For example, the app I use on my Android devices for streaming media from my home media server is BubbleUPnP. This may affect their ability to interact with other apps, if needed. The Android version of the Slack app just seemed less polished and functional compared to the Web app, so I dropped the Android version and stuck with the Chrome version.Īnother thing to keep in mind is Android apps run in a container, isolated from the Chrome OS.
You may need to install both and play around with them to see which you prefer.įor example, I tried out Slack with both the Chrome app and the Android app, and found that I much preferred the Chrome version. Some apps worked better as a Chrome app, while others worked better as an Android app. One thing I did find out is that there are many apps that are available as both Chrome apps (from the Web Store) and as Android apps (from the Play Store), and they may not work the same. All the ones I've installed run well, and I've not had many problems with apps scaling to the larger display. And I have to say that my experience with Android apps on the Chromebook has been pretty good. Google's addition of the Play Store was a huge boost in the functionality of Chrome OS, adding many thousands of additional applications in one fell swoop. Let's start off with Android applications. I usually have at least one VM running all the time, with additional VMs running as needed.
Geany: Text and code editor (for those times when I want a GUI instead of just using Vim).Globaltime: Time in multiple time zones, docked to specific location.
Multiple terminal sessions for working on servers, usually anywhere from two to upwards of six or more terminal windows at a time.Chrome: Personal email, calendar, Drive, docs, etc.Firefox: Work email, calendar, Drive, docs, tickets, work websites, etc.Applications regularly used and open are: It mostly sits in my office connected to a laptop dock, three monitors, and multiple USB drives and devices (which is why I don't usually just unplug it to lug around the house). My work computer is a Dell Precision, running Xubuntu Linux. Before I dive into Chrome OS, let's talk briefly about my work computer and the apps I use daily. All statements and opinions are mine alone.ĭisclaimers out of the way, let's get started. I am assuming the reader probably already has a Chromebook, or is thinking of getting one, and is already at least somewhat familiar with Chrome OS. This is just documenting my experiences with Chrome OS, and its appropriateness to my work as a Systems Administrator.
There are many, many excellent sites available that cover those topics. Please note, this is not a review of, or a how-to-use a Chromebook. In this blog post, I'm going to just mention some of the things I like about the Chromebook, some of what I don't like, some tricks I discovered, and how well I've been able to use it was a work computer. I recently purchased a Google Pixelbook (8G, 128G storage) and have been exploring its functionality, not just as a personal computing device, but as a part-time work computer (for when I travel, or want to work from the couch, bed, whatever). But with the inclusion of Android apps, and most recently the ability to run Linux apps, Chrome OS finally reached the point where I was ready to give it a try. I considered them a niche device, and not a terribly useful niche at that. But Chromebooks have come a long way since their introduction. It sounds the opener to a joke, and not all that long ago, it might have been. That's it, the Chrome OS event has ended. Android apps will not run on Chrome OS, at least not in the near future. in the future, but for now, Google is concentrated on optimizing it for netbooks. Chrome OS will be able to run on desktops and laptops, etc. Users can't install binaries on Chrome OS.
What you see in Chrome OS will be available in Google Chrome (the browser). But I might ask: how will it work if they said it won't work on a normal computer? We'll see. They are waiting for feedback from the Open Source community - you can run it today (source code is already available). It will only support solid-state drives and certain types of WiFi cards. Also, Chrome OS does not operate on a normal Hard Disk. You will have to buy a Chrome OS machine. You CAN'T install Chrome OS on your machine. Also great from the security point of view (but not from the end-user point of view, I might add). The root partition will be read-only! This means that if you break the system, all you have to do is restart the computer and everything will be up and running again.