this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2023
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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How much of a PIA is it to install Linux on a Chromebook? I'm looking for a small laptop and Chromebooks are the perfect size.
For my Acer C740, I recall it being really simple.
The instructions were easy to understand and only had a few steps.
I removed a physical write-protect screw, booted to developer mode or something, ran a command in a terminal, and then it either flashed a new BIOS or I booted a Linux USB and flashed a new BIOS.
Either way, it's a regular computer now.
I can pop in any USB drive and boot whatever EFI-compatible OS I want.
I had to solder something on mine, though I don't think that's true of all chromebooks; depends on the model.
in my experience, a major pain.. and while I did technically get it working on one, the audio and SD card never worked on one, and the other one required a fresh reinstall every reboot for some reason i could never figure out. Gave up on both and reinstalled the original OS.
They werent mine, so usability was more important than tinkering.
I had to take the keyboard off to remove a screw that enabled the required bios update. Since then been running Void with no issues. This was a Lenovo N22 so old, but still working.
Watch the hard drive space. Chromebooks are supposed to be mostly cloud based, so they don't have much.