It appeared like a minor miracle when I breathed new life into three ancient computers using ChromeOS Flex in early 2022. ChromeOS Flex turned my outdated {hardware} — junk amassing mud in a closet — into fashionable, environment friendly gadgets by providing a light-weight, safe, and manageable working system for older x86 methods.
ChromeOS Flex extends the lifespan of older {hardware} and contributes to decreasing e-waste, making it an environmentally aware selection.
Additionally: I revived three ancient computers with ChromeOS Flex, and you can too
Nonetheless, latest developments trace at a possible finish for ChromeOS Flex. As detailed in a June 12 blog post by Prajakta Gudadhe, senior director of engineering for ChromeOS, and Alexander Kuscher, senior director of product administration for ChromeOS, Google’s announcement about integrating ChromeOS with Android to reinforce AI capabilities means that Flex won’t be a part of this future.
Based on Guadahe and Kuscher, this modification takes benefit of Android’s sturdy framework, providing sooner updates and higher integration with AI. Nonetheless, it additionally raises vital considerations for Flex customers.
Google’s plan, as detailed, means that ChromeOS Flex may very well be phased out, leaving its present customers in a troublesome place. The Chromium OS group round ChromeOS Flex could try to regulate to those adjustments if Google makes the ChromeOS Flex code open-source, however that is unsure. Within the meantime, customers could need to contemplate options, reminiscent of numerous Linux distributions, to maintain their older {hardware} useful.
ChromeOS Flex and Android: a historical past
The origins of ChromeOS Flex could be traced again to Google’s purchase of UK-based Neverware in 2020. Neverware’s CloudReady, which got here earlier than ChromeOS Flex, was designed to lengthen the usability of older {hardware}. However, the transfer towards a mixed ChromeOS and Android platform could contradict this dedication and go away Flex customers in a troublesome place.
The primary subject with x86-based ChromeOS Flex is its lack of assist for Android apps, not like common ChromeOS merchandise that run on (largely) Arm-based gadgets. The flexibility to run Android apps on ChromeOS, launched in 2016, was a major enchancment as a result of it allowed customers to entry the whole Google Play retailer. This was achieved by embedding Android frameworks and dependencies straight into ChromeOS. Sadly, this Android Play Retailer and runtime surroundings integration doesn’t prolong to ChromeOS Flex, considerably limiting its attraction and performance.
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Regardless of these challenges, it is vital to notice that each one Chromebooks shipped after 2019, together with x86-based fashions, do assist Android functions by way of Arm emulation. This workaround allows newer Chromebooks to entry the wealthy ecosystem of Android, though it doesn’t deal with the restrictions confronted by ChromeOS Flex.
Moreover, whereas Google helps the x86 port of Chromium OS, it doesn’t assist the x86 port of Android, which is the community-sponsored “Android-x86” mission. The current development branch of Android-x86, model 10, lags a number of variations behind the most recent model, Android 14 (with model 15 due in August 2024), and seems to don’t have any latest commits within the final 12 months in its public repositories.
For ChromeOS Flex to learn absolutely from Android integration, it’s essential for Google to assist Android on x86 platforms formally and embody important Android parts in Chromium OS, its open-source mission. This assist is crucial for the longer term success of ChromeOS Flex. Nonetheless, there’s presently no posted roadmap for ChromeOS Flex that displays these potential adjustments.
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If ChromeOS Flex is discontinued, it will likely be an enormous disappointment, given its position in extending the lifespan of outdated computer systems and decreasing e-waste by contributing to environmental sustainability and respiration new life into getting older {hardware}.
Different options: Light-weight Linux distributions
A number of light-weight Linux distributions are value contemplating for customers searching for options. According to ZDNET’s Jack Wallen, these are among the greatest choices for saving your outdated laptop:
Bodhi Linux: Written for high-performance desktop customers, Bodhi Linux makes use of a novel Moksha desktop surroundings much like Enlightenment (E Window Supervisor). It requires minimal system sources, making it best for older {hardware}.
Linux Lite: Very user-friendly, extremely customizable, and quick, Linux Lite makes use of a customized Xfce desktop surroundings, which is resource-optimized. It contains pre-installed software program like Chrome, Thunderbird, and LibreOffice, offering a well-recognized interface for brand spanking new customers.
Pet Linux: Greatest used as a reside distribution, Puppy Linux is small and quick, operating solely in RAM. It contains apps like Palemoon, ClawsMail, AbiWord, and Gnumeric, however is extra fitted to customers with some Linux expertise.
Tiny Core Linux: Tiny Core Linux is extraordinarily small and environment friendly. It is higher for knowledgeable customers because it requires handbook set up of functions and configuration of the desktop surroundings.
LXLE Linux: LXLE is constructed on the most recent model of Ubuntu and makes use of the LXDE desktop surroundings. It is easy to put in, simple to make use of, and contains apps like LibreOffice and ClawsMail, making it appropriate for reviving outdated {hardware}.
I’d be remiss, in fact, if I didn’t embody a couple of of my very own favorites.
Linux Mint 21.3 XFCE Version: Mint is among the hottest and well-supported general-purpose Linux distros, and the XFCE surroundings retains it on a useful resource utilization food regimen and with a handy guide a rough response time on legacy {hardware}.
Lubuntu: Based mostly on the favored Ubuntu Linux distribution, Lubuntu is optimized for older {hardware} and makes use of the snappy LXQt desktop surroundings.