You should be eligible for a refund, file a complaint with consumer protection. In most places it is illegal to mislead customers and market products with planned features that you do not deliver on in a reasonable timeframe.

See eg the PS3 claiming it could install a normal linux.

I don't know how the exact laws work in other countries, but in France it's also two different things that work differently, one is you sold me a product that isn't working, the other is your marketing lied. Both are illegal but on different terms. Thus if it's not on the box or product page, then it's a marketing material issue.

Can you clarify what you mean with this? What consumer protection?

For interstate commerce: FTC [1] or state/county AGs/consumer affairs bureaus, e.g. NYS [2], CA [3], WA[4]

[1] https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consume...

[2] https://www.usa.gov/state-consumer/new-york

[3] https://www.usa.gov/state-consumer/california

[4] https://www.usa.gov/state-consumer/washington

So you could go that route, if you like. I ended up doing something similar with my original Chromebook Pixel when Google stopped supporting it: I removed the write-protect screw from the motherboard, flashed a normal BIOS, and installed Linux Mint on it.

[1] https://mrchromebox.tech/

From what I understand about it, it is a linux kernel + driver issue. I do not know if this means it is the manufacturer of the chromebook's "fault", or google's "fault" for not supporting these things. E.g. does the manufacturer need to do a new build for their hardware? I don't know.

The chromebooks do update themselves all the time but I gues there is some more fundamental stuff that requires more low-level changes.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/11/google-outlines-plan...

As an example, Vulkan was added in Android 7 as optional API, the adoption was so low, with so many buggy drivers that as of Android 10 it became a compulsory API.

On Android everything that Google leaves the OEMs free reign hardly gets done.

1 - https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en

Microsoft just ended support for Windows 7 - released July 2009 - yesterday. It’s currently running on my old 2006 era Mac Mini that my mom is using.

I also have a 2009 Core 2 Duo laptop that until early last year was my Plex Server. It is running a still supported Windows 10.

Both Microsoft and Asus keep having updates for it.

Google just needs to actually care.

In fact, Android since project Treble has a driver model similar to Windows.

Linux drivers are considered legacy on Android.

Likewise they could have contracts in place that would force their suppliers to provide updates for X years.

Google always kills their products unexpected for all, don't matter which audience you are.

I guess there would be 0 hardware manufacturers left to choose from then.

Maybe I overestimated how much leverage Google has then :/

My dell xps 13" touchpad drivers didn't work from synaptics, it had to be from dell. Something else needed realtek driver direct from their website, windows updates version were broken.

Pretty sure Reader had that effect on a large chunk of the technical base they previously relied heavily on.

- Google

What a reputation issue they're developing. Even if their tech is pretty good, there's a growing number of people who won't even consider it (myself included)

I use firmware from https://mrchromebox.tech/ these days.

AFAIK, there is no workaround for this - if anyone knows otherwise, please share details. I've got a chromebook that I'd very much like to be able to use something besides ChromeOS on.

The laptops are good when you need to be mobile - but you can pry my multi-large-monitors desktop out of my dead hands, because I'm not giving that up for serious be-in-the-zone development.

I can unplug it (single cable) and take to a conference room if the need arises. I can take off early and plug it at home. It has a built-in UPS by the virtue of having a battery. Why would a desktop be better, unless you need crazy hardware?

I do have a desktop at home, but that's for my personal uses.

They're very easy to manage from a central location, easy to replace and very hard to break.

Of course, Lenovo doesn't make those anymore, but you can find them used.

Because I was not a Grand Central user.

All new Chromebooks support Android apps afaik.

What model do you have?

Chrome OS is Linux (it runs the Linux kernel) – you mean your Chromebook doesn't yet support the greater Crostini project? https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/docs/+/master/c...

What part of the Quickstart: https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/docs/+/master/c... doesn't work for you? It says “Make sure you're running at least R72 (released Feb 2019).”

Even though there's a lot of abandonware from Google, Android apps and Crostini on Chromebooks are not two of them. In fact, Android apps is one of the migration paths away from Chrome apps, a fact this article fails to mention.

I'll have another look but I don't see why it should be any different today than it was last month.

So should someone buy a new Chromebook on the hopes that this new system of apps will continue to be supported down the road? I think once you're burned once, that's hard to buy into.

If it's not trivial I wonder if there are many apps that will never make the move.

The project is dead now, but since your device is older, there's a fair chance it's supported.

I used it for a Chromebox and the process was pretty straightforward.

https://johnlewis.ie/custom-chromebook-firmware/rom-download...

Chromebook hardware is pretty damn good for running linux, I've had zero problems with this firmware and xubuntu. Everything just works now for the most part.

[1] https://mrchromebox.tech/

https://wiki.debian.org/InstallingDebianOn/Samsung/ARMChrome...

which Chrome App(s) do you use that will cease to work in 2021 ?

That’s essentially bricking for me because I don’t want to log into anything secure on a potentially vulnerable device.

ChromeOS devices don't, in general, rely on Chrome applications any more than windows laptops do. The vast majority of the "apps" you might see on your home bar are, in fact, just web links. Is there a specific app you're worried about?

Some of your branding confusion is, in fact, exactly what Google is trying to treat here. "Chrome Apps" were a particular API for persistent web applications. It doesn't mean "apps on Chrome" and it doesn't mean standards-compliant progressive web apps.

Ah, here's a review: https://www.engadget.com/2011/04/20/t-mobile-g2x-review

[1] https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en