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A comment on What Dropbox dropping Linux support says. Parent comment

Re:What Dropbox dropping Linux support says by DannyB2 on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @10:28AM (#17859009)
> A vast number of users use their computers to check email, look up things on the web, and type up an occasional document.

Chomebooks.

These may very well become the standard desktop / laptop Linux.

* they are very secure

* they run Chrome extensions / apps

* the latest Chrome OS runs Android apps (and desktop integration will improve in a couple releases)

* very soon Chrome OS will run Linux desktop apps (eg, will install .deb files, apps like Gimp, Inkscape, etc) integrated into the Chrome desktop, without being in developer mode (eg "rooted")

* Chromebooks are very successful in education

* A fleet of chromebooks (eg, a school district) can centrally control their chromebooks, including policies. Fleet owners can negotiate volume pricing from multiple vendor suppliers. Chromebooks that are lost, stolen or eaten can be replaced for $67 / unit.

* You can buy expensive high end chromebooks that are very nice, thin, powerful, all day battery, etc

IMO, this could become "the year of the Linux desktop"

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:What Dropbox dropping Linux support says by AnIdiotOnTheNet on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @11:27AM (#17859526)
Year of the Chromebook maybe, but having the entire userland replaced with a proprietary web browser on top of the Linux kernel is probably not the victory the Linux Desktop community was hoping for.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:What Dropbox dropping Linux support says by DannyB2 on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @11:39AM (#17859647)
A userland Chrome browser is what Chromebook WAS. What it is becoming is a desktop. With Linux and Android apps integrated.

There are a lot of good Android apps that would be useful on a laptop. There are a lot of Linux apps that are useful on a laptop.

Good security. With secure verified boot. Yet Linux apps that run in a strong sandbox allowing untrusted code. Android apps run in a different sandbox. All this is transparent to the user who sees a desktop.

The Chrome OS and Android are self updating. I don't know about Linux apps yet.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:What Dropbox dropping Linux support says by AnIdiotOnTheNet on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @11:42AM (#17859668)
Android, again, was a complete replacement of the userland tooling developed by the community. For all intents and purposes it is a completely different system.

Even Windows can run Linux apps these days. It still doesn't seem to me that that qualifies as "year of the Linux Desktop" as it is intended.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:What Dropbox dropping Linux support says by DannyB2 on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @11:49AM (#17859731)
Definitely not Linux Desktop as intended.

Android is indeed quite different.

Chrome OS is somewhat different. Today I use Crouton to run one or more Linux desktops (currently Ubuntu Unity and Xfce) on my Pixelbook. I've blown away an older Ubuntu 16.04 I had. Thinking about blowing away the Ubuntu Unity and keeping only the Xfce. Each Linux desktop takes about 5 GB with a few additional apps installed including LibreOffice, GIMP, Inksacpe, wxMaxima and Eclipse / Java. Using Crouton means my Pixelbook is in "developer mode" (which means rooted).

I look forward to the integrated Linux apps and expect one day I will switch out of developer (rooted) mode back to normal. This is called a "power wash" on the Settings and resets everything for security and verified boot so no unauthorized code can ever execute.

[ Parent | on HN ]