Google's Chrome OS Flex could revive old PCs, Macs
- Reference: 1645037890
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/02/16/google_chrome_os/
- Source link:
The year of Linux on the desktop actually arrived a few years back, but the world didn't notice. [2]Chromebook sales did great early last year, although they [3]did tail off later . Sure, the [4]numbers are dropping this year – but some 50 million customers now have quite new ones.
Chrome OS is a specialised Linux distro, originally [5]based on Gentoo, with the Aura Shell (" [6]ash "). It has a fancy partitioning system with duplicate root partitions which update one another, allowing rollback of unsuccessful updates.
[7]
Chrome OS is much more like a normal Linux distro than Android, but Chromebooks have their own special [8]firmware based on [9]coreboot . Both Chrome and Chrome OS have open-source upstreams called [10]Chromium , meaning there is a free ChromiumOS, but despite [11]multiple different [12]efforts , it wasn't [13]easy to install on an ordinary PC.
[14]
[15]
Before its acquisition, [16]NeverWare turned this arcane process into a freemium product called CloudReady. Google [17]acquired NeverWare in 2020, and Chrome OS Flex is the result.
NeverWare enjoyed some commercial success: for instance, Nordic Choice Hotels [18]deployed (in Swedish) CloudReady to recover from a ransomware attack. The Register spoke with the company, but it declined to be interviewed.
[19]
What's new is that this is now Google-sanctioned. As of now, Chrome OS Flex still has some [20]limitations . Significantly, Flex can't run Android apps, although supported hardware can run the [21]Crostini container for full-fat local Linux apps.
Google offers a [22]list of supported models and [23]another of hardware that won't work. Notably, Flex does support SecureBoot and Google recommends enabling it. Once installed, devices can be managed with Google's existing [24]tooling . There are some improvements over CloudReady, notably including a live mode so you can try before you install.
If you want to try it, you'll need Chrome on Windows or macOS, plus the Chromebook Recovery Utility [25]extension . This creates a bootable USB key to install the OS, which repartitions the hard disc – so forget about dual-booting.
[26]12-year-old revives Unity desktop, develops software repo client, builds gaming environment for Ubuntu...
[27]Version 7 of WINE is better than ever at running Windows apps where they shouldn't
[28]Technology can sometimes go from east to west: Ubuntu DDE 21.10 remix ships in 22.01
[29]MediaTek wants Windows 11 Arm PCs powered by its chips, not just Qualcomm's
You can already install ordinary OSes on Chromebooks using special [30]firmware . So although it's not [31]official , this means it should be possible to [32]install Chrome OS Flex on actual Chromebooks [33]past their built-in expiration date .
The [34]official system requirements are an x86-64 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a very modest 16GB of disk. To install, the box needs to be able to boot from USB. But saying that, the author has CloudReady on an old ThinkPad T61 with just 2GB of RAM, and it runs surprisingly well.
An OS fit for purpose
This isn't a general-purpose desktop OS, nor is it intended to compete with them. This is not Google's attempt to go head-to-head with Microsoft or Apple. Via Crostini, in principle, you could run [35]WINE , [36]Steam , and [37]PlayOnLinux . But if you want that kind of thing, just install a general-purpose distro already.
What this really represents is a potential mass-market free client OS for people and companies who are already happy with exclusively web-based tools. Yes, it's just an extremely cut-down Linux distro that works well on very low-end hardware, and there are lots of those – but this one comes gratis from a big, well-known name and it has existing management tools.
[38]
It needs little maintenance and no antivirus or antimalware, and once deployed, updates itself automatically. It's viable for organisations with little to no in-house Linux expertise because they won't need it. Either it works on a given box or it doesn't.
Saying that, The Register's top tip if you want to try it is simple: first, update the box's BIOS. The number one cause of weird Linux problems, especially on older kit, is outdated firmware.
Linux users already know that even decade-plus-old 64-bit kit with as little as four gigs of RAM is still entirely usable for ordinary low-end duties. This is a way to repurpose sluggish old malware-infested Windows boxes, or old Macs that can't run modern macOS, into perfectly usable web clients.
As such, it's also a wedge to sell Google [39]Workspace , as you need Google IDs to sign in to Chrome OS. Once you're in, you're not obliged to use Gmail, Google Docs or anything. If you have alternative web apps such as [40]Microsoft Office 362½ already, they'll work fine, and tools like Skype and Zoom work quite well in browser tabs.
Presumably though, Google hopes that once businesses are paying for Google IDs so their staff can use Chrome OS Flex, they'll decide to save costs by eliminating other web apps. ®
Get our [41]Tech Resources
[1] https://chromeenterprise.google/os/chromeosflex/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/05/chromebook_shipments_canalys_figures/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/13/chroembook_sales_crash/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/31/chromebook_sales_in_recession_market/
[5] https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/build/sdk-creation/#TOC-Introduction
[6] https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src.git/+/refs/heads/main/ash
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Yg2CFzIQ-qPA6ProDtC5JwAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices/custom-firmware/
[9] https://www.coreboot.org/
[10] https://www.chromium.org/chromium-projects/
[11] https://archiveos.org/chromiumos-vanilla/
[12] https://arnoldthebat.co.uk/wordpress/chromium-os/
[13] https://gist.github.com/balupton/9908197
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yg2CFzIQ-qPA6ProDtC5JwAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Yg2CFzIQ-qPA6ProDtC5JwAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[16] https://www.neverware.com/
[17] https://cloudreadykb.neverware.com/s/article/Neverware-is-now-part-of-Google-FAQ
[18] https://www.nordicchoicehotels.se/pressrum/#/pressreleases/efter-cyberattacken-nordic-choice-hotels-genomfoer-revolutionerande-foernyelse-av-datorparken-3154109
[19] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yg2CFzIQ-qPA6ProDtC5JwAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[20] https://support.google.com/chromeosflex/answer/11542901?hl=en&ref_topic=11618314
[21] https://chromeos.dev/en/linux
[22] https://support.google.com/chromeosflex/answer/11513094
[23] https://support.google.com/chromeosflex/answer/11542901#unsupported
[24] https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/1289314?hl=en
[25] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chromebook-recovery-utili/pocpnlppkickgojjlmhdmidojbmbodfm
[26] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/04/rudra_sarsawat_ubuntu_projects/
[27] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/19/wine_7/
[28] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/07/ubuntu_dde_2110/
[29] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/27/mediatek_windows11_arm/
[30] https://mrchromebox.tech/
[31] https://cloudreadykb.neverware.com/s/article/Can-I-install-CloudReady-on-an-EOL-Chromebook
[32] https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Install+CloudReady+for+Chrome+Updates+(or+another+OS)/123869
[33] https://www.theregister.com/2019/08/22/buying_a_chromebook_dont_forget_to_check_when_it_expires/
[34] https://support.google.com/chromeosflex/answer/11552529?hl=en&ref_topic=11551271
[35] https://www.linuxmadesimple.info/2021/01/how-to-use-and-install-wine-60-on.html
[36] https://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-install-steam-on-chromebook-1144719/
[37] https://chromeunboxed.com/i-installed-playonlinux-on-my-chromebook-so-you-dont-have-to/
[38] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Yg2CFzIQ-qPA6ProDtC5JwAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[39] https://workspace.google.com/
[40] https://www.theregister.com/2018/11/27/microsoft_azure_outage_postmortem/
[41] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Well…
You could take the developer screw out of an x86 Chromebook motherboard and then put this on to it, then it will be an end of life Chromebook which still receives updates despite being the same age as other EOL’d Chromebooks which don’t!
Re: "It... updates itself automatically"
When you put it like that, it does make one wonder about jumping on the ChromeOS wagon train in the first place...
It’s an odd thing. But when I buy a Mac I buy it because I want it to be a Mac. And even with my old Macs (and some are very old - I still have my SE/30 that I took to university when it was still the newish hotness), I still want them to be a Mac.
Damned if I can work out why I’d put a less capable OS on them. Especially one which is, arguably, one big spyware.
Hot Garbage
Backing up 45RPM here, OSx or Windows make more sense on old hardware, and I'm not seeing a rush for the door to install 11 on new hardware. Android app support was the one narrow case that might have had a sliver of utility here. And if you are leaving the comfortable world of an older version of the os that shipped with a machine, why go to one that was intentionally crippled, is loaded with spyware, and will have the most BIOS, driver, and compatibility issues.
Just install the Unix of your choice at that point. All of them have web browsers too, most have a chrome build.
The thing that irritates me is that half the tech websites all ran an article like this, basically at the same time. When the Reg is shilling for one of the worst products Google hasn't cancelled yet, I can take it as irony(or a bottle of something top shelf in the press kit), but most of them are trying to play this straight, and they seem to be written off the same crib sheet, using the same taking points, and glossing over the same issues.
I'll be excited when it runs Android apps. At the moment, the news amounts to "Cloudready is pretty much still the same thing it was before, just with Google branding"
quite useful
When covid came, the organisation I work for re imaged loads of redundant laptops and Surface Pros with CloudReady, donating to anyone local/in a hospital etc who needed a device for Zoom; the only nuisance was that we could only create four or so Google accounts with one mobile phone number. Imaging was very quick and painless, and the simplicity and ease of use for the intended audience was perfect.
Re: quite useful
People in hospital, haven't they suffered enough already?
For what it's worth, Zoom works just fine on ordinary Linux distributions with not a single Google account (or mobile phone number, WTF?) required. Your mileage might vary, but my experience is that most distros' imaging is quick and painless and that their simplicity and ease of use far surpass recent versions of Windows.
-A.
Re: quite useful
Would it have been very hard to install Linux and have it start a browser on boot? You wouldn't have to set up and more importantly maintain accounts for others, which is a nightmare given they can do anything under the account attached to your number.
four gigabytes
> Linux users already know that even decade-plus-old 64-bit kit with as little as four gigs of RAM is still entirely usable
This Linux user would maintain that (a) 4GB is not little, and (b) a 64-bit system ought to be capable of a RAM upgrade to more than 4GB. Otherwise, what was its point?
That aside, what exactly is the point? I mean, if I want to run Linux on a PC, and generally I do, then I run Linux on the PC. If I wanted Google involved, and I certainly don't, then I would install Android or ChromeOS. And if I had bought an early ChromeBook thingy which has now passed its "expiry date", whatever that is, then I would be considering instructing lawyers. But much more likely is that the hypothetical ChromeBook thingy had its pre-installed system wiped with extreme prejudice shortly after purchase swiftly followed by the installation of a real operating system.
-A.
We already kind of have this:
https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/raspberry-pi-desktop/
I run it on some fairly aging machines (P4 and Core1Duo) and it... well its just Debian with a lighter desktop environment. Does the job.
"It... updates itself automatically"
So we could get see an old PC or Mac running an auto updating ChromeOS while a Chromebook of the same age is EOL'd and receives no more updates?