Laying aside for the moment which Linux Distro to use for a moment.
I have purchased an older ChromeBook. ThinkPad 11 e 20DU 009. 4 GB RAM 16 GB SSD. Delivered to my door for $48.00.
I think the Android on it is outdated, although, it is quick to respond, and nimble and gets some basic things accomplished. But I did not buy it to run Android.
Using the scripts provided courtesy of Mr. Chrome Box (his moniker and website) I changed the BIOS on this to first boot a USB of Linux, then to install Linux on the SSD. Android left 1.8 GB of space for my personal space. Gallium-OS (distro implementation for these Chrome Books, with the correct drivers already installed) left me over 10 GB.
I have started Bionic Pup on this. I may have to investigate finding some Drivers for Puppy.
I envision trying Easy OS, (thanks Barry), and also trying to see if I can plug in a portable optical drive to run Puppy as a multi-session.
I mentioned to my brother my efforts to use the Chrome Book and said, "Shame I can not increase the RAM or SSD, as they are (I have not taken it apart to see) surely soldered onto the board. To which he said, "I spent a big portion of my working life soldering things onto circuit boards. It is a matter of having a low wattage soldering iron, and the right kind of solder." To which my thought it is also having enough experience to know just how much heat to apply to not damage components, and make good connections. And his company could always afford the risk of failures.
I have not researched how Intel may have failed to protect the firmware on things inside. I suspect this processor is so old that Intel is not issuing fixes. Likely I have no easy way to apply them.
I have a concern or two that Google, initially intended anything run on a product with their name, to make a first hop to Google servers so they could record what I am doing. Also Google now owns Core-Boot, which may be well respected today as free and privacy, to be able to do an update to do something, well Googly.
I should probably check the hardware to make sure it has all free drivers, and I am not using Blobs.
I felt I would mention the project. I am guessing some of you have also played with Chrome Books. Any comments? Warnings? Suggestions?
Creating a Secure laptop
Linux on Chromebook
I have ended up with 3 older Chromebooks with Linux on them and a newer HP14 one which still gets updates that my wife uses. She like the Chromebook as do I because it does all she needs and it does much of what I like.
I have two Acer C720's one with a John Lewis alteration so that it boots from MBR and one with the UEFI only Mr Chromebox bootloader.
I bought a cheap C720 on ebay that had problems and found that it had bad RAM and so went for the UEFI boot loader and a regular Linux so that I could use Grub2 and add in bad RAM features which means that it has no problems now.
On my original C720 I changed the memory to 128 GB and that has various Puppies, Fatdog and a Main stream Linux on one of the partitions.
I also have an old HP14 that has Manjaro on it.
They all work well with no real problems. Some more recent ones can have an issue with sound.
On recent Chromebooks, both the SSD and The RAM is soldered in and if you are buying one I would advise that you get one with 4GB RAM and 32 GB storage. Adding or swapping RAM and SSD afterwards is not going to be easy. They are surface mount devices and so you will need a heat gun, together with the solder balls, etc, to work on them. Google it to see videos of how it is done. If you want to do that you will need the equipment and old boards to practise on.
I have two Acer C720's one with a John Lewis alteration so that it boots from MBR and one with the UEFI only Mr Chromebox bootloader.
I bought a cheap C720 on ebay that had problems and found that it had bad RAM and so went for the UEFI boot loader and a regular Linux so that I could use Grub2 and add in bad RAM features which means that it has no problems now.
On my original C720 I changed the memory to 128 GB and that has various Puppies, Fatdog and a Main stream Linux on one of the partitions.
I also have an old HP14 that has Manjaro on it.
They all work well with no real problems. Some more recent ones can have an issue with sound.
On recent Chromebooks, both the SSD and The RAM is soldered in and if you are buying one I would advise that you get one with 4GB RAM and 32 GB storage. Adding or swapping RAM and SSD afterwards is not going to be easy. They are surface mount devices and so you will need a heat gun, together with the solder balls, etc, to work on them. Google it to see videos of how it is done. If you want to do that you will need the equipment and old boards to practise on.
This is interesting topic. I think some one should make the world aware that Puppy + this ChromeBook may meet the desire of those know projects like "Low-Cost Computers for Education in Developing Countries" or "One Laptop Per Child"
peterw since you already using it. Can you tell us how would you say is has been you experience. I see you already saying, "get one with 4GB RAM and 32 GB storage"
I guess storage size will depend on user interest. In my case I overcome all those by using in Lan HDD Drives. There I keep my hungry storage needs. To give you an Idea with myself. In the past on Win7 I needed at least 100GB storage. Win7 itself after some time will use 30GB.
I been on Puppy ONLY for more or less 3 month now. Do not forget I do have my HDD on the Lan with my old data. Clearly I stay home most of the time. And for any special test/extra need I do create use disposable temporary puppy saves. But in general a 2GB puppy save storage is all what I use for my personal needs!! I am surprise my self.
peterw since you already using it. Can you tell us how would you say is has been you experience. I see you already saying, "get one with 4GB RAM and 32 GB storage"
I guess storage size will depend on user interest. In my case I overcome all those by using in Lan HDD Drives. There I keep my hungry storage needs. To give you an Idea with myself. In the past on Win7 I needed at least 100GB storage. Win7 itself after some time will use 30GB.
I been on Puppy ONLY for more or less 3 month now. Do not forget I do have my HDD on the Lan with my old data. Clearly I stay home most of the time. And for any special test/extra need I do create use disposable temporary puppy saves. But in general a 2GB puppy save storage is all what I use for my personal needs!! I am surprise my self.
Amount of storage
entique
At the moment, 2 GB of RAM and a 16 GB SSD is more than enough for Puppy. If you have a frugal install you can always move a downloaded video, iso, etc, away from the save file.
I recommend that extra storage, because with many of the current Chromebooks, you are stuck with what it was made with and that may not always be enough. Remember, Chromebooks will last up to 6.5 years with updates and by then we will not be certain what space a Linux Distro will need. Some may want a regular Linux Distro as opposed to a Puppy and that may be a squeeze on an old by then Chromebook.
At the moment, 2 GB of RAM and a 16 GB SSD is more than enough for Puppy. If you have a frugal install you can always move a downloaded video, iso, etc, away from the save file.
I recommend that extra storage, because with many of the current Chromebooks, you are stuck with what it was made with and that may not always be enough. Remember, Chromebooks will last up to 6.5 years with updates and by then we will not be certain what space a Linux Distro will need. Some may want a regular Linux Distro as opposed to a Puppy and that may be a squeeze on an old by then Chromebook.
Interesting.
Let me say this 1rst. To be honest I know nothing about Chromebook. I heard of them. For the most part I do not leave my house. And the name Chromebook reminds me Goggle. I hate Google. I do even say Google is a new division of US Intelligence.
So I had ignored the subject.
Then I see your post I was surprise. Linux Laptop for under $50 delivery include!! Waoooooo..... Now I am even more surprice after finding a few post:
Sound on a Chromebook
Chromebook (How to use and put Puppy on a Chromebook)
Chromebook Pup V2 Released 20th Dec 2014
How to setup touchpad & sound HP Chromebook 14?
I was even on a tread yesterday that the user show that he's device has 2 mmcblk. I bet you now that it is a Chromebook. How naive I was...
Then I come with the Idea of "Low-Cost Computers for Education in Developing Countries" or "One Laptop Per Child" . Well it is not my Idea, if you go to wiki you can find The education market has been the Chromebooks' most notable success, competing on the low cost of the hardware, software and upkeep. . Do not get me wrong, they are using as a smart device. Puppy on it, makes it a real Laptop!!
I used to develop for Android but I got feed up after Android 4.3 and Samsung damage my Galaxy S. The best smart phone I ever had. Light & small enough to carry on pockets.
Let me say this 1rst. To be honest I know nothing about Chromebook. I heard of them. For the most part I do not leave my house. And the name Chromebook reminds me Goggle. I hate Google. I do even say Google is a new division of US Intelligence.
So I had ignored the subject.Then I see your post I was surprise. Linux Laptop for under $50 delivery include!! Waoooooo..... Now I am even more surprice after finding a few post:
Sound on a Chromebook
Chromebook (How to use and put Puppy on a Chromebook)
Chromebook Pup V2 Released 20th Dec 2014
How to setup touchpad & sound HP Chromebook 14?
I was even on a tread yesterday that the user show that he's device has 2 mmcblk. I bet you now that it is a Chromebook. How naive I was...
Then I come with the Idea of "Low-Cost Computers for Education in Developing Countries" or "One Laptop Per Child" .
Well it is not my Idea, if you go to wiki you can find The education market has been the Chromebooks' most notable success, competing on the low cost of the hardware, software and upkeep. . Do not get me wrong, they are using as a smart device. Puppy on it, makes it a real Laptop!!Be ware that at the end or close of life cycle Google will be sending an update that I bet you will prevent you to use it anymore. They done this with Android. Some manufactures lock the boot-loader so that you can not go back or install anything else than the last update. Yes they are making sure you will throw it away after losing its value.peterw wrote:...Remember, Chromebooks will last up to 6.5 years with updates and by then we will not be certain what space a Linux Distro will need...
I used to develop for Android but I got feed up after Android 4.3 and Samsung damage my Galaxy S. The best smart phone I ever had. Light & small enough to carry on pockets.
Chromebook EOL
enrique, when you say:
"Be ware that at the end or close of life cycle Google will be sending an update that I bet you will prevent you to use it anymore. They done this with Android. Some manufactures lock the boot-loader so that you can not go back or install anything else than the last update. Yes they are making sure you will throw it away after losing its value."
that has not been my experience. A relation has kept his C720 Chromebook with the EOL ChromeOS on and it continues to function. It does what he wants and there is no reason that he sees to change.
If you are in the UK (so price is in British £'s) you can get really cheap laptops, sometimes, such as this: https://www.ebuyer.com/879453-coda-zest ... op-coda002. Don't know about quality but if I wanted a new laptop, I would give it serious consideration.
"Be ware that at the end or close of life cycle Google will be sending an update that I bet you will prevent you to use it anymore. They done this with Android. Some manufactures lock the boot-loader so that you can not go back or install anything else than the last update. Yes they are making sure you will throw it away after losing its value."
that has not been my experience. A relation has kept his C720 Chromebook with the EOL ChromeOS on and it continues to function. It does what he wants and there is no reason that he sees to change.
If you are in the UK (so price is in British £'s) you can get really cheap laptops, sometimes, such as this: https://www.ebuyer.com/879453-coda-zest ... op-coda002. Don't know about quality but if I wanted a new laptop, I would give it serious consideration.
I am not really looking into finding a new Laptop. At home there are about 5 old PC. I know I have like my own lab. Here I am at home having fun:
They have its uses, My Laptop for daily uses, HTTP where I see Satellite TV and Movies. I Game PC with a GPU that I used for for parallel computing in opencl for cracking encryption. And a few other things.
Well I seen real garbage at Costco or Sams. I did already told you that I hate so much Google that I did ignore the fact this devices exist. Now in the other hand I was amaze that we can find this devices for such a low prices. Then that people like you are already modding them to be used as real laptops.
Here I am at home having fun: They have its uses, My Laptop for daily uses, HTTP where I see Satellite TV and Movies. I Game PC with a GPU that I used for for parallel computing in opencl for cracking encryption. And a few other things.
Well I seen real garbage at Costco or Sams. I did already told you that I hate so much Google that I did ignore the fact this devices exist. Now in the other hand I was amaze that we can find this devices for such a low prices. Then that people like you are already modding them to be used as real laptops.