Topic: Linux on a Chromebook with Crouton

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

We’ll be using Crouton for this. It takes advantage the Linux system underlying Chrome OS to run both environments at once and is a much slicker experience than traditional dual-booting. Crouton uses Chrome OS’s standard drivers for your Chromebook’s hardware, so you shouldn’t run into issues with your touchpad or other hardware. Crouton was actually created by Google employee Dave Schneider.

When you use Crouton, you’re actually just running one operating system — Linux. However, you’re running two environments on top of the OS — Chrome OS and a traditional Linux desktop.

Before you do any sort of hacking, you’ll need to enable “Developer Mode” on your Chromebook. Chromebooks are normally locked down for security, only booting properly signed operating systems, checking them for tampering, and preventing users and applications from modifying the underlying OS. Developer Mode allows you to disable all these security features, giving you a laptop you can tweak and play with to your heart’s content.

After enabling Developer Mode, you’ll be able to access a Linux terminal from within Chrome OS and do whatever you like.

Locking down and the Google monitoring of everything is a downside of the Chromebook.  Being able to install a fully independent Linux is better. 

[Nemesis]

Since posting this I've picked up an Acer Chromebook C710-2490 refurbished so it was cheap.  Right now I can't play around with it at home as it can't use my "Wireless Internet Stick" and you need the wireless to start it the first time.  I'm planning on changing that soon. 

I do plan on installing KDE on it so I can use it as a full Linux netbook but haven't gotten to that yet. 

One nice feature that I've wanted on my netbook is having the speakers off but when I plug in the headphones they work.  ChromeOS does that and keeps their separate volume settings as well.  I'll post more as I get the chance to use it. 

[Nemesis]

Found my first bug. 

About the first thing I tried was making an OS backup.  This downloads the current version and writes it to a thumbdrive or SD card for restoring in case of "disaster" just like the Windows recovery disk except it will be the current version not an unpatched version.  It failed.  Why it failed is I logged on as guest rather than use a gmail account to log on with.  The bug isn't that it failed but that it tried and failed without telling me that it doesn't work if you log on as guest. 

I have since used another machine to download and make a backup.  I also logged in properly and burned 2 copies with the Chromebook (overwriting the first made copy). 

[Nemesis]

I have now used Crouton to install and run KDE.  So I can now run standard Linux programs like Libre Office and Firefox both of which I've installed.  I've also set up Wine but haven't tried any windows programs yet. 

So far the KDE Linux set up side by side with the Win7 Netbook on the same WiFi seems to download much quicker but I haven't had them connecting to the same source for the same file at the same time so can't tell if that is just luck of the draw or if the Win7 really is slower. 

Installing KDE (or whatever DE you want) with Crouton does involve using a terminal and therefore the command line.  Also needed to do the same (sudo apt-get install adept) to install the program for doing graphical installs of other programs.  After that the only use of the command line is launching KDE.

KDE unfortunately doesn't do that trick about separate controls for the Chromebook speakers and the headphones. 

[Nemesis]

Not only does the wireless seem faster it is better.  In spots where the Win7 netbook either can't get or cant holld one the Chromebook gets and holds a good connection.

I think that next long weekend I look at trying Linux on this netbook

[Nemesis]

After a long weekend using both machines and doing a great deal of file transfers to monitor performance when the  Win7 Netbook is at its best transfer rates the Chromebook with KDE averages over the day 3 times faster (at least) in transfers.  I guess this means I am spending the money to replace my wireless USB internet connection with the wireless hotspot so I can use it with Linux which the USB device is incompatible with. 

I considered that it might be the built in wireless and tried a USB wireless stick (compatible with Linux as well) and it managed no better under Win7 than the built in and no worse.  I'll need to get another one so both my Linux and Windows desktops can connect to the internet through the hotspot, right now without the hotspot only the Windows machine can. 

[Nemesis]

Just came across a feature of the Konquerer web browser that I like.  Modern wide screen monitors will if you use the browser in full screen mode make some sites too wide for convenient use.  Konquerer has the option of doing split panes and  you can have the browser open not just two different web pages but two separate sets of tabs. 

[Nemesis]

Found my first bug. 

About the first thing I tried was making an OS backup.  This downloads the current version and writes it to a thumbdrive or SD card for restoring in case of "disaster" just like the Windows recovery disk except it will be the current version not an unpatched version.  It failed.  Why it failed is I logged on as guest rather than use a gmail account to log on with.  The bug isn't that it failed but that it tried and failed without telling me that it doesn't work if you log on as guest. 

I have since used another machine to download and make a backup.  I also logged in properly and burned 2 copies with the Chromebook (overwriting the first made copy).

Note about these thumbdrive backups.  They seem to take over the whole thumbdrive and Win7 appears incapable of erasing it.  I also couldn't figure out how to do on on Chrome.  I finally used my linux desktop to erase all the partitions on the one thumbdrive and repartition and format it for other use. 

[Nemesis]

After a long weekend using both machines and doing a great deal of file transfers to monitor performance when the  Win7 Netbook is at its best transfer rates the Chromebook with KDE averages over the day 3 times faster (at least) in transfers.

That remained true over several months of testing.  It wasn't the wireless on the netbook at fault.  How do I know?  I put Netrunner (64 bit) Linux on the netbook and the situation reversed itself.  The netbooks download speed over time is FAR faster than under windows 7 64 bit Home Premium (damn name is too long).  The netbook had a faster hybrid drive than the chromebook and twice the memory (under both windows and Linux).