Chromebooks are awful. And here are some examples why.

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

What do you primarily use your computer for?

Posted via VZW Moto X on the Android Central App

I'm a gamer by nature but I stream to Twitch.

That said I do have an app for my keyboard (DeathStalker Ultimate) that will show my resources in use. Perhaps I can track down what is lagging down the computer on games like Final Fantasy 14 and League of Legends and why XSplit is sometimes very slow at changing the "Scene" sometimes. Sometimes freezing up for several seconds.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[joemd60]

This is some good info here, thanks. I do not like my Windows 8 laptop, I may look into the C 720 Chromebook.
Update: I just purchased the C720, my Windows 8 PC will be a back up.
Plus it will get me back into Android. I currently have the iPhone 5C.
But I cannot upgrade for another year, and I admit. I do miss Android, and I am a Google Drive, and Gmail user.
So that's another plus, I'll keep you guys posted on my thoughts once I get the Chromebook.

 

[joemd60]

Or maybe I'll even buy her -gasp- a Surface RT!

Edit: Cancel that, Windows 8 would be too confusing for her, let alone Windows 8 RT.

Too much digging around, to do some simple tasks.
That's why I am not a fan of Windows 8.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Too much digging around, to do some simple tasks.
That's why I am not a fan of Windows 8.

I'll be honest I like Windows 8's interface but I'm one out of err... One in the entirety of the world. I'm also the only Internet Explorer fan in the world immediately invalidating any point I make. Though I do like Chrome's sync tabs feature. But I don't have an issue with Windows 8 myself. The quick access search pane is just like it was in Windows 7 just this time it's on a charm not the start menu.

I also don't find it too much digging to do simple tasks. Maybe I've just grown accustomed to Windows 8 but I find it just as quick as Windows 7.

Sent from my HTC One using Mobile Nations mobile app

 

[joemd60]

I'll be honest I like Windows 8's interface but I'm one out of err... One in the entirety of the world. I'm also the only Internet Explorer fan in the world immediately invalidating any point I make. Though I do like Chrome's sync tabs feature. But I don't have an issue with Windows 8 myself. The quick access search pane is just like it was in Windows 7 just this time it's on a charm not the start menu.

I also don't find it too much digging to do simple tasks. Maybe I've just grown accustomed to Windows 8 but I find it just as quick as Windows 7.

Sent from my HTC One using Mobile Nations mobile app

When I first got it, I loved it, and still do like certain aspects of it. I should rephrase, for a new user it can be a bit complex.
I had a Windows 7 phone, so the customization is a nice feature, with the live tiles etc.

 

[eggantom]

Well, with most (not all) programs having their online alternative, Chromebook can be sufficient both for leisure and work. I have a Windows 8 laptop and I look into Chromebooks because I use Windows program less and less. I even switched to Chrome in metro mode... it made me understand that in reality I need mostly browser and just some apps (mostly Google services). So, I think it's much better to lie on the sofa, browsing through net on a Chromebook than a bulky and so annoying Windows.

And you always can install Ubuntu on top of Chrome OS

 

[joemd60]

I have gotten more into cloud storage with Google Drive, and I store my files on a 32GB Cruz fit.
I am also using Chrome on my PC.
A lot of the features on my Windows 8 PC I do not use.
So the Chromebook may be ideal for me.

 

[Almeuit]

Not being able to run common programs like Outlook or Photoshop would be more unacceptable to me. It would feel like half a laptop.

I use Outlook at work.. That's it.. Only because I have to. Photoshop? I don't touch it.. Ever. I am horrible at anything creative (no joke ha ) .. So for my needs that wouldn't matter... And this could be the same for others as well.

As Kevin stated you have to look at others people's needs since you can't say "it doesn't work for me so it doesn't work for most" .

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

 

[STARGATE]

As Kevin stated you have to look at others people's needs since you can't say "it doesn't work for me so it doesn't work for most" .

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

Yes, I concur!

Sent From Inside The TARDIS in a Galaxy S4 Away!

 

[Aquila]

I use Outlook at work.. That's it.. Only because I have to. Photoshop? I don't touch it.. Ever. I am horrible at anything creative (no joke ha ) .. So for my needs that wouldn't matter... And this could be the same for others as well.

As Kevin stated you have to look at others people's needs since you can't say "it doesn't work for me so it doesn't work for most" .

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

Outlook has about 97% functionality on the web, Photoshop is only about 80% in their web apps. There are other programs that do similar, the same or better things. The functionality isn't missing, what's missing is the ".exe". It's a paradigm issue, not a matter of quality, etc. If you get over the idea that you have to download a program to your computer and then run it in order for something to happen, you enter the 21st century.

I will not be surprised in the least if 5-10 years from now, 95% of everything we do with computers is on the web, with the remaining 5% being very specialized tasks that for security or hardware demands, require local processing. It's not only smarter and more efficient, but it's cheaper for everyone and it creates a smoother overall experience. Businesses have been doing a sloppy form of 'virtual desktops' for as long as I've been working. This just takes the illusion of a desktop out of the equation, because it's only necessary for the purpose of having a desktop.

How is it that a dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM can get more done in less time than another machine with 2 more cores and 2 more GB of RAM? It's not magic, it's called evolution. Once people understand what it is, it's simple. It's being over-complicated by trying to make comparisons to processes that don't need to exist to get the functionality of a task accomplished.

It's like asking what the guy who used to repair the soles of shoes is going to do for a living now that there are no longer nails in most shoes and it's cheaper to buy new shoes than to repair them..... uh, who cares? There are still going to be some people who prefer shoes with nails in them, and some people will cater to that niche. Everyone else is going to move on down the line.

 

[devyn_jl]

i have replaced the hard drive in my computer with a 256 gb SSD and it boots up windows 7 premium faster than my chromebook. its all about the speed of the SSD

 

[devyn_jl]

you never need to maintain windows 7 or 8. they automatically update and restart just like a chrome book. your right, nothing can be installed onto the computer so you cant have any files on there. you cant use it for gaming, or any other type of application. you cant program on a chrome book. the only time a windows/mac laptop would have problems is if the user did something to it. i have a computer that i have had for 3 years and never have i gotten a virus

 

[cranky_bot]

I ve been debating to get a Chromebook or new laptop since i know my current one is dying soon. This thread just makes me more confused which one to get

 

[Golfdriver97]

I ve been debating to get a Chromebook or new laptop since i know my current one is dying soon. This thread just makes me more confused which one to get

I am using mine much more often than my Windows laptop. I have the Acer C720, and it is awesome.

From an SOKP Nexus 5

 

[JeffDenver]

Did not want to get roped back into this thread...but...

Outlook has about 97% functionality on the web, Photoshop is only about 80% in their web apps. There are other programs that do similar, the same or better things. The functionality isn't missing, what's missing is the ".exe". It's a paradigm issue, not a matter of quality, etc. If you get over the idea that you have to download a program to your computer and then run it in order for something to happen, you enter the 21st century.

Here's the thing...the Web is not reliable enough to replace my hard drive. If internet access goes down, your application goes down too.

I think most users understand this intuitively. Stuff that is physically on your computer liberates you from dependence on the internet to use it. This is especially important if it is stuff you need for your job.

Internet access is not ubiquitous yet. It can and does go out for a variety of reasons.

People who scream "OMG but the future!" miss the point IMO. "New" does not always mean "better". "New" is not reason enough to embrace something by itself. Other than battery life, I am not seeing anything on Chromebooks that is really better. And I see many things that are worse.

 

[Aquila]

Here's the thing...the Web is not reliable enough to replace my hard drive. If internet access goes down, your application goes down too.

That's obviously true of Outlook, however Drive (Drawings, Docs, Sheets, Presentations, Forms, etc) , Gliffy, Lucid, Pixlr, Tasks, Gmail, Calendar, Books, Keep, Codebox, Pocket and at least dozens if not a couple hundred other offline apps let you work offline and then sync when you have a connection.

My point wasn't really about whether or not a specific app works online only or offline, but the need to distinguish between accomplishing a task (functionality) versus the traditional tool used (methodology) and that we should be open to trying more efficient ways of meeting functional demand and not be so tied down to exactly how we're used to doing that.

In this case, it's downloading and installing a .exe. That's a step that may or may not be necessary to get stuff done - since we're seeing that it is not actually necessary for most (or possibly any) tasks, why should the ability to take that step be in any way considered relevant to how much you can or cannot get done? If you're saying you prefer to use a specific program that's only available on Microsoft, cool... but that's you and it doesn't mean that others can't get the same task accomplished on a Mac or on Linux or anything else. There is nothing wrong with having a preferred way of doing things, but that doesn't equate to a "better" way in any objective sense.

"New" does not always mean "better". "New" is not reason enough to embrace something by itself.

Completely agree with this part. New doesn't always mean better, but in this case, for a LOT of use cases, it does... but it's because better is better, not by virtue of being new.

 

[Almeuit]

That's obviously true of Outlook, however Drive (Drawings, Docs, Sheets, Presentations, Forms, etc) , Gliffy, Lucid, Pixlr, Tasks, Gmail, Calendar, Books, Keep, Codebox, Pocket and at least dozens if not a couple hundred other offline apps let you work offline and then sync when you have a connection.

This 110%. Why not have it backed up in the cloud so you can access everywhere... AND have it for offline use (on your hard drive)? Best of both worlds.. .

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

 

[JeffDenver]

That's obviously true of Outlook, however Drive (Drawings, Docs, Sheets, Presentations, Forms, etc) , Gliffy, Lucid, Pixlr, Tasks, Gmail, Calendar, Books, Keep, Codebox, Pocket and at least dozens if not a couple hundred other offline apps let you work offline and then sync when you have a connection.

My point wasn't really about whether or not a specific app works online only or offline, but the need to distinguish between accomplishing a task (functionality) versus the traditional tool used (methodology) and that we should be open to trying more efficient ways of meeting functional demand and not be so tied down to exactly how we're used to doing that.

The functionality comes at a price. It's not free. You are forced to compromise. And because of that, Chrome OS is not equal to Windows IMO.

By contrast, Win8 can do all the same stuff Chrome can. The only compromise you make is battery life.

In this case, it's downloading and installing a .exe. That's a step that may or may not be necessary to get stuff done - since we're seeing that it is not actually necessary for most (or possibly any) tasks, why should the ability to take that step be in any way considered relevant to how much you can or cannot get done? If you're saying you prefer to use a specific program that's only available on Microsoft, cool

Not just me. Most people. If I really thought it was just me, I would not be poo-pooing Chrombooks.

 

[UJ95x]

By contrast, Win8 can do all the same stuff Chrome can. The only compromise you make is battery life.

And hundreds of dollars.

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[JeffDenver]

This 110%. Why not have it backed up in the cloud so you can access everywhere... AND have it for offline use (on your hard drive)? Best of both worlds.. .

Backed up. I agree.

It is good as a back up. Not as a primary workspace. What happens if your internet goes down?