Countdown to being abandoned start Oct 4 sounds like
The major advantage here is that Google merged the development of Chrome OS and Android. It’s still Android under the hood making it probably cheaper to develop than having two different operating systems. At the worst case, Google can keep slapping the same Android as the ones on the phones under the hood and just maintain the user interface. They have already promised 10 years of software updates. They can also wait out for it to mature as the Android phone market will keep its development funded. If it will not be successful, any development can still go towards Android Desktop Mode for phones so Google is not losing that much in this direction.
This feels like a reboot of the chromebook pixel a decade back, great hardware marred by terrible software, I think that only lasted one generation, let’s see if this one can last longer than that.
Right, because society really needs google-enforced developer verification environment on desktop.
Not even for free, thx.
Who said I might stop simply at not liking the price? Please tell me what we should like about this…
For me, since this is Android, any development on Desktop Mode can be ported to the phone version. I really like the idea of Samsung Dex where you wouldn’t need a laptop anymore. Just connect your phone to a bigger screen and it will be on Desktop mode.
Does this run the new magenta talent retention operating system?
If they run Android, they ain’t real computers.
Not sure yet about the capability of the “Linux Environment.” If it is not too locked down, it should be good enough as a linux + android + chrome laptop. Although, it might just be more cost effective to buy a Lapdock and just use Samsung Dex or Android Desktop Mode.
The Android filesystem abstractions alone make it, “not a real computer” in my eyes.
Want to save a file in your home directory? Forget it! There is no home directory! You’ve got “internal storage” and only certain, specially-permissioned apps can read and write stuff there… And even then, only in specific locations.
Want to write a script that does, well, anything? Well, you can enable access to bash but how do you schedule it? There’s no cron. No systemd timers. You need a special app.
In fact, to do anything on Android pretty much always requires a special app! Built for your specific version of Android (that acts more like a desktop than a phone).
The filesystem is slow AF too. Want to use regular git? Hahaha! Good luck! It’s worse than NTFS!
the way that the volumes work on android definitely requires a paradigm that most people are unused to, but easy to understand if you’ve spend time working on linux based appliances.
I’ve spent loads of time working on Linux-based appliances! Most ran Debian and were fantastically simple to work with. Standard tools, simple/fast filesystems, and no surprises.
i only experienced debian based appliances in cumulus switches and they were a pleasure compared to all the other hardware – especially arista switches & old infoblox nios’es!!!
