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Is Windows Coming To Chromebooks? (computerworld.com)
Computerworld suggests a strange strategy for Windows: If you can't beat Chromebook, join Chromebook:
The eagle-eyed developers at XDA Developers have spotted a new Google Pixelbook firmware branch. This new code, "eve-campfire," includes a new "Alt OS mode." That "Alt OS"? WIndows 10. From the clues XDA has picked up, this looks as if it will be a real offering and not just an internal project that will never see the light of day. XDA thinks it will be a built-in dual-boot option such as Apple's Boot Camp....
So, why offer Windows on the Chromebook...? I think it's two things. One, Google wants to snag all those users who are still stuck on Windows because of a favorite game or required application. Two (and if I'm right, this is so sneaky of Google), Windows 10 will run like a dog on Chromebooks... would Google rub Microsoft's face in just how much better Chromebooks are than Windows laptops by letting users see for themselves? Sure it would.
So, why offer Windows on the Chromebook...? I think it's two things. One, Google wants to snag all those users who are still stuck on Windows because of a favorite game or required application. Two (and if I'm right, this is so sneaky of Google), Windows 10 will run like a dog on Chromebooks... would Google rub Microsoft's face in just how much better Chromebooks are than Windows laptops by letting users see for themselves? Sure it would.
Windows 10 will run like a dog on Chromebooks... would Google rub Microsoft's face in just how much better Chromebooks are than Windows laptops by letting users see for themselves? Sure it would.
If Chromebook runs Windows badly when the user can see it run better elsewhere then human nature is likely to be to blame the Chromebook, not Windows.
google could take a shot at microsoft, as mentioned in tfs; as well as a shot at apple by adding actual no-hacks/no-dev-tools/no-secure-boot-headaches linux and bsd support, too (boot camp only supports specific windows versions on specific models/osx versions. linux must be installed manually, which is a fairly significant undertaking).
So I can run linux in my windows in my chromebook. Just what I wanted!
Chromebooks are Windows' pr0n.
Look at what is happening in the latest versions of android - resizing support, samsung releasing a 'windowed' dex tablet
This is the end of chromebooks, and android on them instead. Makes sense - 'cloud OS's' are shit, mainly because 'packet loss' 'shit wifi' and 'remote servers out of your control'.
At least with Android, it can run offline *properly*.
I run all sorts of stuff on my Chromebook via qemu/KVM. How is this different?
Also, Google sucks ass. Just trying to type this on my phone is fucking near impossible. Why does it keep locking up with regular words? Government spyware? Burn android down.
After spending considerable work to patch the moronically broken seabios i tried to load windows on my Asus c302.. No go.
Jesus fucking Christ.. Just putting this comment in was a trail of patience retyping the same thing 10 times to get it not to reorganize and overwrite what I wrote. Android of the suck.
The hardware on your typical windows laptop blows the typical chromebook away.
if you don't, knowing Microsoft, they will immediately overwrite your boot sector and take over the boot loader, conveniently forgetting about your operating system.
I've had win7 running the last 5 yrs inside a virtual machine on a chromebook.
But I wiped chromeOS long ago.
Chromebook is a hardware platform. You don't need the OS.
Load up Ubuntu-mate, kvm + libvirt + virtual-machine-manager and you can run any x86 on a sufficiently powerful chromebook.
In 2013, that was an Acer C720.
In 2015, I moved to a Toshiba CB2 with an Core i3 CPU.
The only trick is NOT to accept/buy a chromebook with a shitty CPU, as 80% of chromebooks today are sold. The better CPUs don't cost much more, but Intel has a bad habit of naming wost, newer, CPUs with higher numbers.
Always, always, always check the passmark before buying any Chromebook. They are selling 1300 and less passmark chromebooks which is totally unacceptable for desktop use. Look for 1600passmark and higher for more acceptable performance. 3000+ passmark is comfortable.
And if you wipe chromeOS then you don't have to worry about google pushing out an update without asking, just like MSFT does and you'll be able to run a kernel that supports modules that google chooses not to support, like NFS.
But you'll loose out on the highly secure setup with TPM and validated boot that signed chromeOS provides. This is a highly secure platform, but not highly private when ChromeOS is running.
If windows "runs like a dog," then they won't "snag all those users who are still stuck on Windows because of a favorite game"
And totally seriously and without any kind of sarcasm in case you can't tell really!
And I want to lash a giant old SUV that leaks oil to the back of it. Where can I get this new Windows for Chrome?
Pretty sure google's chrome does more snooping and reporting all your info back to the mothership than windows does. For now, at least. They're both crappy and neither should be used.
The entire reason I have a chromebook is for the simplicity.. an almost purely content consuming machine for leisure, with options of email/document productivity for work.
If I want to play games or do anything image/video/audio editing related, I'll go hop on my windows PC.
Remember kids, it's OKAY to have more than one computer.
Who would want to pollute a Chromebook with decrepit dinosaur buggy Microsoft software?
Seriously, what's the use case? Does someone out there need more bugs in their computer usage? Is this for new developers learning and figuring out how NOT to do software?
I donâ(TM)t get it.
I think Windows 10S and ARM are out of the question actually. These require a locked bootloader as far as I know and they're OEM-only.
It'll take "full" OEM versions of Windows ($119 Home, $199 Pro) and bootleg Windows, like a normal PC.
If you have an ARM Chromebook? Probably the feature will not be available at all. In fact TFA on talks about the "Pixelbook", not even generic x86 Chromebooks.
But it would not be impossible to have "Alt OS" on ARM and have it make boot UEFI-compatible ARM linux distros. That wouldn't be too bad (if you explain me how to do page up, page down, home, end, etc. on the keyboard)
I didn't know about virtual-machine-manager, thanks very much!
On my next linux installation I will thus have VMs without Virtualbox (it works, but maybe it's a shame not to use all that kvm stuff. Never got OpenGL in VBox for instance)
Gnome boxes wasn't working at all on Ubuntu 16.04, just showing me huge squares. What a failure.
I didn't know Red Hat also had a GUI that works, or I that virt-manager has a GUI.