# Talk to me about Chromebooks. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2014, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-chromebooks/688177 "2014-05-11T07:41:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-chromebooks/688177/21 "2014-05-13T12:46:44Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Really not a problem with 7 or 8 and a solid state hard drive. > > Also not a problem if you just put your computer to sleep instead of shutting it down every time (what’s the point?) All of which is true and is a reason why I’m also getting a fully specced windows 8 machine for a semi-static role but the chromebook is a much cheaper option if your needs are simple and portability, battery life and minimal tinkering appeal to you. Horses for courses as always. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-chromebooks/688177/22 "2014-05-13T16:29:19Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I think so and the upshot is that when in Chrome mode there is a little less space to work with but in Ubuntu mode all of the Chrome files are available for you. > > Doesn’t seem to cause me any problems and reverting back to chrome only and removing ubuntu is only a matter of a couple of keystrokes. Just before I fell asleep last night the light bulb came on. :smack: You pointed me to a link and from there I went to a Utube showing how to do the Ubuntu install. 1). Back up Chrome on backup SD card. 2). Install Ubuntu - pick your partition size. 3). Reboot machine, which will then ask, Where’s Chrome? 4). Insert Chrome backup SD card. 5). Chrome installs on the slice of the drive that was not partitioned by Unbuntu, then checks for updates. 6). And…away…you…go… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-chromebooks/688177/23 "2014-05-13T16:34:29Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Earlier in 2013 and 2014, I used it for a few months and found it to be really unreliable. It would often mysteriously fail, or else undetect and then redetect my printer as a redundant one and then fail, or else suddenly print documents that failed a few weeks ago. By contrast I’ve had zero problems with the standard Windows network printing (same printers and same networks). > > But that was with a Windows proxy, with Chrome acting as the print host. These days they make printers with Cloud Print support built in, and hopefully that’s somewhat better… but I have no firsthand experience so don’t know. It’s a neat enough idea that if I ever get another printer, I’d look for Cloud Print support – I’d just have to be on hand to troubleshoot it regularly. Thanks. I bought am Epson WorkForce WF-3520 a few months ago and recently found that it is listed as a cloud ready printer[on Google’s site,](http://www.google.com/cloudprint/learn/printers.html#info-epson) so I may try. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-chromebooks/688177/24 "2014-05-14T00:36:50Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > I picked up a Samsung Chromebook about a month and a half ago. I love it, but I’ve hacked it up because I didn’t just want a wifi-dependent, cloud-based machine. I’ve put Crouton on it so that I can take it on the go without internet, working in LibreOffice, developing my own apps in Gambas and so on. > > Without doing something like that, the only way to develop apps for a Chromebook AFAIK is to write them in HTML5 and put them up on a website. Then you can run those pages in ‘offline mode’ even when the wifi signal is down. (Or write just about any other kind of web app you like, which will run as long as you’re online.) chrisk - “Crouton was actually created by Google employee Dave Schneider.” Am checking it out. Thx. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-chromebooks/688177/25 "2014-05-15T09:09:55Z")
Pulled the trigger. Acer C720[Chromebook.](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FNPD1VW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1KW3WJ7U5FF86&coliid=I3KR1FLY2WU2M1&psc=1) - 199.00 Goose it[with one of these.](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZ2E8NO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1KW3WJ7U5FF86&coliid=I3T8LQRI8HRFRD&psc=1) - 93.00 Here’s the[video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jOHHyJMgWk)on howto do the upgrade of the 128GB SSD in ~15 minutes. Total cost for a Chrome Notebook _ **with** _ a 128GB SSD? $292.00 Now (trumpets please) let us add[LINUX.](http://www.webupd8.org/2013/12/install-ubuntu-on-your-chromebook-using.html) Chrome/Linux for 300 dollars? That’s obscene. Thanks to everyone who responded to this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-chromebooks/688177/26 "2014-05-15T11:46:41Z")
Nice set-up\*\* Little Pig\*\*. One more point to add, I know it is a personal thing but the keyboard on the C720 is one of the nicest I’ve used in a long time. I’ve got useless fat fingers but can get better WPM on that then on any other machine I use. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-chromebooks/688177.md?page=1)