2023: Year of the Linux Desktop (Redux)

tomscharbach

stalebrim Sounds like something closer to mobile phones.

Yup, that's a good model to use for comparison, as well. My grandkids use their phones for just about everything except schoolwork and games. I suspect that's true of a lot of people. The way in which people use technology is changing fast.

Brucehankins

tomscharbach The way in which people use technology is changing fast.

That it is. For a while, I was using an Android tablet with a keyboard case and stylus as my main "computer" when visiting outlying sites for work. It was much easier than taking my laptop around everywhere, and since everything was on OneDrive, I didn't miss a beat. It replaced my laptop, notebook, and allowed me to answer text messages easily also.

Solarmass

WetGeek And the kiss of death ... it wouldn't connect to our wi-fi, so Amazon got it back.

🙂 🎧️

tomscharbach

WetGeek And the kiss of death ... it wouldn't connect to our wi-fi, so Amazon got it back.

I'm surprised. Because Chrome OS depends on connectivity, Google goes to great lengths to make sure that Chromebooks can connect to just about any router and wifi standards current when the Chromebook was built. I wonder if your Chromebook had a hardware issue.

WetGeek

tomscharbach I wonder if your Chromebook had a hardware issue.

Probably. But as I mentioned, it was just the final straw. Convinced me that life was too short for a $199 Chromebook.

murbert

ShintoPlasm You further reinforce OP's point that there really isn't a Linux alternative to Windows for noobs. there's ALWAYS a compromise someone will balk at

murbert

Maybe the year of the Linux desktop will happen when we have the user interface, stability and updates of Chrome OS with local storage. Without being forced to login to Google, M$ etc.

Which leads me to - is all that open source? Could someone build it?

murbert

murbert I am currently installing Chrome OS Flex on my Ideapad laptop. I guess I'll write a review in the other distros thread in a day or two

brent

Brucehankins I couldn't put it better than that. or tom's post below you. like anything else you dig it or don't dig it. this dude can't abide🙂

tomscharbach

murbert I am currently installing Chrome OS Flex on my Ideapad laptop.

I might do this on my Latitude 3120 which is Google certified and supported through 2029. Google's documentation notes that Chrome OS Flex might not work 100% (or not work at all, for that matter) on non-certified devices.

I notice that Chrome OS Flex is not certified for Dell consumer models, like Dell Inspiron. I suspect that the reason for this is that the currently available version of Chrome OS Flex is intended for business/enterprise use, but it might also be related to the fact that Dell Inspiron models, unlike Dell business/education Latitude and Optiplex models, are not "vanilla Intel".

You might want to check to see if your Ideapad is certified. From a quick look at the list, it doesn't look like it is certified.

Google only guarantees ChromeOS Flex functionality on certified models, so if you run into issues, it might be hardware related.

Chrome OS Flex is not Chrome OS, and there are differences between the two Chrome OS is designed for use on Chromebooks and is tightly integrated with Chromebook hardware.

As the document "Differences between ChromeOS Flex and ChromeOS" notes:

Some hardware capabilities on Windows, Mac, and Linux devices are not officially supported for ChromeOS Flex. They might not work as expected, or even not work at all.
Even if these ports or features work on devices, they’re not tested or maintained on ChromeOS Flex. Unsupported ports and features include:
CD and DVD drives
Fingerprint readers
FireWire ports
Infrared (IR) and face recognition cameras
Proprietary connectors and docks
Stylus and active pen input
Thunderbolt functionality
Note: Although Thunderbolt functionality is not supported, Thunderbolt ports using USB-C or mini-Displayport can still be used for any USB3, USB4, and Displayport functionality the port is capable of.

Because Chrome OS Flex is not tightly integrated with non-Chromebook hardware, I don't expect Chrome OS Flex running on my Latitude 3120 to be as bulletproof as Chrome OS running on a Chromebook.

murbert

tomscharbach You might want to check to see if your Ideapad is certified. From a quick look at the list, it doesn't look like it is certified.

It is not certified. It is running now and things are working as I expected. Now if I could just figure out how to install apps natively.

tomscharbach

murbert Now if I could just figure out how to install apps natively.

Chasing that down, I learned a lot more about the differences between Chrome OS and Chrome OS Flex. Chrome OS Flex is a redesigned version of CloudReady, crippled in comparison to Chrome OS, and not likely to be anywhere near as secure or bulletproof. My guess is that Chrome OS Flex will be fine for schools and businesses, but not for home users. I decided not to bother installing it. I'll be curious to see what you think.

Edit/Update: @murbert posted a review in the "Other Interesting Distros, Part 5" thread. Worth a look.

Barbiefan1475

tomscharbach i agree . People around my age (13 to 20) are not that tech savvy in my school . In my school we mostly have windows 10 and 11 and some windows 7 laptops and desktops , thxs to me we also have some solus plasma linux distro operating system laptops and desktops . Also people around my age play very popular games and use software that are not in linux like roblox, fornite ,valorant , minecraft bedrock edition , microsoft 365 office desktop version not the online version , adobe cloud suite . Also steam deck is getting very popular but alot of gaming youtubers for example minecraft youtubers that i watch dont know about it or linux .

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