[WLUG] Washtenaw Linux Users Group Meetings

[jlk at osml.eu]

On 2015-05-17 16:09, Jim Beckstrom wrote:
> Hoping someone could present in either October or November this fall 
> on this:
>
> CROUTON:
>
> Hard-core Chromebook enthusiasts have long touted the ability to run
> Linux side by side with Chrome OS, giving them a full-fledged desktop
> OS on a cheaper machine.
> Now, thanks to a tool called Crouton, users no longer need to leave
> Chrome to access their favorite Linux software. With Crouton, you’re
> able to run a Linux build right on your Chromebook as another tab.
> Crouton is essentially a set of scripts that bundle up a Chromium
> chroot generator. It currently supports Ubuntu and Debian, though
> other variants don’t translate so well.
> You can grab the scripts directly from the Crouton GitHub site [1].
> To use this you’ll want to have some working knowledge of Linux tools
> and the command line so that you can get yourself out in case you’re
> in a jam.
>

Running Crouton and switching between Chrome OS and Linux use to be 
similar
to switching between Virtual Desktops under Linux.  Now the chroot runs
in a Chrome tab and mostly behaves like any other Chrome browser tab, 
complete
with dragging features.  At least one 'normal: keystroke: Alt + '-'  
Minimize
doesn't work.

A Chrome OS update can stop your chroot working.  Usually you can 
reinstate
it with by re-running a command from the command line, but the Caveat 
is,
don't store your data in the chroot file system as a miskeyed boot, or 
Chrome OS
update can make your data unrecoverable.

You should be aware that any locally stored user files will be wiped 
when installing
Crouton.  Likewise and partitions you may have created on you SSD will 
be lost
if you 'recover' you Chromebook/box/base to 'standard' configuration 
using a
'recovery USB/SD' image.

I thought I would solve the local file problem by upgrading the SSD and 
partitioning
it, but this will (may) get trashed by something as simple a hitting 
the spacebar
during the boot sequence.

Fun to play with, but not stable enough (yet) to use as a daily driver. 
YMMV