Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Discussion on Linux distributions
Post Reply
User avatar
crosscourt
Posts: 11102
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:38 pm
Location: Wash DC
Contact:

Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by crosscourt »

Google intends to allow older hardware to install a version of Chrome OS for free that will turn it into a Chromebook/Chromebox. Flex is available now but still has some work to get it ready, but it should be available as a stable version in a few months. This could be a real problem for Microsoft, particularly in the educational field.
https://chromeenterprise.google/os/chromeosflex/
Site Moderator
wove
Posts: 1189
Joined: Mon May 04, 2020 4:47 pm

Re: Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by wove »

I tried CloudReady a few years back. I was impressed with all that it supported. However at the end of the day it just did not fit with my idea of personal computing. It just does not seem very personal when all your stuff is on the cloud. I can see it working for companies and schools, where resources are seen as shared to begin with. As an individual I want my pictures and documents local. Google says they are not bringing Android apps or Linux subsystem to Flex at least to start, which would cut into my playing around.
User avatar
crosscourt
Posts: 11102
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:38 pm
Location: Wash DC
Contact:

Re: Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by crosscourt »

Android apps will be coming later but Linux subsystem Im not sure about. Using Flex with a laptop you would be able to store pictures and documents locally if you wish. My Chromebooks can do that as I use a 256gb SD card and you can also use external storage. It isnt as limited as people think and much can be done offline. Ive been running my Chromebooks and Chromebox for quite a while and its a great experience for the mainstream user.
Site Moderator
User avatar
tlmiller
Posts: 4848
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:29 pm
Location: AZ, USA

Re: Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by tlmiller »

I used Cloudready myself on a few systems. It wasn't bad, not really my style, but it was usable.
User avatar
crosscourt
Posts: 11102
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:38 pm
Location: Wash DC
Contact:

Re: Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by crosscourt »

For everyday things, browsing, watching movies, doing some light office work its great on the move. Many businesses have based their activities on the use of Chromebooks but it depends on your needs. Education realm, theyve become hugely popular and many Universities also gone down this road as administration of systems is far easier.
Site Moderator
User avatar
crosscourt
Posts: 11102
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:38 pm
Location: Wash DC
Contact:

Re: Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by crosscourt »

You can also go here for the free download, https://neverware.com/freedownload/
Slide down the page to get the download.
Site Moderator
User avatar
tlmiller
Posts: 4848
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:29 pm
Location: AZ, USA

Re: Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by tlmiller »

If you're interested in trying it in a VM, good luck. It doesn't work very well/at all in most VM solutions. I was able to get it installed on Qemu/KVM with a lot of work, but it wouldn't display a pointer onscreen, so it was almost completely impossible to work with.
wove
Posts: 1189
Joined: Mon May 04, 2020 4:47 pm

Re: Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by wove »

At the same time Neverware was working on CloudReady a UK company was createing FlintOS, which was sold off to a Chinese group which truned it into Fyde OS which is still in development. Fyde OS does have the Android and Linux subsystems up and running. They also make a special VMware edition.

Fyde OS is aimed at the Chinese market and in China, you can create an account with them where the OS works just like Chrome OS, where everything can be synced to the cloud on their servers. I have tried it a few times, they have special builds that target specific hardware. They have a special build for the SurfaceGo and the Poinebook Pro along with others,

I did not like it any better than I like Chrome OS. I just did not have a use case for such an OS. But it is a nice looking effort.
User avatar
crosscourt
Posts: 11102
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:38 pm
Location: Wash DC
Contact:

Re: Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by crosscourt »

Flex at least has live media and can be tried off a USB stick. I havent tried and probably wont, as its too early. I want to wait to see the other features added.
Site Moderator
wove
Posts: 1189
Joined: Mon May 04, 2020 4:47 pm

Re: Chrome OS Flex coming to PC and Mac

Post by wove »

A nice feature of Cloud Ready, Flint and Fyde OS is that they can be ran and used right from the USB stick, becoming a portable OS. Plug it in and use it on any PC at your disposal. If I remember correctly Cloud Ready could also be installed with Windows. Do you know if Chrome OS Flex is supporting that use case as well?
Post Reply