The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 2)

Since I wrote part one earlier I've found a simpler way to simulate Chrome OS within Windows, I found part of it when adding Chrome Apps from the Chrome Store I got a Chrome App Launcher on my desktop. After doing some digging around on Google I found a YouTube video Tutorial on how to make Windows Vista/7 & 8 look like Chrome OS.

After following this Tutorial on YouTube and downloading the required Rocket Dock Application from here I've got what is pretty close to an Authentic Google Chrome OS Desktop as I can get within Windows without going to the trouble of Installing Chromium OS.

[caption id="attachment_1510" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chrome OS Styled Windows 7 Desktop[/caption]

The only missing element from the real Chrome OS Desktop is the icons on the far left of the Desktop that show the Time, Wifi Signal strength, Remaining Battery & User Account Picture.

but I can live with that for now as the Windows 7 Taskbar is only a Mouse over the Top of the Screen away.

[caption id="attachment_1511" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chrome OS Styled Windows 7 Desktop, Showing Windows 7 Taskbar[/caption]

But all in all I think that the user experience is as close as you'll get without actually using Chrome OS.

[caption id="attachment_1512" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The actual Chrome OS Desktop[/caption]

I've experimented with living only in Chrome since about 2pm and so far I've only used two Windows applications, Calculator (as I needed to do a quick calculation while still having access to the webpage I needed to calculate from on view) & Paint (as I needed to save a couple of Screenshots for Blog posts).  Other than those two occasions I've not had the urge to go into using Windows applications (Chrome & Rocket Dock are not counted for obvious reasons).

Conclusion

Will I be able to keep up only using web applications and not using Windows applications for a whole Month?

I think that I'll be able to keep it up for a whole month if not more as I spend most of my time using Google Chrome for writing my Blog, Web Browsing, email & YouTube anyway, of course I'll still have to use Paint for saving Screenshots for Blog posts during this experiment & Gaming, & if I was using a real Chromebook I'd still use my Windows 7 Laptop for times when I need iTunes for backing up my iPhone Outlook & games anyway so while doing this experiment I've still got the option for using Windows applications, but just without having to swap between two devices.

If like me you're contemplating a Chromebook because it's lighter & more portable than a traditional Laptop and you spend most of your time using web Applications then I'd definitely recommend trying to live for a full month only using applications that are accessible to a Chromebook, & if you think you might get distracted by the lure of using Word then go down the route of customizing your Windows Desktop to mimic the Chrome OS Desktop.

But why consider getting a Chromebook?

For me I want something that is lighter and more portable than my Toshiba Notebook, with better battery life & more fully featured than using my 2012 Google Nexus 7 with a wired Keyboard Case and USB OTG Cable, as using a Tablet and using a Keyboard via USB OTG while charging the device is a no go meaning that it's a case of stop what you're doing while you charge your tablet or use the onscreen Keyboard. Another downside to using a tablet is you get Mobile optimized websites which aren't the best web experience, or you have to switch to Desktop versions then scroll around the screen to see the webpage.

A Chromebook fills the gap between a full notebook computer and  Tablet nicely as you get Desktop websites and applications that are more fully featured than the tablet versions. Take the Web Google Drive that you get presented with on a Chromebook over the Android Google Drive Application. The Chromebook Google Drive is more fully featured compared to the Android Application as the Chrome OS/Chrome Web App is basically the Google Drive website wrapped up into a bookmark with the Google Drive icon which makes it feel somewhat like a normal application than a web application.

Another big reason for me is if I need to take the Notebook to my mum's or on holiday it's a drag having to take a heavy Notebook & Power Supply with me as sometimes it means having to take two bags with me, one for the Notebook & Power Supply & one for the things that I actually need to take the Notebook with me for, where as the lure of only having to take one bag with me for the laptop, charger & what I need the laptop for is strong.

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 1)

After having to switch back to Windows from Linux I've started to like the idea of getting a Chromebook to take with me when I'm away from home as they're lighter than a regular Laptop and 99.99% of what I do can b by be done on a  Chromebook as I mainly browse the Internet, check my email, social media and Blog. I do tend to use the full Microsoft Office suite a lot, but with the Office 365 Home Premium Subscription I also get access to Office Web Applications, & I've also got Google Drive as a fall back and the full Windows Laptop is always on standby when I need more.

In this series I'll be using the Google Chrome Web Browser in Full screen mode by pressing F11 thus hiding the Windows Taskbar and only going into Windowed mode to switch Tabs and open a New Tab and for doing anything that isn't possible  using the Internet and Google Chrome.

Setup & thoughts

I've got Google Chrome to start on boot meaning that when I login Chrome will open in Windowed Mode from there I can F11 into Full screen mode or open a new Tab. There's probably an easier way to get the Google Chrome OS effect, but as this is a Month long test to see if I can live in Google Chrome it's going to be the easiest way to not get distracted by the Windows Desktop.

If I manage to last the entire Month Living with Chrome & Web services only I'll then follow this Article on trying out Google Chrome OS in the form of Chromium OS. I'll then try that for a Month then see it I've got enough money saved up for the cheapest Chromebook I can pick up.

Article in progress with Google Chrome in Full screen Mode

I'm obviously expecting to have to use Windows only applications like Paint when it comes to working with Screenshots while doing this series due to the fact that I'm actually using a fully fledged Laptop and not actually using Chrome OS.

Roland

N ext

My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 14 )

Since my last Article in this series I've had to go back to using Windows since the only Windows Machine in the house has died I needed to go back to Windows 7 Ultimate for compatibility reasons with some external hardware that the wife needs to use that A) only works under Windows & B) only works with Internet Explorer for Windows 7.

I've enjoyed bringing you this series but for the foreseeable future I'll be using Windows, so any Articles that I was planning that are Linux related have now been put on hold until I can ether get an OS Free Laptop to put Ubuntu back on or a Windows 8 Laptop that I can stick Ubuntu Linux on in place of Windows 8.

Roland

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My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 13 )

One month on from my migration from Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Centre to Ubuntu, and I'm really glad that I did. I've become far more productive thanks to the clean and tidy design of the Unity Desktop compared to when I was using Windows 8.1 Pro.

The clean and tidy Unity Desktop is a lot more productive, user friendly & professional looking than the Windows 8.1 Desktop that looks like it's been designed for a child's tablet. The Windows 8.1 Desktop is less user friendly than the old Windows 7 Desktop which makes it less productive as the Start Screen isn't useful at all even on a table.

Windows 8 Bad points

Microsoft could have quite easily made the Windows 7 UI touch friendly, just make the icons e.t.c bigger. If Canonical can make the ARM version of Ubuntu work fine on tablets then Microsoft with all their money and Developing muscle could have made Windows 8 a tablet friendly version of Windows 7 while also making it work perfectly fine on standard Computers, Laptops & Netbooks.

A Windows 8 License is expensive meaning that it's expensive to upgrade every Computer in your home to Windows 8. Also if you want to do a full Windows Home Network it'll set you back a small fortune for a Single Windows Server License.

Windows 8 Good points

The only good points to Windows 8 is that it supports Professional & Business Software from Microsoft, Adobe and others along with a vast catalogue of Commercial & Independent games.

Ubuntu 13.10 Bad points

Linux is still very much a Niche Operating System, and that is shown by the lack of the same Professional & Business Software from Microsoft & Adobe along with the slightly smaller catalogue of Commercial &  Independent games.

Ubuntu 13.10 Good points

Ubuntu is free to use on as many Computers as you like meaning that you can set-up a large Server based Network for very little in the way of financial cost, as Linux has all the same Server side tools as Windows Server like a Web Server Active Directory Server, Groupware Server, Database Server, Email Server, Print Server e.t.c, but these Server side tools are only equivalent to the tools available for Windows Server and there is a good selection of them that is free. Ubuntu Server is very light weight as it doesn't have a Desktop Environment aout of the box and everything is done via a CLI (Command Line Interface) but it's quite easy to Install the Enlightenment Desktop Environment, xfce Desktop Environment or even the lxde Desktop Environment onto a Ubuntu Server if you want a GUI interface. I'd recommend any of the above mentioned lightweight Desktop Environments over KDE, Gnome or Unity for a Server Desktop as it'll mean more resources being used by the Server over the Desktop and a low end Graphics Card can be used in the Server.

There is all the Software that you need to use Ubuntu or Linux the same as what you do Windows, it's just that you'll have to adjust to using Gimp over PhotoShop KdenLive over Premier Pro, LibreOffice over Microsoft Office (although LibreOffice is available on Windows & Mac) and you'll have to use Opera, Firefox, Chrome or Chromium over Internet Explorer on Windows or Safari on Mac, but the mentioned alternative browsers are all available for Windows & Mac.

LibreOffice supports both Opening & Saving to Microsoft Office file formats meaning that you still stay compatible with Windows users which is handy for students. The Gimp Image Editor supports Opening and Saving to PhotoShop format which is handy for both students & professionals that need the PhotoShop file format.

Linux is vastly more customizable than Windows and if you take the time to learn how to use the Terminal or even CLI it's far more powerful than Windows. Also Linux doesn't need Anti-Virus Software as it isn't has prone to Viruses or Malware as Windows is.

Conclusion

Linux & Ubuntu especially is a viable alternative to Windows & Mac OSX especially if you're looking for something that you can play around with to make it look just how you want at a price that is cheaper than Windows or Mac OSX, but has to have more flexibility than a Chromebook or Chromebox.

Mac OSX is a viable alternative if you want to & can afford to buy premium hardware combined with an OS that's loosely based on Unix which Linux takes it's inspiration from.

If you can afford to Mac OSX is an ideal way to get to grips with Unix based OS's as it comes pre-installed on Apple Computers, then migrate onto installing Linux on an old PC. But if you are looking for a drop in replacement to Windows on your Desktop, Laptop or Netbook then Ubuntu is probably the best choice as it has the most simplest of Installers amongst all of the various Linux Distributions.

Roland

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