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Chromebooks any good?
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noise747
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by curiousclive:
“In windows you don't have to have a password if not wanted (with the chance of security problems of course, But at least you have a choice)

I believe you also don't need to have one for Macs either.”

Not, at the moment you don't, but it is getting close to it, with windows 8.1, it will more or less try to force you into having a Ms account and a lot of people will just do it because it is easier.
neo_wales
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by noise747:
“Just making people knows that you are followed where ever you go by google and there is no way to get out of it. All your documents are scanned by google, your web browsing is followed by Google.


The idea of the machine is good in that it is a light weight machine, that is simple to use, and have a keyboard, but too much google for me.”

So what? Makes no difference to you, its not like you are being followed by men in black lol Its obviously a big deal for you but not for millions of others.
John259
26-10-2013
It might help to think of Google Drive, Google Docs and their Microsoft equivalents as being very similar to the Tesco Clubcard scheme and similar supermarket loyalty systems. You supply them with some marketing information, in return for considerable benefits. IMHO being paranoid about these things to the point of rejecting them isn't a rational reaction and therefore quite rightly invites ridicule.
scooby1970
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by noise747:
“The idea of the machine is good in that it is a light weight machine, that is simple to use, and have a keyboard, but too much google for me.”

Damn Google Chromebooks with too much Google! Seriously, people think other companies don't do the same as Google? We happily use them in business and I use them for personal use and I have no issues, even our workplace that deals with customers information use Google Docs. Paranoid illusions over Google to the extent where you don't use a product is just missing out on one of the best products currently available for productivity (and it's free!).

Mark
zx50
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by noise747:
“Just making people knows that you are followed where ever you go by google and there is no way to get out of it. All your documents are scanned by google, your web browsing is followed by Google.


The idea of the machine is good in that it is a light weight machine, that is simple to use, and have a keyboard, but too much google for me.”

It's illegal for anyone to gain unauthorised access to your system. If Google are doing this and get caught/exposed, they'll be in trouble.
ChickenWings
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by zx50:
“It's illegal for anyone to gain unauthorised access to your system. If Google are doing this and get caught/exposed, they'll be in trouble.”

Google don't need access to your "system" with a chromebook. All documents are stored in the cloud - by default, Google Drive - so are all stored on their servers anyway. No need to tap in to anyone's "system" when people are volunteering their documents up.
omnidirectional
26-10-2013
He was warning people in another thread not to turn on GPS when going on holiday as Google will be tracking you. I'm not sure what the consequence of this 'tracking' is supposed to be..?

It's fair enough to dislike Google if you think they're too big/powerful, but to be scared of using GPS on an Android device just seems to be severe paranoia.
zx50
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by ChickenWings:
“Google don't need access to your "system" with a chromebook. All documents are stored in the cloud - by default, Google Drive - so are all stored on their servers anyway. No need to tap in to anyone's "system" when people are volunteering their documents up.”

Not so sure I'd want a Chromebook if that's the case. They should have given you the choice of either using the cloud, or keeping things on your system. I think Google might have made a bad decision here.
paulbrock
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by zx50:
“Not so sure I'd want a Chromebook if that's the case. They should have given you the choice of either using the cloud, or keeping things on your system. I think Google might have made a bad decision here.”

that's kind of what a chromebook is. Its designed entirely around using the cloud. You don't have to use google's cloud of course. You can use SkyDrive or Dropbox or any of the other cloud storage systems.
alcockell
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by John259:
“Good points:
Not Windows 8.
Less expensive than Windows laptops.
Less complicated than Windows.
Should be more reliable than Windows.
Automatic updates.
Interchangeable (zero setup if you switch to a different Chromebook, just log in).
Proper keyboard (although small screen implies small keyboard).
Larger screens than on tablets.

Bad points:
Only available with relatively small screens at the moment (this is likely to improve in the future as manfacturers switch production from Windows laptops to Chromebooks).
Can't run Skype.
Printing is fiddly, you can't just plug in a printer.
Reduced functionality when there is no internet connection (this has improved; you can now continue to edit current documents etc).
Ongoing subscription cost for Google Drive after the initial period.
Can't install Windows EXE programs.
I'm not sure whether Adobe Flash Player can be used or not.
Not suitable for anyone who is paranoid about Google ”

If you need to run Windows apps - you could always think about getting a virtual desktop somewhere - run them on there along with a Chrome virtual terminal application..
zx50
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by paulbrock:
“that's kind of what a chromebook is. Its designed entirely around using the cloud. You don't have to use google's cloud of course. You can use SkyDrive or Dropbox or any of the other cloud storage systems.”

I don't think I'd ever get one then. I prefer my data on the HDD in a laptop/computer. Google's going to need an unimaginable amount of online storage if this cloud system takes off.
scooby1970
26-10-2013
Reading through this thread, I think some people still have no idea really what a Chromebook is, even though a few of us have documented what exactly it is well.

It's a keyboard and screen which allows access to Googles services... Via Google Drive (cloud service). It can do anything that can be done in a modern day browser, which is actually quite more than many think. You can play browser games, listen to browser based music, watch browser based video services, open documents with browser based applications... I think the word "browser" should give it away that this is not an old fashioned PC, but a system for the future relying on cloud services.

Mark
alcockell
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by paulbrock:
“that's kind of what a chromebook is. Its designed entirely around using the cloud. You don't have to use google's cloud of course. You can use SkyDrive or Dropbox or any of the other cloud storage systems.”

Hardly anything is processed locally. It is in effect a terminal. ALL the work is done remotely.
alcockell
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by scooby1970:
“Reading through this thread, I think some people still have no idea really what a Chromebook is, even though a few of us have documented what exactly it is well.

It's a keyboard and screen which allows access to Googles services... Via Google Drive (cloud service). It can do anything that can be done in a modern day browser, which is actually quite more than many think. You can play browser games, listen to browser based music, watch browser based video services, open documents with browser based applications... I think the word "browser" should give it away that this is not an old fashioned PC, but a system for the future relying on cloud services.

Mark”

Same as what we do internally at work with Citrix. We use thin clients in all our offices - running an embedded cut-down OS and an instance of Citrix Receiver - and instances of Citrix Receiver on remote kit as well...
John259
26-10-2013
If you already use a webmail system (where all the email messages are held on remote servers, accessed and managed by means of a web browser), or an browser-based MMORPG such as Travian or Ikariam, then you could think of a Chromebook as simply extending that same concept to documents, spreadsheets, etc.
alcockell
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by John259:
“If you already use a webmail system (where all the email messages are held on remote servers, accessed and managed by means of a web browser), or an browser-based MMORPG such as Travian or Ikariam, then you could think of a Chromebook as simply extending that same concept to documents, spreadsheets, etc.”

Or even if you use an IMAP client in online mode... like on a smartphone...
paulbrock
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by zx50:
“ Google's going to need an unimaginable amount of online storage if this cloud system takes off.”



I think they'll be ok somehow. right now they offer, for free, 15GB for every user. That's around 4,500 Petabytes (each being 1,000,000 GB). Of course much of this isn't used, so they don't have empty disks waiting to be filled. But given they have quite a few copies of the entire internet I think they have already allowed for a few hard disks' worth.

The tricky bit is the bandwidth.
noise747
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by neo_wales:
“So what? Makes no difference to you, its not like you are being followed by men in black lol Its obviously a big deal for you but not for millions of others.”

Maybe millions of others don't give a crap about privacy.
noise747
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by John259:
“It might help to think of Google Drive, Google Docs and their Microsoft equivalents as being very similar to the Tesco Clubcard scheme and similar supermarket loyalty systems. You supply them with some marketing information, in return for considerable benefits. IMHO being paranoid about these things to the point of rejecting them isn't a rational reaction and therefore quite rightly invites ridicule.”

I don't have a loyalty card, they don't give enough away for me to give them my details.
noise747
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by zx50:
“It's illegal for anyone to gain unauthorised access to your system. If Google are doing this and get caught/exposed, they'll be in trouble.”

But they are not accessing your system, you are accessing their and sticking all your documents, emails and any other person info. on their servers.
noise747
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by zx50:
“I don't think I'd ever get one then. I prefer my data on the HDD in a laptop/computer. Google's going to need an unimaginable amount of online storage if this cloud system takes off.”

Yes and eventually you would be charged for it. Not that it will happen for many years, but if there was no way at all to store data off line, they would have you by the balls as to speak.
paulbrock
26-10-2013
Originally Posted by noise747:
“Yes and eventually you would be charged for it. Not that it will happen for many years, but if there was no way at all to store data off line, they would have you by the balls as to speak.”

I realise that google could pay you and you still wouldn't be interested, but FYI Google do sell data storage above 15GB.

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/2375123?hl=en
neo_wales
27-10-2013
Originally Posted by noise747:
“Maybe millions of others don't give a crap about privacy.”

Most don't because most realise their privacy is not being affected by using the likes of Google. IIRC there are over one hundred UK offices/groups etc that can access far far more personal information about you than Google can and that is an invasion of privacy IMHO.
noise747
27-10-2013
Originally Posted by paulbrock:
“I realise that google could pay you and you still wouldn't be interested, but FYI Google do sell data storage above 15GB.

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/2375123?hl=en”

I do know that, the same as skydrive and other free services, you can pay for extra storage, but give it time and you will be paying for all storage.
noise747
27-10-2013
Originally Posted by neo_wales:
“Most don't because most realise their privacy is not being affected by using the likes of Google. IIRC there are over one hundred UK offices/groups etc that can access far far more personal information about you than Google can and that is an invasion of privacy IMHO.”

It is a invasion of privacy, but I can't do much about that, but i can stop google.

Most people don't realise how much information is given to Google, even if they don't visit a google page,.

Your cookies that you keep shows google every page you go to that uses a google service and that is most of them, plus other adversing companies. evey single search you do on google is linked to you, certainly if you have are signed into google at the time. Maybe it don't bother you, that is up to you, but it bothers me.
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