docs.mrchromebox.tech/ provides custom coreboot firmware for a variety of ChromeOS devices. Once you've flashed it on your Chromebook, you should be able to just install Linux on it
The Chrultrabook project makes the distro run a bit smoother once it's installed by providing fixes for the audio stack and custom keyboard layouts to make the top row of keys work properly among other things
I'll second this, seemed to work without any issues. You can even install ChromeOS Flex on it if you still want to use a Chromebook after they stop getting updates!
I've heard Chromebooks are such a pain to put alternative OSes on due to their BIOs. Are there efforts to just reflash these things so they aren't beholden to Alphabet? That would be the most libre-resistance move: "Un-Chrome" the device permanently.
pretty sure this is the Apollo Lake platform and it's very annoying to get proper Linux to run there: issei.space/blog/linux-on-apol…
I would only recommend you do this when you have a good idea how GNU/Linux works and have a second device to use once you need to tinker with your Chromebook to fix the inevitable issues.
In this post i will focus on replacing the ChromeOS with Linux. Before i was running Eupnea on my chromebook, it was working alright, but the boot splashscreen was quite annoying (and recently i encourage a ‘softbrick’ after kernel update).
Yeah, I'm literally looking for a distro that I can slap Firefox on and nothing else. The battery life on my main system has gotten to the point that "atrocious" would be an improvement, and, well, my dad's not going to be using the Chromebook I got him in 2021, seeing as how he's dead. Much like my laptop battery.
It's possible, I've done it, but then I questioned myself as to why I did it.
If you're someone who loves to tinker and just try to get something to work for the sake of getting it to work and as a hobby project like me, then yeah, have at it.
If you're doing it to actually make it a viable and daily use pc...meh.
depending on the chromebook sometimes it's just not worth the struggle. you have the limited storage space, you potentially have quirks if the chromebook is one of those that can also be flipped around and used as a tablet. I had one and getting the screen rotation to work was a nightmare. The one I got linux on all it could really do is use a terminal and surf the web/potentially stream stuff but that's about it.
If you're looking to do it Veronica Explains has a great video on peertube about how to do it which helped me alot.
My whole goal is to just have a browsing machine. My main laptop is four years old (same age as the Chromebook, actually), but the battery has degraded to the point that I'm lucky to get a half-hour not being plugged in. Given the storage limitations, even VLC would be an extravagance, so I was just looking to do a somewhat slim install that gets me Firefox. I'd love to do KDE Neon, but that's a bit overkill for a single-app use case.
Chromebooks have a special bios, it works with a chip on the motherboard to detect if chromeos is running or if some unverified os is running. If chromeos isn't running, it displays a warning message on boot. This behavior cannot be disabled.
Sometimes, being an editor sucks. I try to hold back, but when you end up with a different word than intended -- and it's funny -- I feel I have no choice but to point it out.
JASN_DE
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Powderhorn
in reply to JASN_DE • • •JASN_DE
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Powderhorn
in reply to JASN_DE • • •Vittelius
in reply to Powderhorn • • •MrChromebox.tech
docs.mrchromebox.techArghblarg
in reply to Vittelius • • •Vittelius
in reply to Arghblarg • • •You'll also probably want to bookmark this: docs.chrultrabook.com/docs/ins…
The Chrultrabook project makes the distro run a bit smoother once it's installed by providing fixes for the audio stack and custom keyboard layouts to make the top row of keys work properly among other things
Post Install | Chrultrabook Docs
docs.chrultrabook.comPowderhorn
in reply to Vittelius • • •smeg
in reply to Vittelius • • •Arghblarg
in reply to Powderhorn • • •I've heard Chromebooks are such a pain to put alternative OSes on due to their BIOs. Are there efforts to just reflash these things so they aren't beholden to Alphabet? That would be the most libre-resistance move: "Un-Chrome" the device permanently.
Hmm as I was typing this I did a quick search: libreboot.org/docs/install/chr…
...but that's only for ARM Chromebooks.
Libreboot – Install Libreboot on a Chromebook
Libreboot – Install Libreboot on a ChromebookHelix 🧬
in reply to Powderhorn • • •pretty sure this is the Apollo Lake platform and it's very annoying to get proper Linux to run there: issei.space/blog/linux-on-apol…
I would only recommend you do this when you have a good idea how GNU/Linux works and have a second device to use once you need to tinker with your Chromebook to fix the inevitable issues.
If this is your only system: don't do it.
Installing Linux on Chromebook (and other Apollo Lake devices)
Issei.spacePowderhorn
in reply to Helix 🧬 • • •rozodru
in reply to Powderhorn • • •It's possible, I've done it, but then I questioned myself as to why I did it.
If you're someone who loves to tinker and just try to get something to work for the sake of getting it to work and as a hobby project like me, then yeah, have at it.
If you're doing it to actually make it a viable and daily use pc...meh.
depending on the chromebook sometimes it's just not worth the struggle. you have the limited storage space, you potentially have quirks if the chromebook is one of those that can also be flipped around and used as a tablet. I had one and getting the screen rotation to work was a nightmare. The one I got linux on all it could really do is use a terminal and surf the web/potentially stream stuff but that's about it.
If you're looking to do it Veronica Explains has a great video on peertube about how to do it which helped me alot.
Powderhorn
in reply to rozodru • • •samwise_gamgee
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Powderhorn
in reply to samwise_gamgee • • •kittenroar
in reply to Powderhorn • • •ɔiƚoxɘup
in reply to kittenroar • • •kittenroar
in reply to ɔiƚoxɘup • • •ɔiƚoxɘup
in reply to kittenroar • • •Thanks!
That is such pretty, jealous behavior.
It was unlikely that I was going to buy one of those before but now it's absolutely out of the question.
Powderhorn
in reply to ɔiƚoxɘup • • •ɔiƚoxɘup
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Powderhorn
in reply to ɔiƚoxɘup • • •ɔiƚoxɘup
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Of course! We do what we must, because we can!
I would expect no less!
💛
Powderhorn
in reply to ɔiƚoxɘup • • •