Whatcha gonna do brother? When Windows 12 descends on you!

[Pete]

Glad your system wasn't affected. This seems to be more of a commercial disruption.

Russians! Reminds me of the old saying... "We have seen the enemy and he is us!"

I guess CrowdStrike stock took a big hit today. I guess they should have uploaded to NASDAQ first. Lesson learned.

I think Dav must have been posting while I was posting, so I missed his reply. Wow, an airline still running Windows 3.1. I wonder if the Wright Brothers still fly for them?

Pete

[Kernelpanic]

Glad your system wasn't affected. This seems to be more of a commercial disruption.
I guess Dance the CrowdStrike! stock took a big hit today. I guess they should have uploaded to NASDAQ first. Lesson learned.
Pete

Not the first update that go flooey! This was normal under Linux!  
Dance the CrowdStrike! 

[Kernelpanic]

@CharlieJV - what I read about Chromebooks after your post looks like this to me: As a Chromebook user, you are 100% subject to the data octopus Google.
Google determines which software you have available. MS Office is a crutch, apparently barely functional. Constant WiFi problems, crashes and so on... No, absolutely no!

If you want to submit to the Google octopus, fine, but compared to that, Microsoft is a rock of freedom and liberality in a dark sea of Submissiveness. That is my opinion.

For example: User Comments

[CharlieJV]

@CharlieJV - what I read about Chromebooks after your post looks like this to me: As a Chromebook user, you are 100% subject to the data octopus Google.
Google determines which software you have available. MS Office is a crutch, apparently barely functional. Constant WiFi problems, crashes and so on... No, absolutely no!

If you want to submit to the Google octopus, fine, but compared to that, Microsoft is a rock of freedom and liberality in a dark sea of Submissiveness. That is my opinion.

For example: User Comments

What you describe, I believe to be true about all of them: Google, Microsoft, Apple.  They are all equally horrible.

None of them would discard the opportunity to cash-in on that data octopus thing you describe.  It would be silly for Microsoft and Apple to not want the related income stream.

A Chromebook allows enabling Linux at the push of a button.  Whatever Linux software I want, I can install any time.  Which suits me fine, because I stopped using Windows after Windows XP support ended.  I don't need any Windows software.

The reason I went with Chromebooks and will keep staying with Chromebooks is because I never have any problems with them.  i.e. they don't crash on me.  I don't have to put up with the headaches of Windows.

For work, Windows software development with OpenText Gupta Team Developer is my bread and butter: corporate applications with, preferably, an Oracle database backend.  I know Windows.  I know Chromebooks.  I use both on a daily basis.  For my personal computing: Chromebooks only.  Windows: only for work and only if I'm not responsible for the upkeep of it.

I understand your opinion.  But if you haven't used both Windows and ChromeOS on a daily basis, your opinion is quite ill-informed.  Just saying...

[JRace]

I bought one Chromebook several years ago.  I just wanted the low-cost hardware, so after buying it I immediately replaced ChromeOS with Xubuntu.

I've been reconsidering ChromeOS as a viable alternative since Linux on ChromeOS (aka Crostini) has been available.

[CharlieJV]

I bought one Chromebook several years ago.  I just wanted the low-cost hardware, so after buying it I immediately replaced ChromeOS with Xubuntu.

I've been reconsidering ChromeOS as a viable alternative since Linux on ChromeOS (aka Crostini) has been available.

Like all devices and operating systems, not any single one of them is the best choice for everybody.

I don't believe for a second that ChromeOS is the right choice for many people, but I think there are an awful lot of people who do not realize that Chrome OS would be just enough for their needs.

In my case, at least 95% (if not 99%) of my Chromebook usage is in Chrome OS (in the web browser).  Easy because there isn't any Windows software I need.

Enabling Linux (I.e. installing Debian) is only a pushbutton affair.  Then the few apps I need are just a sudo apt-get install away (that's what I'm familiar with; I have no idea if there are more user-friendly ways to go about it.)  The ones I nab from the Debian repositories (Vym, Vim, Geany, Tree sheets, DB Browser for sqlite, KolourPaint, gPlanarity, Hex-a-hop, and Ri-li), along with Spiderbasic, and QB64: I need nothing else.

If I really needed anything else that I can't easily get on Linux, and probably just get whatever android app from the Google Play store (because those apps work on Chromebooks.)

Seems to me booting from a live Linux on USB is possible, so I might get into Puppy Linux again someday.

Chromebook I.T. support for my mum, dad, and ex-wife has been a no-effort-joy vs the nightmare of supporting them on Windows.  That said, my kiddo does need Windows for gaming and for university, but she is her own I.T. support person (thank the gods, because I'm too old and disinterested in that.)

A Chromebook may not be right for you, but if it does happen to be all you need, you might be missing out on something that is pretty Zen.

Of course, that does mean selling your soul to Google.  Which, really, is no different than selling your soul to Microsoft.  Whatever bad Google does, I think it is pretty silly to think Microsoft doesn't do the equivalent (whether the same way or different way).

Obviously, if you do the kind of programming with QB64 that is locked into the Windows API, then nothing but Windows will do (the same as my career, which is all about Windows business software development).

Now that I got that off my chest, I'd like to give my sympathies to all them folk impacted by whatever recent and upcoming trials and tribulations related to Windows ownership.  As long as the juice is worth the squeeze, soldier on.

[bert22306]

I'm not personally familiar with Chromebook. I think of it as a "thin client," dependent on Google web services. In general, I deeply dislike being strictly dependent on one intermediary service like that, although of course, we're all at least dependent on our ISP for much of what we do.

In my case, my own desktop PC is kind of the central component of my home news, TV, radio, DVD playback, CD playback, bill paying, pizza ordering, Amazon ordering, picture album, music folder, email system, not to mention QB64 software writing, so it kind of needs to be more than a thin client.

I got news of this CrowdStrike issue pretty much as soon as it happened, in real time. Given that the news came through my desktop PC, connected to the above-mentioned system, I was pretty sure all was okay. But I did do the safe boot business, just to be sure that there wasn't this one offending file to get rid of.

[CharlieJV]

I'm not personally familiar with Chromebook. I think of it as a "thin client," dependent

Eh, from my experience, that's a brutally misinformed way to think of it.  Today's Chromebook is the furthest thing from a thin client.

Sure, whether ChromeOS, Windows, Linux, whatever kind of OS and whatever kind of device: it is more often than not useless to me if I don't have access to the web.

However, when the web is out, I can still access my email, create/edit Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Draw, etc.

I can still run whatever Android apps installed from Google Play on my Chromebook.  And I've still got Debian Linux (which is enabled/installed on my Chromebook with just a button press) and whatever packages installed (including QB64 and Spiderbasic.)

Thinking of a Chromebook as a thin client may have been a fair-ish assessment when the first ones came out in 2011.

For the last 6 years or so, I can do as much with my Chromebook as I ever could with any Windows machine (but only because there is nothing I need that requires a Windows machine.)  Well, as long as one doesn't go bargain-basement or get one that is (or is close-to-be) no longer supported by updates.

You get a Windows machine if you need software that only runs on Windows and/or you need services only available for Windows.  You get a Mac if you need software that only runs on Mac and/or you need services only available for Mac.  If you need Linux, or Linux will do: then a Chromebook is great.  If you really don't need any of Windows/Mac/Linux (or only need Linux sometimes) then a Chromebook is hands-down fantastic.

Hey, I appreciate all tech, but I prefer to own and use tech that doesn't give me any grief.

[grymmjack]

But what will the rest of you do?

I've already done it. Switched 100% to Linux - except for gaming.

Everything else I do I can do on Linux.

However, you don't have to upgrade to Windows 12 if it comes to that