Tue 13 Feb 2024
My Chromebook experience
Posted by Prakash under General
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I’ve used over a dozen operating systems, and I recently decided to give ChromeOS a try. I initially considered getting a Windows laptop and dual-booting Linux, but since I wouldn’t use Windows, I didn’t want to pay for the license. I thought a Chromebook was a better choice because it runs Linux and can also run Android apps.
I’m a long-time Linux Desktop user (my current flavour is Ubuntu), so my expectations were high. I’m reviewing the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook. Here’s my experience:
The Good
- ChromeOS runs very fast, just like most Linux distributions, faster than Windows.
- It has a clean interface with no annoying popups.
- The updates work great. They don’t take over your PC, and there are no forced reboots or endless waits.
- It doesn’t need antivirus software, and neither does Linux.
- It’s stable and reliable, with no hanging or crashes.
- It’s great if you live in the browser.
- It’s nicely integrated with Android, and you can easily transfer files between your Android phone and Chromebook. You can also easily connect to your phone’s hotspot. It detects that you’re using mobile data even if you’re on a Mobile Hotspot, so it uses bandwidth judiciously.
- It’s mostly cheaper than Windows laptops.
- The touch works well.
The Bad
- If you’re a Linux power user, you’ll find ChromeOS very restrictive. It’s Linux under the hood, but many restrictions are hard to deal with. The Linux terminal is also very limited. While you can install most Linux packages, it’s still inside a container and it’s highly restricted.
- The keyboard is very bad. Why did they change the keyboard layout? Why can’t they just stick to what people are used to? More Grumbling follows.
- One of the features I like about Chrome Browser is the option for profiles, so I can run completely separate browser profiles, one for work and one for personal stuff. In ChromeOS, it’s no longer possible. You need to log out to log into another profile. Which is a bummer, how do you cut and paste between your personal space and workspace?
- ChromeOS login and Google ID are closely tied to each other. Your Google password is the same as your ChromeOS login. It reduces the number of passwords you need to remember, but I prefer them to be separate.
- ChromeOS is primarily a connected PC, so you have limited functionality when you’re offline.
- The apps are not the same as on Ubuntu (Linux) or Windows. For example, the Zoom PWA doesn’t support all the features of the native desktop client.
- I missed some of my favourite apps on ChromeOS, such as LibreOffice, Nemo file manager, Gimp, and a few other native Linux apps. There are ways to install them in the Linux container, but it’s not the same experience.
The Ugly
- Chromebooks are missing some important keys, such as the delete key and the caps lock key. In place of the caps lock key, there’s a Google search button.
- The function keys are also missing. You can enable this from settings, but they are not printed on the keys.
- The workaround: You can use an external keyboard to access all of the keys.
- I even tried to install a full-blown Linux distro on the Chromebook, but I wasn’t successful. If you’re planning to run a Linux distro, it’s best to get a Linux laptop or a Windows laptop that you can dual boot with Linux.
My Final Thoughts
ChromeOS is a great device if all you need is a web browser (read Chrome). Tablets are great content consumption devices, but Chromebooks are better because they have better keyboards. In short, it’s a content-consumption device with a keyboard.
If you’re a power user who needs more desktop apps, then you need to look elsewhere. Ubuntu (Linux) works well for me. It does everything that ChromeOS does and more. I can run native desktop apps, deal with large numbers of photos and videos, and easily edit PDFs.
Chromebooks are also a good choice for beginners and students who haven’t used computers for long and don’t want to deal with complexities. If you’ve been using a PC user for a while like me, you’ll find the keyboard layout very irritating and painful to get used to.