Comment by ajross

Comment by ajross 5 days ago

3 replies

> Chrome OS isn't a real OS to me so I couldn't imagine using that as my daily driver as I would macOS

Not sure I understand this? One assumes that "daily driver" involves Linux VM use in this context[1], and ChromeOS's Linux VM integration is just wildly ahead of WSL (which really isn't bad) or the mess on OS X (awful). Installed Crostini apps appear as native apps in the UI. Transparent cross-filesystem access works flawlessly. Wayland and X11 apps appear with native decorations. Clipboard/WM/IPC integration does exactly what you expect. USB devices prompt you if you want to connect to the VM on insert (and remember the setting) etc...

And yes, I'm biased because I work there. But really it's a great development environment.

[1] I mean, if you're doing iOS development or need an M4 Max for performance reasons, or need some legacy Mac tooling like Adobe stuff, you're probably not looking at alternative platforms at all. Someone making the choice you posit is like 99% likely to be a web or embedded person working at a Linux shell as their native environment.

lern_too_spel 4 days ago

The Debian experience on my kid's Chromebook in Crostini is truly fantastic. The Android experience, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired. I had hoped a convertible Chromebook could give them access to all the learning apps across Linux, the web, and Android on a single device; but a lot of Android apps tell the Play Store they aren't compatible, and I have to jump through hoops to get them installed.

  • ajross 4 days ago

    To be fair (and, again, biased), Android apps run wildly better on a Chromebook than they do on a Mac or Windows box. :)

    School Chromebooks are very limited devices (often these were low-end units purchased at the beginning of the pandemic!), and you're likely comparing it to the flagship Samsung or whatever in your pocket, which is just objectively a much more powerful computer.

  • sturob 4 days ago

    For a good experience running Android apps on ChromeOS you really need an ARM CPU and a decent amount of RAM (12 or 16).