为什么我爱 Chromebook：当然是因为它是一个 Linux 桌面系统
Chromebook

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> 我们喜欢强力的机器，但有时是为了更快地启动和运行。
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![](/data/attachment/album/202210/31/182750hiawb60cega8bgn3.jpg)


我喜欢 Linux 桌面这件事对任何读过我作品的人来说都不会感到惊讶。我的意思是，我曾经是一个早已消失的出版物《Linux 桌面》的主要作者和编辑。那么，为什么我在底特律召开的 Kubecon 北美峰会上，在我的惠普 Chromebook x360 上写这篇文章呢？


很简单，因为 Chrome OS 是一个 Linux 发行版。以前是，以后也是。


而这让一些 Linux 粉丝很恼火。他们对 Linux 桌面未来的设想是让每个人都“运行 Ubuntu，不是 Fedora 或 Arch Linux！”，“拜托，Linux Mint 才是赢家”，“MX Linux”，“现实点吧！使用 openSUSE Tumbleweed！” 等等，不一而足。有 [上千种 Linux 发行版](https://distrowatch.com/)，这就是我们永远不会看到他们的 “[Linux 桌面消灭 Windows](https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/14/year_of_linux_desktop/)” 的梦想实现的一个重要原因。


但 Chromebook 不同。当然，Chromebook 的销售已经 [崩溃](https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/14/chromebook_sales/) 了，但部分原因是 Chromebook 太皮实耐用了。与 Windows 机器不同的是，Windows 机器的寿命大概是三年，而我有的 Chromebook 已经运行了七年了。


的确，它们的 [自动更新到期（AUE）日期](https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en) 已经成为过去了，所以我不能再获得自动更新。但是，那又怎样？甚至谷歌也 [承认](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/7052113?hl=en) 你可以在它们的平均五年到期日期之后继续使用它们。


而如果是 Windows，那就不一样了。任何仍在运行 Windows 7 的人都是邀请黑客来黑他，除非他们购买了 [扩展安全更新（ESU）合同](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/extended-security-updates)。而且，即使是这样，ESU 也将在 2023 年 1 月结束。


然而，Chrome OS 呢？与每个月都有重大安全补丁的 Windows 不同，Chrome OS 的严重安全问题很少，也很难出现。例如，上一次 Chrome OS 的 [重大安全漏洞](https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list.php?vendor_id=1224&product_id=20320&version_id=&page=1&hasexp=0&opdos=0&opec=0&opov=0&opcsrf=0&opgpriv=0&opsqli=0&opxss=0&opdirt=0&opmemc=0&ophttprs=0&opbyp=0&opfileinc=0&opginf=0&cvssscoremin=0&cvssscoremax=0&year=0&month=0&cweid=0&order=1&trc=45&sha=b4fed875175c2d9b0370914ce0ba1d4fc2289f40) 突然出现并被修复的时间是 2019 年。


当然，Chrome 浏览器又是另一件事。这个浏览器也是 Chrome OS 的桌面界面，经常有重要的安全更新。但是，谷歌有望将 Chrome OS 和 Chrome 浏览器分开，所以即使你不能得到 Chrome OS 的升级，你也会得到 [浏览器的更新](https://chromeunboxed.com/googles-ceo-may-have-just-confirmed-the-split-of-chrome-and-chrome-os/)。


此外，谷歌和它的合作伙伴现在也在延长 AUE。例如，2022 年 3 月的三星 Galaxy Chromebook 2 的 AUE 支持到 2028 年 6 月。


当然，在这一切之下，是 Linux。而且，如果你愿意，你还可以安装一个全面的 Linux 发行版来搭配它。默认选择是 Debian Bullseye。这很容易。只要多做一点，你也可以安装其他发行版。


我这样做是因为虽然我可以用谷歌文档完成大部分工作，但我喜欢使用 Linux 的 Shell 命令、GIMP 图形编辑器和 LibreOffice 办公套件。


那么，为什么我不在笔记本电脑上运行 Linux 呢？嗯，我也这么做了。我有一台装有 Ubuntu Linux 的戴尔 XPS 13 开发者版，还有一台装有 Mint Linux 的旧 XPS 13，以及我的联想 ThinkPad X1 上的 Fedora 工作站。但是，当我在路上的时候，我喜欢有一台轻便、便宜的笔记本电脑，如果我把它弄坏了，我就可以随时换一台。


作为一个笨手笨脚的人，我经常弄坏我的笔记本电脑。最近，当我在德克萨斯州奥斯汀举行的北美开源峰会上，一个电涌把我的联想 IdeaPad Duet 5，一个顶级的二合一 Chromebook/tablet 炸掉了。衰！


现在，如果我运行的是一台普通的 Windows、MacBook 或 Linux 笔记本电脑，我就会啥也干不了了。我必须买一个新的机器，更新它 —— 如果我是一个 Windows 用户，这绝不是小事 —— 然后安装和更新我的软件。至少，我会损失一天的工作时间，我不知道你怎么想，但我不能占用那么多的工作时间。


相反，我跑到最近的百思买，买了前面提到的惠普 Chromebook X360。从我的旧 Chromebook 爆炸到回到我之前工作的那条线，我的总停机时间只有一个多小时。其中大部分时间是在往返商店的路上度过的。


另一个 Chromebook 的优点是，更换系统的费用不到 500 美元。当然，也有昂贵的 Chromebook。我有很多台 Chromebook，而且我很喜欢它们。但是，你不必在 Chromebook 上花太多的钱，就能获得良好的用户体验。


有许多很棒的、便宜的 Chromebook，价格低于 500 美元。今天，即使是最低端的 Chromebook 也拥有 Chrome OS 和Linux 工作所需的所有能力。如处理器、内存和存储这些技术规格对大多数用户来说并不重要。你只想找一个有体面的屏幕和键盘的产品。


对于 Linux、Mac 和 Windows 则是不同的情况。我不会去碰那些标价低于 800 美元的产品。你可以在任何东西上运行 Linux —— 我是说任何东西 —— 但购买预装了 Linux 的笔记本电脑往往和 Windows 一样贵。此外，当我需要立即恢复工作时，我没有时间去找一台旧的笔记本电脑来安装 Linux。当然，即使是最便宜的 Mac 也要 1000 美元。


因此，至少对我来说，我首选的公路战士 Linux 笔记本电脑是 Chromebook。想想吧，试一试 —— 上帝都知道 Chromebook 足够便宜 —— 你可能会发现你同意我的观点。




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via: <https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/28/column/> 


作者：[Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols](https://www.theregister.com/Author/Steven-J-Vaughan-Nichols) 选题：[wxy](https://github.com/wxy) 译者：[wxy](https://github.com/wxy) 校对：[wxy](https://github.com/wxy)


本文由 [LCTT](https://github.com/LCTT/TranslateProject) 原创编译，[Linux中国](/article-15195-1.html) 荣誉推出


 


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# Why I love my Chromebook: Reason 1, it's a Linux desktop

## We appreciate power but sometimes it's about getting up and running sooner

Column The fact that I like the Linux desktop will come as no surprise to anyone who reads my work. I mean, I was once the lead writer and editor for a long-gone publication called *Linux Desktop*. So why is it as I sit at Kubecon North America in Detroit that I'm writing this on an HP Chromebook x360?

Simple, because Chrome OS is a Linux distro. Always has been; always will be.

Now this annoys the heck out of some Linux fans. Their vision of the Linux desktop future has everyone running [Ubuntu](https://ubuntu.com/) - no [Fedora](https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1jHyDbOkD-vUZVTq3k98ncPgLlOYbz53Htk91CHSDjgc/edit)! - or [Arch Linux](https://archlinux.org/) - please, [Linux Mint](https://linuxmint.com/) for the win! - or MX Linux - get real! Use [openSUSE Tumbleweed](https://get.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/)! - and on and on. There are over a [thousand Linux distros](https://distrowatch.com/), which is a big reason we'll never see their [dream of the Linux desktop wiping out Windows](https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/14/year_of_linux_desktop/) come true.

But Chromebooks are a different story. Sure, [Chromebook sales have crashed](https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/14/chromebook_sales/), but part of the reason is that Chromebooks last pretty much forever. Unlike Windows machines, which have a lifespan of about three years, I still have Chromebooks running that are seven years old.

True, their [Auto Update Expiration (AUE) dates](https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en) are now history, so I can't get automatic updates anymore. But, so what? Even [Google admits you can keep using them](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/7052113?hl=en) after their average five-year expiration date.

Now, if this were Windows, it would be a different story. Anyone still running Windows 7 is just asking to be hacked unless they got an [Extended Security Update (ESU) contract](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/extended-security-updates). And, even that is finally ending in January 2023.

[Is it time to retire C and C++ for Rust in new programs?](https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/28/is_it_time_to_retire_c/)[Securing open-source code isn't going to be cheap](https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/09/secure_open_source_software/)[The next deep magic Linux program to change the world? Io_uring](https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/16/column/)[But why](https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/08/wireguard_linux/)*that*VPN? How WireGuard made it into Linux

Chrome OS, though? Unlike Windows, with its monthly major security patches, serious security problems are few and far between. For example, the [last major Chrome OS security holes popped up and were fixed in 2019](https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list.php?vendor_id=1224&product_id=20320&version_id=&page=1&hasexp=0&opdos=0&opec=0&opov=0&opcsrf=0&opgpriv=0&opsqli=0&opxss=0&opdirt=0&opmemc=0&ophttprs=0&opbyp=0&opfileinc=0&opginf=0&cvssscoremin=0&cvssscoremax=0&year=0&month=0&cweid=0&order=1&trc=45&sha=b4fed875175c2d9b0370914ce0ba1d4fc2289f40).

Of course, the Chrome browser is another story. The browser, which is also Chrome OS's desktop interface, often has important security updates. But, Google is expected to separate Chrome OS and the Chrome browser, so even if you [can't get Chrome OS upgrades, you'll still get browser updates](https://chromeunboxed.com/googles-ceo-may-have-just-confirmed-the-split-of-chrome-and-chrome-os/).

Besides, Google and its partners are also now extending AUEs. For example, March 2022's [Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2](https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/samsung-galaxy-chromebook-2-review-still-premium-but-with-a-better-price-and-battery-life/) has an AUE of June 2028.

Underneath it all, of course, is Linux. And, if you want, [you can also install a full scale Linux distro](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9145439?hl=en) to go with it. The default choice is [Debian Bullseye](https://www.debian.org/releases/bullseye/). It's easy as pie. With a bit more work, you can install other distros.

I do this because while I can do most of my work with Google Docs, I like having access to Linux's shell commands, the [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org/) graphics editor, and the [LibreOffice](https://www.libreoffice.org/) office suite.

So, why don't I just run Linux on a laptop? Well, I do that too. I have a [Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition](https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/new-xps-13-developer-edition/spd/xps-13-linux) with Ubuntu Linux, an older XPS 13 with Mint Linux on it, and Fedora Workstation on my [Lenovo ThinkPad X1](https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/d/thinkpad-x1-carbon/). But, when I'm on the road, I like having a lightweight, cheap laptop that I can replace if I break it.

And, alas, as a klutz, I break my laptops a lot. Recently, when I was at Open Source Summit North America in Austin, Texas, when an electrical surge blew out my [Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5](https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/lenovo/lenovo-edu-chromebooks/duet-5-chromebook-gen-6-(13-inch-qcom)/len101i0023), a top two-in-one Chromebook/tablet. Yarg!

Now, I'd be stuck if I were running an ordinary Windows, MacBook, or Linux laptop. I'd have to buy one, update it - which is never trivial if I were a Windows user- and then install and update my software. At a minimum, I'd lose a day's work, and I don't know about you, but I can't afford to use that much work time.

Instead, I ran out to the closest Best Buy and picked up the aforementioned HP Chromebook X360. My total downtime from when my old Chromebook went bang to returning to the exact same line I'd been working on earlier was just over an hour. Most of that time was spent riding to and from the store.

Another Chromebook plus is that replacing the system costs me less than $500. Sure, there are expensive Chromebooks. I've owned many, and I like them a lot. But, you don't have to spend serious coin on a Chromebook to get a great user experience.

There are many [great, cheap Chromebooks for under $500](https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/best-chromebook/). Today, even a bottom-line Chromebook has all the power you need for Chrome OS and Linux work. The technical specifications, such as the processor, memory, and storage, don't matter much for most users. You just want to look for one with a decent screen and keyboard.

It's a different story for Linux, Macs, and Windows. I wouldn't touch any of those with price tags under $800. You can run Linux on anything - and I mean anything - but buying a laptop with Linux preinstalled tends to be as pricey as Windows. Besides, I don't have time to hunt down an old laptop to install Linux on when I need to get back to work immediately. And, of course, even the cheapest Macs cost a grand.

So, for me, at least, my preferred road warrior Linux laptop is a Chromebook. Give it a thought, give it a try - Lord knows Chromebooks are cheap enough - and you just might find that you agree with me. ®

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