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John Smitherman · 12-05-2015, 05:03 PM

(12-05-2015 09:56 AM)Thomas Radtke Wrote: I cannot allow a single company controlling what software I use, even if it were based in the EU.

Exactly right. That's why I've got a Samsung Chromebook, HP Windows laptop, ASUS Android tablet and an Apple iPhone.

John

Ivan Rancati · 12-16-2015, 08:19 PM

On a related note: yesterday I tried an installer (CloudReady) that creates a Chromebook bootable USB stick.

Worth a try for an old laptop. Booting from the usb stick gives a feel for the Chrome OS; there is also an option to install Chromebook on the laptop's hard disk, permanently converting it in a Chromebook (this will erase all content on the hard disk).

http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/chro...mmunity%29

The process (at least from a linux box) was easy

Download the zipped boot image
unpack the zip file (I used jar)
copy the boot image to the usb stick with dd

cruff · 12-17-2015, 01:27 AM

(12-04-2015 02:36 AM)Don Shepherd Wrote: What attracted me the most was its very fast boot time and the fact that it can never get a virus.

Famous last words. Never say never. :-)

Don Shepherd · 12-17-2015, 02:50 AM

(12-17-2015 01:27 AM)cruff Wrote: Famous last words. Never say never. :-)

cruff, you have a point.

In the case of the Chromebook, a bigger threat would be if user files that exist in Google's cloud could be corrupted or erased. I would imagine Google has gone to great lengths to make sure that won't happen, but if it ever did on a large scale that would probably be the end of the Chromebook concept.

In my case, I just have 11 small files on my Google cloud and none of them are that important (I'm retired). If they were important I would copy them out to a thumbdrive or SD card. I use the Chromebook only for browsing the Internet and doing email.

d b · 12-22-2015, 04:22 AM

I tried one based on the Lenovo N21, was underwhelmed and am giving it back. It had no ethernet connection, only one usb 2 and one usb 3 plug, and I couldn't get it to talk to my printer. There is no complete manual for that distro on this particular box. It's fast and has a lot of memory but can't do much with either.

On the good side; it has at least 6 hours of battery life and it's very light.

Don Shepherd · 12-22-2015, 09:35 AM

(12-22-2015 04:22 AM)Den Belillo (Martinez Ca.) Wrote: I tried one based on the Lenovo N21, was underwhelmed and am giving it back. It had no ethernet connection, only one usb 2 and one usb 3 plug, and I couldn't get it to talk to my printer. There is no complete manual for that distro on this particular box. It's fast and has a lot of memory but can't do much with either.

On the good side; it has at least 6 hours of battery life and it's very light.

Yeah, none of the Chromebooks have Ethernet, only wifi (the Chromebox has Ethernet). Mine also has 2 USB ports; I use one for a mouse and the other for transferring files from my PC. I occasionally use the SD card slot for my camera's SD card. Many people have had trouble getting printers to work with the Chromebook. Fortunately, the Brother wireless printer I already had (per Katie's recommendation) connected easily and printing has not been a problem, to date. Good manuals seem to be a thing of the past. It seems that user forums have, effectively, replaced manuals. I have a little text file that contains everything I have learned along the way; it currently has about 66 items!

I bought the Chromebook because all the kids at my school were using them and I wanted to see what it was like. Also, my 12-year-old PC won't last forever (most would say it is already way beyond its useful life), and rather than replace it with the latest Windows version, I wanted to try something new, and I haven't been disappointed. I'll probably pack my desktop PC away in a month or two and use only the Chromebook. I only power on the PC every few days now to access a file I might need.

I know that the Chromebook is not for everyone, but if most of what you do is browse the Internet--and you have a relatively fast Internet connection speed--it is worth considering. I recently upgraded my Internet speed from 3 mbps to 18 mbps and am quite happy.

John Smitherman · 07-16-2016, 01:36 PM

Hi Don. On Amazon Prime Day I couldn't resist and added a Toshiba Chromebook 2 to my CB collection. After reading reviews I opted for the version with an Intel Celeron instead of an i3. It's very snappy and a big improvement over my older Samsung.

Regards,

John

Don Shepherd · 07-18-2016, 02:50 PM

(07-16-2016 01:36 PM)John Smitherman Wrote: Hi Don. On Amazon Prime Day I couldn't resist and added a Toshiba Chromebook 2 to my CB collection. After reading reviews I opted for the version with an Intel Celeron instead of an i3. It's very snappy and a big improvement over my older Samsung.

Regards,

John

Thanks John. I think my Chromebook is the same as yours and I am also very happy with its performance. After almost a year of using the Chromebook, I am very satisfied. I love its instant-on boot time; my Win XP used to take several minutes for that. I moved my 12-year-old XP to the closet about 6 months ago, and it sits next to an even older Win 95 machine!

The only thing I am not currently able to do on by Chromebook is use the scanner on my Brother printer to create .pdf files, but if I really need a file I'll just take a picture using my digital camera and load the .jpg image to the Chromebook.

Egan Ford · 07-18-2016, 05:34 PM

(12-17-2015 01:27 AM)cruff Wrote:
(12-04-2015 02:36 AM)Don Shepherd Wrote: What attracted me the most was its very fast boot time and the fact that it can never get a virus.

Famous last words. Never say never. :-)

+1. Just google for "android malware" and "chrome exploits".

They used to say Macs could never get a virus. Perhaps in the strictest sense of the word virus it's true, but malware happens now because the attack surface is greater now. I expect no less of chrome powered chromebooks.

Chromebook or not, net safety should always be observed.

That all said, IMHO, re: security, anything is better than Windows.

+1 on the privacy concerns. Valid questions of anything related to Google, et al. The trend is to swap privacy for convenience. Read "Data and Goliath" for deeper insight.

BTW, I have been looking at Chromebooks as well, esp. the ones that can be rooted. Looking for cheap "terminals" for around the home.

John Smitherman · 07-19-2016, 11:12 AM

(07-18-2016 05:34 PM)Egan Ford Wrote: BTW, I have been looking at Chromebooks as well, esp. the ones that can be rooted. Looking for cheap "terminals" for around the home.

Egan, here's a link to a comparison summary of Chromebook models that might be helpful: http://zipso.net/chromebook-specs-comparison-table/

Regards,

John