Why not Chromebook....
Discussion
Looking at getting my daughter (1st year secondary) a laptop for Xmas.
On the mum's whatsapp group the question has been asked before about what laptop. One of them came back with 'anything so long as it's not a chromebook'.
As a Chromebook was my plan (seem reasonably priced, do lots of stuff etc.), I was wondering if anyone had a good reason why not?
It would be my households first one - got Windows and Linux (various) here. Don't want to stitch the daughter up....
On the mum's whatsapp group the question has been asked before about what laptop. One of them came back with 'anything so long as it's not a chromebook'.
As a Chromebook was my plan (seem reasonably priced, do lots of stuff etc.), I was wondering if anyone had a good reason why not?
It would be my households first one - got Windows and Linux (various) here. Don't want to stitch the daughter up....
Depends what she's is going to do on it.
Bit younger but my 10yr has one and he can complete most of his homework on it. He can login to Xbox live and have a chat with his mates. He can browse the internet, watch YouTube... He can't game on it much, but that's not what it's for.
Battery life is ace.
Bit younger but my 10yr has one and he can complete most of his homework on it. He can login to Xbox live and have a chat with his mates. He can browse the internet, watch YouTube... He can't game on it much, but that's not what it's for.
Battery life is ace.
They are generally (but not always) very low powered computers that use the browser to run programs etc. Absolutely fine if you just want something to watch Netflix on, but ideally for school and productivity work, you want a "proper" laptop that can operate without being connected to the internet.
Should be able to find something appropriate for around £350 - if you can stretch to £500, Costco have a pretty great laptop with an OLED screen for £500 https://www.costco.co.uk/Computers/Laptops-MacBook...
Should be able to find something appropriate for around £350 - if you can stretch to £500, Costco have a pretty great laptop with an OLED screen for £500 https://www.costco.co.uk/Computers/Laptops-MacBook...
Camelot1971 said:
They are generally (but not always) very low powered computers that use the browser to run programs etc. Absolutely fine if you just want something to watch Netflix on, but ideally for school and productivity work, you want a "proper" laptop that can operate without being connected to the internet.
Should be able to find something appropriate for around £350 - if you can stretch to £500, Costco have a pretty great laptop with an OLED screen for £500 https://www.costco.co.uk/Computers/Laptops-MacBook...
Most of that isn't true. Chromebooks are perfect for schoolwork and they can work quite happily offline. That said, one of the huge advantages is precisely that they are designed to be online which means that their is always (normally!) safely stored in the cloud and accessible from school. In terms of price, pound-for-pound you will always get a better Chromebook than you will a Windows laptop.Should be able to find something appropriate for around £350 - if you can stretch to £500, Costco have a pretty great laptop with an OLED screen for £500 https://www.costco.co.uk/Computers/Laptops-MacBook...
My daughter used hers from year 8 up to her GCSEs, after which she changed school to one which insisted on either Windows or Mac as they had specific requirements for software that they needed to install on the laptop.
Which brings me to the only really important criteria: the best laptop is one that the school know how to support. So ask them what they think you should have.
This is a few years out of date now, but I made the leap with Chromebook and bought one about 3 years ago. In theory it should have done everything I needed, but in practice almost everything was difficult, impossible, or harder than it should be. I had come from an Android tablet with a BT keyboard that I was using for taking notes in Word and storing on OneDrive. Chromebook file management was atrocious. Stupidly I thought I would be able to use internal memory, uSD card, Google Drive and OneDrive transparently, but it was a nightmare. I had to use several different file managers to make it work. OneDrive support was woeful, it was really hard getting it to keep offline copies of everything. It really was a pain if you weren’t online. Native ChromeOS apps were pretty duff in my experience and many of them were just containers for websites or Android apps. Android App support was good but of course most looked rubbish on a big screen. Teams / Zoom was hopeless and lacking most of the features you would expect on a proper computer.
On the plus side, if you want it for web browsing, youtube, Google Docs, etc. and you don’t try and make it do anything too clever then it’s good. I was glad that I accidentally sat on mine after 18 months and broke the screen. I replaced it with a boggo iPad and folio keyboard which didn’t cost much more. You could also consider a second hand MacBook Air. I bought a s/h 2017 one for not much more than £400.
I read a lot of opinion, spent a lot of time researching specs etc., and contrary to advice gave it a go, but right from the start to the end it was a massive, exhausting fight. But maybe for schoolwork it would be OK?
On the plus side, if you want it for web browsing, youtube, Google Docs, etc. and you don’t try and make it do anything too clever then it’s good. I was glad that I accidentally sat on mine after 18 months and broke the screen. I replaced it with a boggo iPad and folio keyboard which didn’t cost much more. You could also consider a second hand MacBook Air. I bought a s/h 2017 one for not much more than £400.
I read a lot of opinion, spent a lot of time researching specs etc., and contrary to advice gave it a go, but right from the start to the end it was a massive, exhausting fight. But maybe for schoolwork it would be OK?
The main issue with Chromebooks is that the vast majority of people just cannot get their heads round a non-windows computer and seem to go out of their way to find things it can't do rather than enjoy the many things it does well! I've no idea what the market share is these days, but I'm actually quite surprised Google hasn't abandoned Chromebooks by now. Personally I think they're great for what they do.
If the school has a website where the kids login and submit/receive work then I see no problem as it's all browser based. You can run word, Excel, Gmail etc - most things a windows laptop can do.
If the school need them to download specific software though, it may fall down if not compatible.
Chances are, you'll be upgrading the laptop in a few years anyway for GCSE time so Chromebook should be fine for the time being.
If the school need them to download specific software though, it may fall down if not compatible.
Chances are, you'll be upgrading the laptop in a few years anyway for GCSE time so Chromebook should be fine for the time being.
We had some cheap Chromebooks for the kids when they were younger but once they started secondary school they switched to Windows laptops - Everything just seemed a bit clunky on the Chromebooks, possibly because they were so basic but probably compounded by the fact that I’m not particularly IT literate…
I also figured that they might as well get comfortable/familiar with the software they’re most likely to need to use when they start work…
I also figured that they might as well get comfortable/familiar with the software they’re most likely to need to use when they start work…
Corso Marche said:
First and most important question is to the school - What do they recommend/suggest?
Some use Workspace/Google for Education, in which case go Chromebook.
Some use Office 365, in which case go Windows.
It really is as simple as that.
^ This - what do the school recommend?Some use Workspace/Google for Education, in which case go Chromebook.
Some use Office 365, in which case go Windows.
It really is as simple as that.
There was an offer to buy a chromebook through school which offered:
- monthly payments or upfront cash option £316
- fully insured (accident/damage and theft)
- 24hr replacement
Seems like a no-brainer to me, especially as everything is cloud based so if he does lose the device he doesnt lose data.
Edit: School is using Google classroom & G Suite for Education
Its a Lenovo 100e (11.6" screen) and seems to have great battery life.
I hate chromebooks because I cant get my head round the OS, being windows man!
Edited by jimmytheone on Thursday 25th November 11:25
WelshRich said:
I also figured that they might as well get comfortable/familiar with the software they’re most likely to need to use when they start work…
My work laptop is running windows, but without Office365. Don't assume that learning how to use what everyone has for the last 20 years is the way forwards. 
I barely use email at work (slack is preferred), work is stored / managed in git. I haven't crested a spreadsheet here in ages!My child, parents and in-laws are using chromebooks. If the school uses G-suite, chromebook is perfect. Battery life is miles better than avg laptop, cost is significantly less, and windows updates are a thing of the past. Caveat: none of my use cases here involve gaming.
Without wanting to start a new chromebook thread, I was wondering if anyone can answer this question.
The firm I work for uses windows remote desktop for the whole firm (150+ staff all WFH) to access the various different finance applications and data we all need and use intensively. Some of this will of course include regular Zoom, Teams meetings.
I am likely to have a need to work at a family/friends house which I can set up with monitors and keyboard plus a USB hub, and where broadband is mostly "OK".
What I can't seem to confirm is whether a cheap chromebook will do just as good a job of connecting via RDP to the firm servers rather than the larger/heavier laptop I currently lug about to do the same job. If so, what sort of spec variances make a difference to performance for this sort of task?
The laptop is work issued and can't be changed, and I don't want to go to the expense of paying more for my own laptop that would not be much easier to cart about than the work one anyway. I also like the idea of having a smaller, lighter, device for accessing the internet with a proper keyboard for occasional work use and light surfing, personal emails etc when travelling.
The firm I work for uses windows remote desktop for the whole firm (150+ staff all WFH) to access the various different finance applications and data we all need and use intensively. Some of this will of course include regular Zoom, Teams meetings.
I am likely to have a need to work at a family/friends house which I can set up with monitors and keyboard plus a USB hub, and where broadband is mostly "OK".
What I can't seem to confirm is whether a cheap chromebook will do just as good a job of connecting via RDP to the firm servers rather than the larger/heavier laptop I currently lug about to do the same job. If so, what sort of spec variances make a difference to performance for this sort of task?
The laptop is work issued and can't be changed, and I don't want to go to the expense of paying more for my own laptop that would not be much easier to cart about than the work one anyway. I also like the idea of having a smaller, lighter, device for accessing the internet with a proper keyboard for occasional work use and light surfing, personal emails etc when travelling.
s2kjock said:
The firm I work for uses windows remote desktop for the whole firm (150+ staff all WFH) to access the various different finance applications and data we all need and use intensively. Some of this will of course include regular Zoom, Teams meetings.
.
RDP, or RDP and a VPN? If the latter is there an appropriate supported VPN client available for a Chromebook? Will the firm's IT support actually support you if you run into problems?.
xeny said:
RDP, or RDP and a VPN? If the latter is there an appropriate supported VPN client available for a Chromebook? Will the firm's IT support actually support you if you run into problems?
That is already beyond my knowledge 
The URL I go onto goes to a sign in page with "Work resources - remote app and desktop connection". It mentions RD Web Access elsewhere.
I don't think there is a VPN the way I access it (although a few staff do dial into their own desktops via a VPN which is different to how most of us access it) - questions to our in-house IT department don't often get answered with anything that I understand when I have queried this with them, and sometimes never!
Yes, it's common and practical to RDP into a Windows machine from Chrome OS - most mid-range Chromebooks will do it quite well.
Zoom has potential to be an issue. It may not be, it all depends on if you're running Zoom natively on Chrome OS.
If you're just joining a call most mid-range Chromebooks are ok for Zoom. If you are however hosting the call with many participants you will need a high-end Chromebook as both the webclient and the PWA from Zoom are bloaty and badly-written resource w
es. Also be aware that they've not done much with regards to feature parity with their webclient or the PWA, so neither has the full features of the desktop versions. It may be a non-issue - you can test both the webclient and the PWA on your existing setup prior to buying anything to establish if you might miss any features.
Zoom has potential to be an issue. It may not be, it all depends on if you're running Zoom natively on Chrome OS.
If you're just joining a call most mid-range Chromebooks are ok for Zoom. If you are however hosting the call with many participants you will need a high-end Chromebook as both the webclient and the PWA from Zoom are bloaty and badly-written resource w
es. Also be aware that they've not done much with regards to feature parity with their webclient or the PWA, so neither has the full features of the desktop versions. It may be a non-issue - you can test both the webclient and the PWA on your existing setup prior to buying anything to establish if you might miss any features.s2kjock said:
Without wanting to start a new chromebook thread, I was wondering if anyone can answer this question.
The firm I work for uses windows remote desktop for the whole firm (150+ staff all WFH) to access the various different finance applications and data we all need and use intensively. Some of this will of course include regular Zoom, Teams meetings.
I am likely to have a need to work at a family/friends house which I can set up with monitors and keyboard plus a USB hub, and where broadband is mostly "OK".
What I can't seem to confirm is whether a cheap chromebook will do just as good a job of connecting via RDP to the firm servers rather than the larger/heavier laptop I currently lug about to do the same job. If so, what sort of spec variances make a difference to performance for this sort of task?
The laptop is work issued and can't be changed, and I don't want to go to the expense of paying more for my own laptop that would not be much easier to cart about than the work one anyway. I also like the idea of having a smaller, lighter, device for accessing the internet with a proper keyboard for occasional work use and light surfing, personal emails etc when travelling.
Your other consideration is whether your work will allow a non locked-down/company-configured machine to access their systems?The firm I work for uses windows remote desktop for the whole firm (150+ staff all WFH) to access the various different finance applications and data we all need and use intensively. Some of this will of course include regular Zoom, Teams meetings.
I am likely to have a need to work at a family/friends house which I can set up with monitors and keyboard plus a USB hub, and where broadband is mostly "OK".
What I can't seem to confirm is whether a cheap chromebook will do just as good a job of connecting via RDP to the firm servers rather than the larger/heavier laptop I currently lug about to do the same job. If so, what sort of spec variances make a difference to performance for this sort of task?
The laptop is work issued and can't be changed, and I don't want to go to the expense of paying more for my own laptop that would not be much easier to cart about than the work one anyway. I also like the idea of having a smaller, lighter, device for accessing the internet with a proper keyboard for occasional work use and light surfing, personal emails etc when travelling.
Our's won't even let an identical laptop connect to our servers without being configured to be identical to the work laptop (i.e. their own cloud backup, anti-virus, asset recovery software, data compliance software, corporate anti-virus tools, etc.). We can't even copy data off the laptop if we wanted to take it to our own, home faster desktop machine (e.g. my work laptop is a 6th gen i7 Z-Book; but my home PC is a Zen 3 Ryzen 7 which is about 4 times faster).
mmm-five said:
We can't even copy data off the laptop if we wanted to take it to our own, home faster desktop machine (e.g. my work laptop is a 6th gen i7 Z-Book; but my home PC is a Zen 3 Ryzen 7 which is about 4 times faster).
Forbid it, or make it technically difficult? A high resolution external screen, a DSLR on a tripod and some OCR software can exfiltrate moderate amounts of data remarkably quickly.xeny said:
Forbid it, or make it technically difficult? A high resolution external screen, a DSLR on a tripod and some OCR software can exfiltrate moderate amounts of data remarkably quickly.
Both.It's in our terms of employment and we have to do annual certification for our understanding of IT policies and consequences of breaking them.
Rather keep my job than save a couple of hours a day photographing/scanning/OCR-ing reams of proprietary/confidential Word or Excel data to process it elsewhere...and OCR-ing charts & diagrams won't help me to edit it.
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