Renard’s Thoughts On ChromeOS

ChromeOS first came on the scene on Wednesday the 15th of June, 2011.

Today, Chromebooks are almost everywhere. Some people use them for:

• School
• Work
• Entertainment

And, from the looks of things, Chromebooks are here to stay (So, ChromeOS is having a field day).

Google Knew Exactly What They Were Doing When They Created ChromeOS

Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that ChromeOS involves the usage of Google’s ecosystem and cloud services.

The default web browser is Google Chrome (Which ironically, is the most used web browser on the planet).

Google fanboys (and fangirls too) will enjoy using Chromebooks.

There is A Chromebook To Suit Each Person’s Budget

People with very little money in their bank account can purchase a low-end Chromebook.

People who have money to spare can buy a midrange Chromebook.

People who feel like splurging can buy a high-end Chromebook.

Linux users who read that would laugh and then say to themselves, “My goodness, do those people know that they can install Linux on an old laptop if they want to save money?”

Also, Linux can be installed on midrange and high-end computers as well.

The problem is that the average person would prefer to purchase a computer that comes preinstalled with an operating system.

Guess what? Linux also comes preinstalled on certain brands of laptop computers; for example:

• The HP Dev One (Which is marketed to attract developers; but the truth is that anyone can use it).
• Numerous brands of laptops with Manjaro on them.
• Linux Mint in conjunction with the folks over at ThinkPenguin.

The only thing is that you will have to purchase those computers online.

Whereas, anyone can walk into a brick-and-mortar store and purchase a laptop computer with ChromeOS preinstalled.

So, in this regard, ChromeOS has the advantage.

ChromeOS Is Ridiculously Easy To Use

If you can use a web browser, you can definitely use ChromeOS.

Everything is web-based and in the cloud.

For those of you who have never used a Chromebook before, I would like to bring it to your attention, that Chromebooks have very little physical storage (Hence the reason for Google’s push towards using their cloud-based services).

By the way, Chromebook users can store their images, documents, etcetera, on an external SSD if they are not comfortable with the idea of storing everything on the cloud.

I would also like to add, that Linux is also easy to use; it has a web browser and if you a fan of Google Chrome, you can download it; thus giving you full access to Google’s ecosystem (The same can be done on Windows 11 and macOS).

So, really and truly, does one really need ChromeOS to gain full access to Google’s ecosystem?

“No!”

Google Had Fun Forking Linux Into Something Else

Do you know that Android has the Linux kernel in it?

Do you also know that ChromeOS is actually a fork of Gentoo?

Those of you who are technology enthusiasts or work in jobs pertaining to Information and Technology would know that.

However, the average person is unaware of such things.

Linux is free and open-source and Google had their unique style of fun forking and rebranding it (The biggest irony of all, is that those forked projects are now licensed as proprietary software).

What About Using Linux And Android Software On ChromeOS?

Some people like ChromeOS because it allows them to utilize Android and Linux software (Hey, I am happy for those people).

In my case, I am quite satisfied with using Linux. Therefore, using ChromeOS to run Linux applications is redundant.

And, if I wanted to use Android, I would download it on my laptop computer (I certainly have no interest in doing that).

Besides, I really do not see how a person can get an authentic Linux experience or an authentic Android experience via ChromeOS (Some of those things will not work correctly or will work slower when used on ChromeOS).

Final Thoughts

No one can do marketing as fine as the folks over at Google (After all, ChromeOS is a household name).

ChromeOS is here to stay (Unless Google decides to kill it).

Most people buy Chromebooks because they see them as a thrifty option.

And, the things that can be done on ChromeOS can also be accomplished on:

• Linux
• Microsoft Windows
• macOS

There is nothing special about ChromeOS (It is just that Google fooled a lot of people into thinking that ChromeOS is special).

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