Chromebook Bad?

TL;DR: The cloud is just someone else’s computer, but chromeOS forces big companies to build web apps that run in the browser.

Chromebook good?

GNU-minded folks tend to hate on chromebook computers for many reasons, but let me explain why it was actually advantageous for us.

Big software vendors have been incentivized to make web app versions of their software, which means we can run them in the browser on GNU/Linux.

The good

There’s the obvious. Chromebooks are cheap, and they are everywhere. They are also very easy to install GNU/Linux on. This means that we can get a cheap computer that is easy to install GNU/Linux on, and that is a good thing.

The less obvious is that large companies with apps that we are sometimes forced to use have been incentivized to make web app versions that run in the browser.

In a work environment, we can run Slack, Outlook, Teams, Zoom and other apps in the browser. Without the advent of chromebooks, we would have to run these apps in a VM, or dual boot, or something else.

Many years ago, when I was running Arch Linux for work, I got into an exchange on the Arch forum about trying to get something working that only had a proprietary app version at the time. I recall being told that I should just use Windows or Mac for work. I figured out a work around, but this really stuck with me. I realized then how rare it was to be using something Arch-based in a corporate work environment. I suppose many companies require Windows or Mac, although I’ve noticed a trend towards allowing Linux in the workplace as long as it’s a version of Ubuntu they can run their spyware on.

Somehow I’m still running a great system at work, and it’s now easier than ever practically speaking.

The bad

I admit I was into the idea of the chromebook when it first came out. This is back when I was transitioning away from running audio production software on Mac for a living. I even still have the original chromebook pixel which was the first high-end chromebook made by google (which now runs Arch btw 😛). There were all sorts of things I had to do to that machine to get it to run Linux, like flash the bios and even physically remove the internal write protection screw.

The limited block device storage prompting users to save their files to the cloud is now an obvious red flag. The old addages, which now feel almost worn out are still true.

• The cloud is just someone else’s computer.
• If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.
• If you don’t have physical control of your data, you don’t have control of your data.