This was an essay I wrote back in 2018. Several of my opinions have changed since then which I will address at the end of the essay.
Chromebooks at first glance can seem to be a very niche piece of technology. After all, why would you want to be limited to only what a web browser can do compared to a fully functional laptop like a PC or a Mac? Several years ago this would not be possible and chromebooks would be a failure, but the advent of cloud computing, and the ability to run programs and get work done right from your browser, as even the author is doing right now, have blurred the lines between app and browser tab.
Software used to be sold in packages on CD-ROMs (or even floppies) on a shelf, and by installing and running these programs, this would be the primary way people would interact with their computer and get their work done. As technology has progressed, that is no longer necessary. Programs can be downloaded and installed over the internet, or more frequently now, software is sold “as a service” which you create an account, log into through your web browser, and then do your work right there with no additional software needed. This service model is what makes chromebooks possible, and it’s not surprising Google has been a major player in making things like this happen.
Through the power of cloud computing, we can see how a chromebook functions, but why is this advantageous to the average user? Since the entire operating system and browser is provided by google (among many other open source projects, including but not limited to Linux) users don’t have to worry about keeping every program on their computer up to date. As a matter of fact, there is little to no maintenance involved with chromebooks, they simply take care of themselves. Since chromebooks are fundamentally different from Windows and Mac computers in design, it makes them virtually immune to many forms of malicious software a Windows PC can fall victim to.
This does not guarantee security however, exploits that attack a web browser and the vast amount of personal information they have stored is still possible, along with social engineering, phishing, and other forms of attacks are still possible on a chromebook. Despite having much lower specs than a traditional laptop, chromebooks are incredibly fast machines, a large part due to them being sold with SSD drives and without the overhead of a traditional Windows or Mac Operating System, and their speed at loading content is likely most limited by the quality of your internet connection.
Features like this are why Chromebooks can be best targeted to basic or average users who have a light workload on a computer. They are simple devices. However there are cases where chromebooks are not appropriate, such as when a user has demands for specific software, or if they want to play the latest high powered games. Users who spend most of their time away from Wi-Fi or some other stable internet connection would also not benefit from a Chromebook. Also small storage space locally on the laptop is a limiting factor. Much of your data can be stored in Google’s Cloud Drive, with all the privacy issues therein, or on other external storage to augment the small SSD drives included with the laptop, though these might not always be convenient.
Having made this case, it’s been almost 6 years since and certain factors have changed. The biggest is my now mistrust towards big tech companies and their interest in making stable reliable devices. I do not trust Google nearly as much as I did back then. I do not believe Google is capable of making a reliable user experience due to and among other things their constant sunsetting of services.
I also am very disappointed in the software support lifetime of chromebooks. These devices might be cheap and not durable, but they are certainly capable of functioning just fine for people much longer than they support the software on them for. Conventional Linux Desktops are becoming more friendly day by day, and with now up to nearly a decade of Long Term Support (LTS) for certain distributions (e.g. Ubuntu) the paltry several years of so of chromebook support pales in comparison.
To Google’s credit it seems they are working on this particular problem however again I don’t know how long I trust Google to maintain their end of the deal. It seems if they can’t monitize something with ads or it doesn’t catch on quickly, they kill it.
This leads me to my next complaint. Yes chromebooks are very locked down bootloader wise which makes them secure! However, I would much prefer the ability to change the software to my desire as you could on a conventional laptop should it go out of support. It’s amazing the extra lifespan you can give an old computer by installing Linux on it.
Which leads me to my current recommendation for people: let me get a refurbished thinkpad for you and set up Linux on it. It’s good for the environment and it allows maximum flexibility and independence.
Leave a Reply