Other Interesting Distros, Part 5

brent

murbert Linux development environment installed and in that I installed Neofetch.

How does this work? Is this an install option during usb installation? Or something you did post-install?

murbert

brent Enabled post install in settings. I didn't see anything other than a terminal though. It's not really useful to me.

brent

murbert 'Linux' edition is the same as PC edition except with Terminal emulator? That's hilarious and sad at the same time! I liked your review. See how it runs ungoogled-chrome🙂! Can you install outside the chrome store?

brent

Axios first time in my life I put anything vertical on the right side of screen call that personal growth; I love it. will do the same in new budgie, or serpent os now their revised ETA is 2064..

tomscharbach

Thanks for the review. It is helpful and illuminating.

murbert Play store for Android apps is not available on this device. This is definitely because it is unsupported as sometime around 2018 all new Chromebooks got the Play store.

Google does not make the Play Store available in Chrome OS Flex.

murbert The Chrome store is weird. The first few apps I looked at to install had no install button and were marked no longer available. Maybe because this is an unsupported device?

Is it possible that these were Android apps?

murbert

tomscharbach Is it possible that these were Android apps?

They were in the Chrome store, not the Google play store. I think they were not Android.

murbert

brent Can you install outside the chrome store?

I do not think side loading is a thing in Chrome OS Flex. Android apps thru Play store for a legit chromebook may be the best that can happen in Chrome

tomscharbach

murbert In Windows 10 I followed the instructions on their site until it came to write to USB where it balked. I tried in Solus but Linux is not supported (Windows, Mac and Chrome only). After messing with settings I decided to try downloading the file and install from local. EUREKA!!

What do you mean by "After messing with settings I decided to try downloading the file and install from local."?

Another question: I changed my mind and am thinking about installing Chrome OS Flex on my Inspiron 11-3180, which is currently running Kubuntu 22.04. I can prepare the USB in Windows 11 on another computer (I hope, given that this seemed to balk for you), and then boot from the Chrome OS Flex USB, just like I would installing a Linux distro. Is this how it works?

Yet another question: Chrome OS (and it looks like Chrome OS Flex) is known for booting like a rabbit with its tail on fire. What is your impression of how quick the system is once booted? Better than Solus, same as Solus, whatever?

If I go ahead and am successful, I plan to run Chrome OS Flex for a month or two to evaluate it as a possible Windows 10 replacement for friends using the Chrome browser and already locked into the Google ecosystem. From your quick look, am I nuts to think about doing that?

murbert

tomscharbach What do you mean by "After messing with settings I decided to try downloading the file and install from local."?

There is a settings icon in the USB maker. When it failed at at writing to disk I clicked it and the option presented to install from local source. At this point I looked for and found a Chrome OS download. I think the preferred method is for the installer to download the bin file.
edited for clarity

tomscharbach I can prepare the USB in Windows 11 on another computer (I hope, given that this seemed to balk for you), and then boot from the Chrome OS Flex USB, just like I would installing a Linux distro. Is this how it works?

Yes, pretty much. It is not difficult or complicated for an one experienced with Linux installs.

tomscharbach Yet another question: Chrome OS (and it looks like Chrome OS Flex) is known for booting like a rabbit with its tail on fire. What is your impression of how quick the system is once booted? Better than Solus, same as Solus, whatever?

It is as fast as anything I have ever used.

tomscharbach If I go ahead and am successful, I plan to run Chrome OS Flex for a month or two to evaluate it as a possible Windows 10 replacement for friends using the Chrome browser and already locked into the Google ecosystem. From your quick look, am I nuts to think about doing that?

Maybe not. I'd need to use a supported device to say for sure. That sleep disfunction is a deal breaker and not having the Play store severly limits app options

tomscharbach

murbert ... not having the Play store severly limits app options ...

That's for sure. The Chrome Web Store is a whole lot of nothing.

I'll spend a few more hours today looking at Chrome Flex OS more closely, but I think that I'll give Chrome OS Flex a pass. I'm really only interested in spending time with distros that I think could serve as Windows 10 replacements for ordinary home desktop users.

I think that -- right now, anyway -- Chrome OS Flex seems focused on businesses and schools that want to use the Google ecosystem (Google Docs, Google Workspace, and so on) for productivity and collaboration, but need to convert existing Windows (or macOS) inventory to Chrome OS Flex as the business/school switches over to Chromebooks, putting all the users on a more-or-less level playing field while keeping inventory costs under control.

In that context, Chrome OS Flex seems to be a good choice, but I don't see Chrome OS Flex as a viable alternative for home Windows 10 users. Without the Play Store, Chrome OS Flex is too thin.

WetGeek

tomscharbach That's for sure. The Chrome Web Store is a whole lot of nothing.

I'm pretty sure that's where I get the LastPass extension that I install in new instances of the Vivaldi browser. Perhaps it's mostly for Chrome extensions? Maybe exclusively?

murbert

WetGeek Perhaps it's mostly for Chrome extensions? Maybe exclusively?

Extensions, themes and apps are all there. Apps do seem kind of like extensions though.

WetGeek

murbert Apps do seem kind of like extensions though.

Makes sense. The OS seems kind of like a browser.

tomscharbach

WetGeek The OS seems kind of like a browser.

Chrome OS Flex, like Chrome OS, is designed as a "thin client", using online applications and online data storage, both accessed through the Chrome browser. For schools and many businesses, that's a sweet setup.

Installations of Chrome OS and Chrome OS Flex are very simple, consisting of a Linux OS to run the computer and the Chrome browser to do everything else. No overhead or background processes related to anything other than the system and the Chrome browser -- that's why Chrome OS and Chrome OS Flex are fast and run well on low-spec (e.g. Celeron processors, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC disk) devices.

The Chromebook basic combination -- a basic office suite (Google Docs or Microsoft 365 Web), a solid and reasonably sophisticated browser for e-mail, calendar web access, streaming, online meetings and so on, basic photo viewing/editing, coupled with 5-15 GB online storage -- is enough for many home users, schools and businesses. I ran several political campaigns using Google Chrome, Google Docs, Google Calendar and a few other Google online apps. If I didn't use Steam or installed GOG games like SimCity 3000, a Chromebook would be enough for my personal use today.

Chromebooks 2018 or later can run Android apps and some of the newest Chromebooks can run Linux apps. Convenient but comes at a cost. If you start adding apps to a Chromebook then you need to have more resources (processor, RAM, storage), more processes are running, and so on. If you start doing that, it doesn't take long before you need a mainstream device (i3/15 processor, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage). Sooner or later it makes sense to use a traditional laptop running a traditional Windows, macOS or Linux operating system rather than a Chromebook.

Chrome OS Flex, like the original Chrome OS, is basically a browser, doing what modern browsers routinely do. Nothing wrong with that ...

tomscharbach

murbert For someone that already uses the Google ecosystem (M$, and Apple too as their data could be easily imported) and is not a power user it is easy to see the appeal of a Chromebook. Everything works together seamlessly. Very little horsepower is required to run fast and smoothly and most household tasks can be achieved, though some adjusting to different software will need to happen. This is perfect for my elderly mom.

I am going to install Chrome OS Flex on my Inspiron 11-3180 (not on the supported list, but close enough to a few Inspiron models that are on the list to have a reasonable chance of success), and then, if it works, use it for a month or two. I'll probably use Microsoft Mail/Calendar, Microsoft 365 Web and OneDrive rather than the Google equivalents since I'm tied into the Microsoft ecosystem already and I'm not wild about Google, but I don't think that will present a problem and it should be enough to give me a sense of how well Chrome OS Flex will work for my friends already tied into the Google ecosystem.

murbert This is perfect for my elderly mom.

I'll let her know.

brent

tomscharbach on my Inspiron 11-3180 (not on the supported list,

Murbert's great review was very open about the caveats he encountered because (we're guessing) he was not on the supported list, like the chrome store weirdness etc. I expect you will encounter the same drawbacks. At this point it's always a 'see what you can live with' situation. Look forwared to your report as well.
[I have no interest in it at all for me, but I am close to somebody who might benefit mightily so keeping an eye on this one].

tomscharbach

brent Murbert's great review was very open about the caveats he encountered because (we're guessing) he was not on the supported list, like the chrome store weirdness etc. I expect you will encounter the same drawbacks.

I'll find out, I guess.

The 11-3180 (circa 2018) is both vanilla and low-spec (AMD A-9420, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB eMMC) so it should give me a better sense of how Flex might work for my friends on their older (and probably not certified) equipment than my certified Latitude 3120 (circa 2022) with an Intel Pentium 6, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB M.2 SSD.

I'll report what I find out.

brent

Axios I did check it out. Very Ubuntu-like, I can't tell yet how it distinguishes itself from Ubuntu proper. It has two versions:
1) UBUNTUDDE REMIX 22.04 (JAMMY JELLYFISH) OFFICIAL RELEASE
2) UBUNTUDDE REMIX 20.04.1 LTS (FOCAL FOSSA) OFFICIAL RELEASE
The Jellyish is Ubuntu proper but the fossa I never heard of. I want to see how its identity is apart from Ubuntu. May download the pair and Ventoy them for later fun.

------ok did a last look before I posted I get it now: "UbuntuDDE OS is a fusion of Ubuntu base system created by Canonical and Ubuntu’s strong community, and a beautiful Desktop environment in the Linux world, Deepin Desktop Environment"

A marriage to Deepin. Deepin is one of those distros I hear a lot about but always forget to pursue..

tomscharbach

Chrome OS Flex

murbert The Chrome store is weird. The first few apps I looked at to install had no install button and were marked no longer available. Maybe because this is an unsupported device?

I ran into this as well. Almost all of the apps I checked were marked "no longer available".

Doing a little online research, I discovered that the Apps section of the Chrome Web Store is deprecated, on the path of destruction, and bit by bit apps will no longer be available through the Chrome Web Store. Eventually the Apps section of the Chrome Web Store will be removed entirely.

Why Google makes the effort to mark an app "no longer available" rather than removing the app from the Chrome Web Store is a mystery that only Google can answer.

I gather that this is a move toward standardization around Google Play and Android apps, but it does leave ChromeOS Flex, which does not have access to Google Play, out in the cold.

This seems to be yet another indication that Chrome OS Flex is intended to allow schools and business to use Google Docs, Google Workspace and Google collaboration tools on Windows and Apple computers during a transition to Chromebooks, but that Chrome OS Flex is not designed for individual use.

brent

tomscharbach This seems to be yet another indication that Chrome OS Flex is intended to allow schools and business to use Google Docs, Google Workspace and Google collaboration tools on Windows and Apple computers during a transition to Chromebooks, but that Chrome OS Flex is not designed for individual use.

That's the only conclusion I can draw as well, I think for Flex. Wonder why they would discourage individual use unless they believe that's what Chromebook proper is for?

WetGeek

NuTyX redoux? DistroWatch announced a new version of this distro, and I had never been able to get the previous version installed and working, so a new version of it caught my attention. Unfortunately, after providing all required information to the text-based installer, this is as far as I got this time. When I snapped this screenshot, the installation had been stopped for about 10 minutes.

As an independent distro from Switzerland, one that offers a huge number of DE choices, I really want to take a look at this one, so I'm going to try tweaking some VirtualBox settings to see if I can make a difference, but I also thought I'd ask whether anybody else has tried this distro and gotten farther than I have.

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