Google Is Making It Easier To SSH Your Chromebook, Load Linux

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Google Is Making It Easier To SSH Your Chromebook, Load Linux

Google's Chromium team is making it easier to modify the software stack of your Chromebook, boot a Linux distribution from a USB drive, and carry out other tasks...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...gging-Features

[uid313]

Sweet

Sweet!

I would really love to see Google launch their own official Chromebook, kind of like they do with the Nexus series for phones and tablets.
A successor to the now dated Chromebook Pixel, but with a more reasonable price.

[bnolsen]

It's a shame it doesn't seem like NaCl took off for them. It would be nice to get chromeos beyond what it is. In fact it might be necessary for chromeos to survive now that MS has taken full notice. Unfortunately these features only attract the linux crowd, it doesn't enable normal users to do more with chromeos and the scary developer system on boot is still there.

[Sonadow]

They need to make it much easier to do the following things:

• Activate Developer Mode
• Remove Chrome OS and install Linux in its place
• Disable the write protection on the firmware so that third-paty builds with updated Coreboot and SeaBIOS can be easily loaded
• Disassemble the Chromebooks and replace the ridiculously small-capacity SSD and stop soldering down key components like the WiFi card or RAM (put some pressure on the OEMs if you have to do so, and warn the user that doing so voids the warranty)
• provide more documentation on how all of the above can be done

[amdevereux]

If you want a general purpose laptop, buy a laptop. I think that instead of focussing on the hardware, Google could provide official builds of ChromeOS for other systems, akin to a distribution.

[Sonadow]

If you want a general purpose laptop, buy a laptop. I think that instead of focussing on the hardware, Google could provide official builds of ChromeOS for other systems, akin to a distribution.

x86 / x64 hardware is general purpose. Google is just imposing artificial restrictions on what can be done with general purpose hardware.

Edit: i just realized that this argument of mine falls flat considering that I own a PS4 with uses x64 hardware but is locked down. Ouch. >.<

[castlefox]

Sweet !!!!!

This makes the Chromebook I just got delivered last night all the better

[Xaero_Vincent]

I'm not a big fan of Chromebooks.

ChromeOS by itself is way too limited. It can become far more usable running a mainstream Linux distro via a chroot. So far it seems Ubuntu and Archlinux can be used on them with Crouton and Chroagh. Some models can have the firmware patched with SeaBIOS that enables a direct install and boot into a mainstream distro.

However, the problem with Chromebooks is that their specs suck if you buy them with the intent to use regular Linux and do regular things on them. Most have only 2GB RAM and a low in Celeron or ARM based processor and 16GB of storage. That new Acer 15.6" Chromebook with the Core i3, 4GB RAM seems interesting--however, still only 32GB of storage. The good news is Crouton does support being installed on an SD card, so "if" some of these Chromebooks support SDXC with 64GB and larger SD cards then it might be viable. I mean with 10 seconds of googling you can find a nice PNY class 10 128GB SD card for $65.99 or 256GB for $104.99 online.

[M1kkko]

x86 / x64 hardware is general purpose. Google is just imposing artificial restrictions on what can be done with general purpose hardware.

Edit: i just realized that this argument of mine falls flat considering that I own a PS4 with uses x64 hardware but is locked down. Ouch. >.<

That doesn't make your argument fall flat, in fact, it applies just as well to the PS4. (ie. they are imposing artificial restrictions to hardware that could do more. PS3 used to be able to boot Linux officially afaik.)

[Luke]

Google needs insurance against locked Windoze machines

If you want a general purpose laptop, buy a laptop. I think that instead of focussing on the hardware, Google could provide official builds of ChromeOS for other systems, akin to a distribution.

I suspect Google chose to go the hardware route as a defense against being locked out by Window 8 or its sucessors. OK, consider an environment where small laptops with Windows all become ARM. If Google didn't make their own deal to make laptops, that would kill Google, because ARM Window 8 or later hard-locks the bootloader against any other OS. I consider those machines to be paperweights.
Even on x84 or x86-64, Google could not afford to risk Windows changing their "Windows certification" requirement in the future to prohibit rather than require disabling "secure" boot, nor risk Window changing the key to one they share with absolutely nobody like they did with the original Surface tablets on ARM.

Google, like Steam, has to defend themselves against aggression by Microsoft, a notorious monopolist.