Chromebook Laptop

Discussion in 'Gadgets & Tech Talk' started by Yvonne Smith, Sep 6, 2019.

  1. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Since it has the Chrome OS, what apps (word processing, spreadsheet) does it run? Are they included? Or is this not meant for that kind of work?

    The only other O/S system I have is a cheap laptop that came with LINUX on a thumb drive. As silly as it sounds, that's my way to get on the web should my main laptop die...I'll need the internet in order to find a repair shop or buy a new PC. Tell me again how this has made my life simpler...
     
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  2. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    It will include the standard applications, or their Chrome OS equivalents, that would come in a Windows or Apple machine, I think. Maybe a little less since a Chromebook requires an Internet connection to work and isn't intended for any offline activity. I have had Linux machines in the past, although not on a thumb drive, and it's probably more similar to that.
     
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    Last edited: Oct 17, 2021
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  3. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    My Asus Chromebook is supposed to be here tomorrow. While it won't be my main computer, I'm sort of looking forward to seeing what it's like. Are any of you using a Chromebook? If so, it is your main computer? Do you like it?
     
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  4. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Nope. I had one a few years back but gave it to my grandson. IIRC, I had to log in to google to use it; not sure if that's the way they work now, though. I also didn't like that there was no storage space to speak of. It's nice for accessing the internet but not much else in my experience. Since many people only use a computer for internet access it has a definite niche.
     
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  5. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Yes, it is. There is little or no internal storage but Google offers a fair amount of cloud storage. I think it's mostly good for accessing the Internet and webmail, and that is about all that a large percentage of Internet users do. Although apps are available to do other things with it, I wouldn't feel comfortable using it for much else because everything you do is stored on Google's cloud servers.
     
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  6. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Have you used the chromebook, Ken? What do you think?
     
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  7. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Not yet. I've been busy and the one time I tried to use it, I couldn't remember my Google password. It's saved on my other computer and, while I can find it in my keychain access, it told me that it was wrong. So I am waiting until I have some time to mess with it. We're going to spend a week in a timeshare in the southwestern part of the state beginning on Friday, so maybe I'll be able to figure it out then.
     
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  8. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    Hubby uses a Acer Chrombook or laptop not sure which it is for several years now,He hasn't had any problems with his so far. Where I've changed laptops a couple times in past 10 years or so.
     
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  9. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    For the first time, I have been able to actually login to my Chromebook, having worked out the passwords problem. My first impression is that it seems kind of clunky, and there's not a whole lot that can be done on a Chromebook without buying extensions, or upgrades, or whatever they're called. This may simply be a matter of getting used to it, however. For example, I am not used to not being able to use my trackpad to scroll, but having to use the down arrows instead, and I had to work out the keyboard arrangements for copying and pasting because they are different than my Mac. I still haven't figured out if there is even a text editor on this thing. The keyboard even feels funny, but I'm sure that's simply a familiarity issue. Mine is an Asus Chromebook, which I think is a decent brand, although I've never had one before.
     
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  10. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Okay, it looks as if I can manage text stuff through Docs.

    Later... Yeah, I guess that's a possibility but I couldn't figure it out. I downloaded a text editor which I can use but I can't figure out how to size it so that it doesn't take up the whole screen, as I need to have a browser window opened up on 3/4 of the screen, and a text editor in the other 1/4 of the screen.
     
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    Last edited: Nov 18, 2021
  11. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    The Chromebook is usable. I think most of the problems I have with it are due to unfamiliarity, but I'll probably never get overly familiar with it because I have a Mac that I prefer to use. However, I'll use the Chromebook from time to time, like when I need a computer outside of the house. As compared to any of the Windows machines I have used lately, the Chromebook is very fast, but I suppose that's because there isn't much there.
     
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  12. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    "The Chromebook. It's better than nothing." :D
     
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  13. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I have a SIL who loves his Chromebook, and his children have their own because they are cheap and apparently fairly safe from viruses and such since not much is actually stored locally. Don't know myself, though.
     
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  14. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I think if my first computer was a Chromebook, I would probably love it. As it is, it's a step down from a Mac, however. It's usable, they are cheap, and a whole lot better than one of the cheaper Windows PCs.
     
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  15. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Okay, I have ended my experiment with a Chromebook and bought another MacBook Pro. I can't get any work done with the Chromebook.
     
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