ChromeOS Flex gets a $3 USB installer to revive aging Windows PCs

[Loadedaxe]

Half the population of our lovely planet is blessed with a below average IQ. Which is the real reason we cannot have nice thing or for that matter, sensible RULERS.
Be that as it may for those that cannot/should not tinker with their OS a locked down setup might just work.
I don't trust Google with this - their 'solutions' are effectively advertising platforms (just like Win11) and while the advertising/profiling has NO EFFECT on those who block all forms of advertising anybody else is (un)fair game.
So here we are. A locked down OS without ad&profile-ware is very possible but will never get support from the powers that be, so how are ordinary people going to lay their hands on such a thing? They've been told updated stuff is the greatest thing ever so they clicked the install 11 button or even bought a dam machine that can run that annoying POS.
[/thursday rant mode off]

I think this misses the bigger picture a bit. Writing off “half the population” as the problem doesn’t really get anyone anywhere, it just sidesteps the actual trade offs people are making.

For something like ChromeOS Flex, the value isn’t that it’s perfect, it’s that it’s simple, secure, and keeps older hardware usable for people who don’t want to, or realistically can’t, tinker with an OS. That’s not an intelligence issue, it’s a priorities issue. Not everyone wants to manage updates, drivers, or troubleshoot a broken install.

Really, this isn’t aimed at enthusiasts or “elitist gamers”, they’re not the target audience, you all know that. Realistically, something like 80 to 90 percent of users just need a machine that turns on, works, and doesn’t get wrecked by a bad update. A lot of people aren’t trying to squeeze out performance or customize everything, they just want stability and simplicity without worrying that the next Windows update is going to break something that was working fine.

And.....on the privacy side, you’re not wrong to be cautious, but it’s also not all or nothing. People can choose how much they buy into that ecosystem, and for many, the convenience and security trade off is worth it. The same argument gets made about Windows, Apple, and pretty much every modern platform.

And for those saying “just install Linux”......please, that’s not what this is for. Linux is great for people who want control and are willing to learn it, but ChromeOS Flex is clearly aimed at people who don’t want to tinker, that’s the whole point.

As for a “locked down OS without profiling”, those do exist, yes, but they usually require more effort, more knowledge, or come with usability trade offs that most everyday users won’t accept. That’s the real gap, not some conspiracy to keep people from having better options.

So.....ChromeOS Flex isn’t trying to be everything, it’s trying to solve a specific problem, give non technical users a minimal maintenance, reasonably secure system. For that use case, it does its job pretty well.

Try it before you knock it, you might be surprised, your granny might even be happy you did.