Fwiw, they aren’t expired, they just stop getting feature updates after a while. They still get security updates and they work perfectly, software gets updates etc. Essentially the same as MacBooks. So no, not at got as getting a Windows laptop but not as bad is getting screwed by apple
No my man, they stop getting security updates. If you think cash strapped K12 institutions would happily toss useable Chromebooks out because they don’t get feature updates, then you are dead wrong.
There is going to be a massive K12 money issue coming in about 3-4 more years. Everyone who didn’t have a 1 to 1 program in effect took all that COVID money and threw it at their Tech depts to enable 1 to 1. Those grants, for those amounts, aren’t gonna be here 3-4 years from now. I honestly have no idea what poorer districts are gonna do, but it’s gonna be a fucking reckoning.
Anyway, now that I know this I’m going to look out for second hand chrome books. Think I could run a Plex server on one?
You can refer to https://mrchromebox.tech/ for a listing of what chromebooks that firmware can be flashed on to (refer to Supported Devices on the left). Chromebooks ship with a modified BIOS that will only work with the Chrome OS that installed on those devices. Their BIOS/firmware is also in read only mode but that can be disabled usually by removing a screw somewhere on the motherboard. After that, you have to flash that alternative firmware over so that the computer can have a BIOS that is compatible with other operating systems (consequently making the computer unable to run Chrome OS).
The FAQ (linked below) mentions that there is a “handy spreadsheet” compatibility list as well. Notably, some Chromebooks are not quite compatible with Linux and show this by literally frying their speakers (supposedly) if you try to use Linux on them… so you may have to be selective in what you purchase.
Fwiw, they aren’t expired, they just stop getting feature updates after a while. They still get security updates and they work perfectly, software gets updates etc. Essentially the same as MacBooks. So no, not at got as getting a Windows laptop but not as bad is getting screwed by apple
No my man, they stop getting security updates. If you think cash strapped K12 institutions would happily toss useable Chromebooks out because they don’t get feature updates, then you are dead wrong.
There is going to be a massive K12 money issue coming in about 3-4 more years. Everyone who didn’t have a 1 to 1 program in effect took all that COVID money and threw it at their Tech depts to enable 1 to 1. Those grants, for those amounts, aren’t gonna be here 3-4 years from now. I honestly have no idea what poorer districts are gonna do, but it’s gonna be a fucking reckoning.
Source: Former Ed-Tech Tech
My 2015 MacBook got its last major update last year - that’s 7 years. It still gets security updates.
This article says the Chromebooks get 3-6 years.
Anyway, now that I know this I’m going to look out for second hand chrome books. Think I could run a Plex server on one?
You can refer to https://mrchromebox.tech/ for a listing of what chromebooks that firmware can be flashed on to (refer to Supported Devices on the left). Chromebooks ship with a modified BIOS that will only work with the Chrome OS that installed on those devices. Their BIOS/firmware is also in read only mode but that can be disabled usually by removing a screw somewhere on the motherboard. After that, you have to flash that alternative firmware over so that the computer can have a BIOS that is compatible with other operating systems (consequently making the computer unable to run Chrome OS).
The FAQ (linked below) mentions that there is a “handy spreadsheet” compatibility list as well. Notably, some Chromebooks are not quite compatible with Linux and show this by literally frying their speakers (supposedly) if you try to use Linux on them… so you may have to be selective in what you purchase.
https://mrchromebox.tech/#faq