Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

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Psamathe
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Psamathe »

al_yrpal wrote: 21 May 2022, 6:54pm Does anyone these days realise how big 32gb actually is!

Al
Completely depends on what you are using it for. Store photos and it can fill pretty quickly. My music library would pretty well fill is before even thinking about photos, documents, etc. My phone has 15GB of maps stored on device. But not everybody uses local storage in the same way or for the same things I do.

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Paulatic
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Paulatic »

al_yrpal wrote: 21 May 2022, 6:54pm Does anyone these days realise how big 32gb actually is!

Al
I know exactly what it is. A lot bigger than the 20Mb drive first computer I bought with Dos 5 :lol:
However my music and photos will just about fill 32Gb
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Tangled Metal
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Tangled Metal »

What happens when no longer supported? Does the chromebook simply stop working?
Jdsk
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Jdsk »

Psamathe wrote: 21 May 2022, 7:33pm
al_yrpal wrote: 21 May 2022, 6:54pm Does anyone these days realise how big 32gb actually is!
Completely depends on what you are using it for. Store photos and it can fill pretty quickly. My music library would pretty well fill is before even thinking about photos, documents, etc. My phone has 15GB of maps stored on device. But not everybody uses local storage in the same way or for the same things I do.
Yes. As always: suitability of computers depends on the required uses.

Jonathan
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al_yrpal
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by al_yrpal »

Tangled Metal wrote: 21 May 2022, 8:18pm What happens when no longer supported? Does the chromebook simply stop working?
No, the updates will stop and virus protection might suffer.

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Jdsk
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Jdsk »

Tangled Metal wrote: 21 May 2022, 8:18pm What happens when no longer supported? Does the chromebook simply stop working?
Some of your options:
https://www.howtogeek.com/403164/what-t ... -its-life/

Jonathan
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Bonefishblues »

al_yrpal wrote: 21 May 2022, 8:46pm
Tangled Metal wrote: 21 May 2022, 8:18pm What happens when no longer supported? Does the chromebook simply stop working?
No, the updates will stop and virus protection might suffer.

Al
And also as new apps are developed they are often not reverse compatible, so unavailable.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Tangled Metal »

Been reading up on this. 3 week update cycle for minor tweaks which you'll still get after AUE date. Then every 6 weeks a major update after which you stop getting the minor updates. From then on chromeOS starts to move away from your static version but you've still got a basically secure OS, possibly better than windows. Vulnerabilities get patched but not on your chromebook and potentially the heart of the os, chrome browser, could be the weak point

You can convert to Linux but I heard an easy dodge is something about installing Firefox ESR (education focused version of Firefox that's more stable). It's supported and more stable than unsupported chrome os browser iirc.

Future developments are the separation of chrome browser such that it can be updated even after the AUE date of chronebook. The chrome browser part of chrome os is supposedly the weakest link for security so if it became possible to update that separately apparently most vulnerabilities of chromebooks could be covered apparently. Not announces when that will come in.

Looking at argos chromebooks they're mostly AUE of June 2028 with no June 2029 options yet. So 6 years. Do you keep windows laptops that long?

Apparently the 8 years support is based on the platform date of the chronebook. That can be pre 2020 on even brand newly released models.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Tangled Metal »

Since chromebooks can now load android apps and they can be updated through play store. Does that mean that you can switch chromeOS apps with android ones to keep up to date functions on them?
Jdsk
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Jdsk »

Tangled Metal wrote: 21 May 2022, 9:33pm Been reading up on this. 3 week update cycle for minor tweaks which you'll still get after AUE date. Then every 6 weeks a major update after which you stop getting the minor updates. From then on chromeOS starts to move away from your static version but you've still got a basically secure OS, possibly better than windows. Vulnerabilities get patched but not on your chromebook and potentially the heart of the os, chrome browser, could be the weak point

You can convert to Linux but I heard an easy dodge is something about installing Firefox ESR (education focused version of Firefox that's more stable). It's supported and more stable than unsupported chrome os browser iirc.

Future developments are the separation of chrome browser such that it can be updated even after the AUE date of chronebook. The chrome browser part of chrome os is supposedly the weakest link for security so if it became possible to update that separately apparently most vulnerabilities of chromebooks could be covered apparently. Not announces when that will come in.

Looking at argos chromebooks they're mostly AUE of June 2028 with no June 2029 options yet. So 6 years. Do you keep windows laptops that long?

Apparently the 8 years support is based on the platform date of the chronebook. That can be pre 2020 on even brand newly released models.
I wouldn't buy anything based on assumptions about the compatibility and security of third-party browsers and OSs in six years' time.

There will probably be workarounds and they will probably include compromises.

Jonathan

PS: My laptops live a hard life and the recent ones have all lasted longer than six years. But they aren't Chromebooks or Windows machines.
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al_yrpal
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by al_yrpal »

Yes, but your Apple laptops cost about £1000 each. Chromebooks cost a fraction of that.

Macs are essential if you are into print graphics or creating music but as far as I am aware thats as far as it goes?

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Bsteel
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Bsteel »

al_yrpal wrote: 22 May 2022, 8:15am Yes, but your Apple laptops cost about £1000 each. Chromebooks cost a fraction of that. If your kit came from Academia it possibly shows how they waste our money.

Macs are essential if you are into print graphics or creating music but as far as I am aware thats as far as it goes?

Al
It does depend on what you want from your Chromebook, although it is still a fraction of a £1000 a top end Acer Chromebook is around £700.
Psamathe
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Psamathe »

al_yrpal wrote: 22 May 2022, 8:15am Yes, but your Apple laptops cost about £1000 each. Chromebooks cost a fraction of that. If your kit came from Academia it possibly shows how they waste our money.
...Al
You are completely overlooking the aspect of what people do with their computers. Not far upthread you were claiming
al_yrpal wrote: 21 May 2022, 6:54pm Does anyone these days realise how big 32gb actually is!

Al
Totally inadequate for storing maps, music, photos. My photographs directory is over 1TB, my phone has over 128GB storage used. Declaring Chromebooks are the answer to everything "at a fraction of the price" is just misleading people.

ian
Tangled Metal
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Tangled Metal »

Do you store photographs on your computer anyway? With cloud and cheap external drives there's probably much better options.

Of course for users of chromebooks do you actually do much with photographs on it? It's not exactly the device for working on photographs not having the ability to use photoshop a equivalent on it. You might as well argue that it can't run CAD on it. It's not meant for such use.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Chromebooks - how do you use yours and why did you get it?

Post by Tangled Metal »

Forgot about the music bit. Store music grandad?! 😆 not heard of streaming? :lol:
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