You can now turn your old Mac or PC into a Chromebook with the public release of ChromeOS...

[Cal Jeffrey]

In a nutshell: Chromebooks aren't for everyone. Their limited functionality makes them less than ideal for use as daily drivers. However, for those with an old out-of-service low-end laptop or PC, Google's stable version of ChromeOS Flex might be the answer to putting that hardware back to work, even for enterprise users.

On Thursday, Google announced that it has moved ChromeOS Flex from "early access" to "general availability." Flex is a fork of the Chromebook operating system that is compatible with most hardware. Google has certified nearly 400 devices that can run Flex without issues, including various Apple models.

Google announced ChromeOS Flex in February, noting that the lightweight operating system could breathe life back into old hardware. It could be an ideal solution for reusing an old end-of-life Vista or Windows 7 laptop. Google guarantees Flex support until 2028 on most compatible devices, with only a handful reaching the end of support in 2022 or 2023.

Director of Product, Enterprise, and Education Thomas Riedl said that developers resolved over 600 reported issues during the early access period, which started February 15, 2022. It is now stable enough for the general public.

Riedl claims that ChromeOS Flex also has potential for enterprise use. Recently, Nordic Choice Hotels fell victim to a ransomware attack and was able to restore functionality to at least 2,000 computers in 48 hours utilizing Flex.

"It was so easy to deploy," said Kari Anna Fiskvik, VP of Technology, Nordic Choice. "We provided a one-page guide along with a ChromeOS Flex USB to employees and they were able to convert 2,000 computers in 48 hours across 200 hotels in 5 countries. All with minimal help from IT."

Riedl encourages users to try it on anything that meets the minimum requirements, even if the system is not one of the 400 devices Google certified. While Flex does run best when installed, users can test drive it from a USB thumb drive. If they encounter no issues, it will safely run when installed natively.

Be aware that there are some components that ChromeOS Flex either can't handle or Google has not tested it with, including fingerprint readers, optical drivers, IR webcams, proprietary connectors, stylus input, and Thunderbolt functionality. It may also present issues with some operations, even on certified models, like Bluetooth, touchscreens, screen rotation, function keys, keyboard shortcuts, and SD card readers.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/95305-you-can-now-turn-old-mac-or-pc.html

 

[psycros]

Linux would be a far better option. At least is has some programs you might actually want to use.

 

[nismo91]

Better than nothing I guess? however upon looking at the certified model list, not much are "certified" and those which are certified are not "low-end" enough meaning they are still capable of running win10 easily.

also from the webpage

Note: Intel GMA 500, 600, 3600, and 3650 graphics hardware do not meet Chrome OS Flex performance standards

Processor and graphics: Components made before 2010 might result in a poor experience.

well these GMA are used by atom netbooks that struggles to run windows in the first place. linux is probably their best bet. I actually wonder how much space chrome OS needs to run because I have an old 20GB octane ssd drive that is sitting, who knows if it can be used just for this OS.

Edit: just tried it running via usb on old acer with poor old sandy bridge celeron dual core 1.50ghz and it's pretty fast. surprisingly the wifi, webcam, speaker, touchpad and keyboard control (volume, screen) works perfectly. now let's see if I can get that optane drive running. running this os via usb is significantly faster than running win7 using ssd in this laptop.

it's worth mentioning that chromeos flex does not support running android apps so that's a bummer for some people.

 

[dangh]

If the flex was compatible with the Linux then that would be something great - easy to use lightweight distro provided with Google with large community backed support and software library. But as closed, proprietary os with limited support and software it will be good only for certain use cases and not adding anything of value to wider community. There is nothing this thing is doing better than lightweight usb Linux distribution.

 

[Tams80]

It works, apart from:

*long list of things that don't work*

 

[bviktor]

We need something like this with Firefox.

 

[bviktor]

It works, apart from:

*long list of things that don't work*

Long list of irrelevant gadgets, yes.

 

[Tams80]

Long list of irrelevant gadgets, yes.

For you, maybe. The rest of us currently live in 2022, not 2002.

 

[ZedRM]

This is a garbage idea. Google needs to make a mainstream desktop/laptop version of AndroidX86.