if memory serves me correctly. The point is that Google still can't fix permissions in Android, which is a worrisome trend for Chrome OS. That being said, I take any promise of better security with a grain of salt. It's debatable whether newer code is indeed more secure than older, tried and tested code. Your just trading known vulnerabilities for unknown ones, which may turn out to be more or less severe and resolvable. This doesn't bode well in a penetrate and patch world.

    I'm going to have to explore developer mode and research my options. As I've stated, my only experience has been with a friend's chromebook and we've figured some shortcuts to creating desktop extensions to amazon and other vendor sites. Booting into Linux on the side wouldn't be a problem and it's something that I've already considered doing if I go with a Chrome OS. If you have any other tips or advice, I would very much appreciate the insight as it will help steer my decision. Price wise, I think the chromebooks are competitively priced given the current trend for light weight, quick boot travel devices.

    I've been looking at the options of installing Chrome OS and building a custom PC. If I go this route, I'd be more than happy to share my results in case your worried about the low specs for the price point. Adding more RAM and utilizing SSD memory is a requirement for me.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2014
  15. Malwar

    Malwar Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2013
    Posts:
    297
    Location:
    USA
    I think this is the vulrnability you were talking about http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/google-chrome-os-ripe-for-hacking/d/d-id/1099354?
    Google fixed it: https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/contentSecurityPolicy
    Chrome OS security: http://www.insanitybit.com/tag/chrome-os/
    http://blogs.computerworld.com/cybe...ook-offers-defensive-computing-when-traveling
    http://static.googleusercontent.com...ok/downloads/chromebook-security-built-in.pdf
    http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/77556.html
     
  16. Techwiz

    Techwiz Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2012
    Posts:
    541
    Location:
    United States
    Yes, I believe this thread addresses the video that I saw. Thanks for sharing these links, Linux Insider made me laugh. I'm a big fan of minimalistic and simple.
     
  17. Dogbiscuit

    Dogbiscuit Guest

  18. Malwar

    Malwar Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2013
    Posts:
    297
    Location:
    USA
    Yes it made me laugh also.:):cool:
     
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2014
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.