The End of Windows 10 is looming. The world needs a simpler, easy, quick, snackable alternative
Do we? Who’s we?
Is ChromeOS even that successful? Hasn’t it been merged with Android already? Seems to me nobody wants “snackable” OSs…
Google is using the Microsoft Handbook by providing cheap laptops to students so that’s all they get familiar with.
I think at least part of the problem has been the built in expiry date, and the fact that so many off brand Chromebooks are absolute shit. They have tiny screens and low specs, and struggle with multiple web pages open.
I fancied one myself to take out and about, as I do most of my work on my PC, but they all seemed to have under 13 inch screens, and a five year shelf life. I like to research my family tree, so have a few tabs open, but the lack of memory would kill them and make it painful to do.
Mint?
Bazzite and PopOs are also very good options
It would need someone to set it up, but I have my non-techy family members on Silverblue and it suits the purpose as outlined. Also not sure why all the fear-mongering about btrfs, I would say it’s ready and suitable for mainstream use now, or you don’t have to use it.
BTRFS is fine for most people as long as they are using 1 drive.
“Please, world World, FOSS World Needs Funding for Something You Want”
AnduinOS?
I read the article and it just sounds like they’re praising ChromeOS for being web browser centric. Need office, open Google docs/drive. Pretty much a Linux distro but by default come with a bunch of progressive web apps installed for common applications?
Consumer expectations. On Linux you can just use the web browser just like most people already do on ChromeOS and I assume windows and mac’s. But on regular Linux, Mac, and Windows people expect more. So I guess a distro that brands itself and markets to users to just use the web browser for everything and maybe a store of progressive web apps/preinstalled ones
Also out of the box support. ChromeOS is Google backed. Laptop makers sell mainstream ChromeOS boxes. Linux doesn’t have major mainstream device support. It’d be far less fussy if hardware vendors were releasing plenty of Linux out the box hardware. Right now it’s some workstation centric hardware from Lenovo and Dell and smaller companies like System76
On that note I’d place my hopes with System76 since they’re currently focused on consumer experience. Cosmic DE is still not prime-time ready but maybe a couple more years. 26.04 release use as the default for their new hardware and it still effectively be early adopter phase for Cosmic DE. Then 28.04 ready for primetime. Keep trying to break into being a mainstream hardware brand. Other is what happens with KDE Plasma with Valve and SteamOS, Plasma Mobile, and maybe the TV interface. A bunch of consumer centric use cases driving development in KDE land. Maybe they’ll come up with a way to get flatpak permissions work in a way that alerts users on need and makes it easy to do like on Android/iOS
You could probably make a small Arch install, add LibreOffice and something either like the GNOME browser or Firefox. What people using ChromeOS want is something light (for cheaping out on hardware to schools), and basically just a way to access a browser. Plus, something something permissions. ChromeOS is marketed towards enterprise, like education. Just need the bare minimum to get on the 'net, and no more.
You’re being downvoted, but you’re right.
People want something simple. Something that just runs the basics and automatically backs up online and invisibly.
The vast majority of people don’t need to have the choice of 17 different browsers, or 43 office suites, and they certainly don’t need the terminal or Powershell, or anything else. They just need a browser and a way to maybe write a letter and view photos. Maybe a way for the kids to do their homework. If their laptop spontaneously combusts, they want to be able to sign into a new one and have everything put back as it was automatically.
ChromeOS is perfect for them, apart from being a Google product. It’s something we tend to miss because we’re technically minded, but most people don’t care about computers, and don’t want what we want. They want an appliance. If someone created that system with privacy built in, it could be great :)
You’re absolutely right. We need to have many different options for many different people.
I think you’re still missing the point though. People that see a computer as an appliance don’t want or need many different options and can be overwhelmed by the choice. We need a Linux Basic of some sort that all of us coalesce around to recommend to non-technical users, that is designed to be absolutely bulletproof and unbreakable. I’d say it should be immutable to prevent any accidental fluffery, have flatpaks as the main software installation method (snaps can go to hell and appimages just suck for updating) and come with a productivity suite pre-installed as well as typical codecs so things like streaming services work OOTB. Mint could have been such a choice, but it’s just still too niggly for users with no technical skills and no inkling to learn them. We need an “it just works” distro goshdarnit!!
No, we shouldn’t be encouraging people to use tools they don’t bother to understand how to use.
People have lives ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It’s awesome that us tech-minded nerds can get under the hood, mess with it and customise to our preferences. We can then make it simple and easy for the folks that just need a computer.
If we want Linux to succeed more broadly, than it needs to be accessible to everyone.
It’s already in datacentres all over the world. It’s the primary server platform. Linux doesn’t need to succeed more broadly, it already has. If you’re talking about Windows users and gamers… we are way better off without those simple people.
we are way better off without those simple people.
ew.
the existing immutables will do
The End of Windows 10 is looming. The world needs a simpler, easy, quick, snackable alternative
OpenBSD exists.
That said, this article remains true.
