Using a Chromebook -- one year later, and still happy
Last year I wrote about my big move to Google's computer operating system, Chrome OS. At the time my plan was simple -- use a Chromebook for the summer since I work from my porch and wanted something light and small to move around with me. The 15.7 inch Windows laptop wasn't going to cut it and, for obvious reasons, I wasn't moving a desktop outside, especially with a porch that seems to face the rain in every summer storm.
Though the time of my move hadn't occurred to me, the subject came up today in our newsroom. Joe Wilcox urged me to write about my experience, while my colleague Brian Fagioli tried mightily hard to get me to change to a new Chromebook. He called my HP 11 underpowered and implored I get the new Toshiba. Throwing money at a problem I don't have is not in my DNA. What I have works fine and I see no current reason for unnecessary expenses.
Why did I stick with it when the weather moved me indoors? Quite simply because of the same reasons I started -- light, easily portable and simple. I have fairly quaint needs and if something pressing arrives then there's still those three Windows PCs up in my office to save the day, though I go there less all the time.
Why it works for me
This one is simple to answer. I'm a man few needs when it comes to computing power. A home server and backup do the heavy lifting, I don't need a lot to work -- portable and light are enough.
The environment is oddly familiar -- a task bar and system tray, ability to change desktop wallpapers, though I never utilize that last one. The browser is what's important here and it's open all the time -- to the tune of too many tabs to count, honestly.
I work in Word and Microsoft helpfully provides an app for that. It saves to OneDrive, which is even better, as I can access it elsewhere when the need arises. Likewise, Pixlr can take care of my image editing needs. It isn't full-featured, nor is Word, but both are good enough to get me through almost every day.
The keyboard takes a bit of getting used to -- an 11 inch laptop requires more compactness, but it doesn't take long before you're off and running (more on that later). The screen is also brilliant, though I don't need HD, 4K or any such things, so perhaps it's only good enough for me. I also use an external mouse, though there's nothing wrong with the touchpad -- this one is just personal taste.
What's not to love?
Now, back to that keyboard thing -- while I've grown used to it, there are still "accidents". I aim for Shift and hit Search, I've aimed for Backspace and hit Power, shutting down my system rather quickly and with no way to prevent it.
There are a few weird moments, though they may be a result of my usage and countless tabs, as opposed to the operating system itself. I see a large amount of dead tabs -- I know because Google tells me, though it thinks my name is Jim. There is also the rare, but occasional complete crash. Again I attribute it to my usage more than system instability.
Should You Switch?
That's an interesting question, and one that should be handled on an individual use case scenario. Surf the web and check email? You'll be fine. Write and do minor image editing? Ditto. If you need apps like Photoshop, Office and the like then this isn't for you.
You'll need to adapt, so give it a bit of time. Don't go throwing it across the room without really giving it a shot. It can't hurt try, right?