The Chrome OS FAQ, Part II: Which Chromebook should you buy?

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GOOGLE CHROME OS By JR Raphael In Part I of this three-part series on Google’s Chrome OS, we covered the ins and outs of Google’s Chrome OS software a
[See the full post at: The Chrome OS FAQ, Part II: Which Chromebook should you buy?]

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woody

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The trouble is the 5/6 years of support thing. Unless you know what you’re doing, you might end up buying a Chrome OS device that has been on the market for 2 years already (cuz it’s cheap!). And then 4 years from now, you’re stuck with a vulnerable Chromebook that won’t get any updates anymore.

As much as I personally dislike Microsoft, at least converting an old Windows PC into Linux is a snap. On Chrome OS, if you do this (when e.g. your device is no longer supported by Chrome OS), you either get a warning when starting the machine where pressing the wrong key will wipe your data!, or you have to REALLY get your hands dirty and low-level flash the Chromebook, thereby basically transforming it into a traditional UEFI computer. You should not have to do that, especially if it is no longer officially supported.

Or put another way, when the Chromebook is no longer supported, converting it to an OS where it still gets support should be easy.

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GreatAndPowerfulTech, KWGuy

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I agree that one needs to be careful when purchasing a new Chromebook that may have been “on the shelf” a long time.  I recently purchased a Dell CB that only had 2.5 years before EOL.  Fortunately, thanks this site, I was able to determine in advance that this was what I was getting for my $170.  A later model would have cost 2-3 times that.

I use my new CB exclusively for financial and other activities where security is a top priority.  My old eol CB is used for less sensitive activity.  Without having any hard evidence in support, I consider my eol CB likely to be as secure as my Windows computers.

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Google’s planned obsolescence of Chromebooks was, and still is, very foolish. I had a ThinkPad Chromebook that was wicked fast. They stopped supporting it. There was no technical reason to have done so. Google could really dent Windows sales to consumers if they supported Chromebooks for at least ten years, instead of 6.5 from the time a chipset was released.

GreatAndPowerfulTech

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You could make the same argument for Android phones, yet folks still spend plenty of cash to upgrade to the latest model with updated software.

I have had several phones that never got software security updates or OS updates after I bought them. The manufacturers were always moving on to the next latest and greatest.

I imagine that an out of support Chrome device would be just as secure as an out of support Android. And still much more secure than an out of support Windows device!

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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A different anonymous. And so haven’t read the article. Sorry. But I have a link
https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en
that appears to continue adding new listings as they hit store shelves. Referencing Google’s actual expiration policy before purchasing any ChromeOS equipped allows you to calculate your own monthly service cost / value deprecation table. Advance knowledge prevents later surprises.

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The article in the Ask Woody newsletter covered the Chrome OS hardware options well, so I just thought I would just add a plug for the Chromebox.

I have never owned a Chromebook, but I did buy a Chromebox for my father as a drop-in replacement for an end of life Mac Mini. It was perfect for his needs as he only used the Mac to go online anyway. He didn’t need another Mac.

And as a small form factor PC, it is a good desktop solution. A large standalone monitor was a must have for his aging 80+ year old eyes.

So if you don’t need to go mobile, this is an excellent solution. Plus as mentioned, I believe the box has a few more USB ports, as well as HDMI for the monitor. Then just bring your own keyboard and mouse and you’re all set!

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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