Enable Linux on your Chromebook - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: techman-001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2019, 04:22:29 am
content: Getting a new Linux laptop is harder and harder these days with some high end Windows10 laptops having a Windows ONLY BIOS that needs to be replaced before anyone can install another OS. Other laptops have password protected GPU's or Windows only hardware.I'm still using a Lenovo X61S notebook made in 2000 because of the Linux friendly design. It runs MX Linux.However Chromebooks seem to have changed this situation with a easy to enable Linux facilityA friend bought a Asus Chromebook C523 for $289 USD at Amazon recently:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KY8QV1D?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_detailsand found that to run native Debian Linux apps all you have to do is the following:Chrome Book startup-> Settings->Linux(Beta)Turn onInstall (will download 300mb of data)Installing Linux …Starting Linux containerCLIapt-get updateapt-get upgradeapt-get install <whatever><whatever> appears in the Chrome Book menu after installSome stats from her Chromebook.uname -aLinux penguin 4.19.44-04937-gd773af751792 #1 SMP PREEMPT Thu Aug 8 21:43:29 PDT 2019 x86_64 GNU/LinuxHer disk stats after installing Linux Hexchat using the above.5gb in use; 46.7gb available

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2019, 04:28:32 am
content: Interesting... Thanks, I was just thinking about getting a Chrome book as my backup since my XP backup laptop went on strike.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2019, 09:44:34 am
content: I installed "Gallium" (a linux variant) on a low-end refurbished chromebook (~$100.)It was scary as hell ("stuff some aluminum foil in this connector to write-enable the bios flash, so that you can install a new one"), but not really "difficult." ("Just follow the instructions you found on the web.") Fun, essentially...

author: techman-001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2019, 09:52:33 am
content: Quote from: westfw on September 20, 2019, 09:44:34 amRunning it in a Chroot or on the bare metal ?A new Chromebook enabling Linux via a container is childs play as detailed in my post, but it may not be available on older models such as yours, and of course it won't replace Chrome, the two just coexist.Of course Chrome is Linux anyway under the covers.

author: techman-001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2019, 02:27:47 am
content: Quote from: techman-001 on September 19, 2019, 04:22:29 amUpdate:Kicad (schematic capture and PCB layout) works fine on the Chromebook, she only had to install the Debian Kicad package under Debian with "apt-get install kicad"

author: legacy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2019, 08:02:19 am
content: Samsung Chromebooks have the pen

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2019, 09:36:25 am
content: Quote from: legacy on September 23, 2019, 08:02:19 amBut only the high-end configurations which are priced at $600, right? The budget $300 version or the compact $200 model don't come with a pen from what I can see, and probably don't even support one?