Damn! I bought a cheap Chromebook to replace my mom's 2010 MBP, but I guess I could have just loaded this instead.
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Google Wants to Turn Your Old Mac into a Chromebook With Chrome OS Flex
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This is weird to me. Not anything you said specifically, but it got me thinking... my 2012 Retina MacBook Pro is 10 years old now. (Or close enough.) It's running Monterey and my mom uses it as her main machine without any complaints. It's still perfectly capable of doing everything. (I swapped the wifi card out with one that could do all of the fancy handoff stuff years ago.)
Anyway it's weird to me that we've basically reached the point where "old" technology is still perfectly usable today for the majority of casual users. She's not compiling code or churning out 12k videos, but it does a lot more than ChromeOS would allow and isn't dutifully shipping everything she does off to Google.
Pretty cool!
Actually ChromeOS is pretty good. I could see my mom using it. Right now she uses Windows 10 and all she uses is a web browser. I think most of older people have only one app they'd use. That is a web browser.
Kids are a lot smarter than you give them credit for, apparently. It's not like the kids are maintaining the system from the terminal. They're in the GUI, clicking buttons. I'm 100% positive elementary school kids can click buttons in a GUI.
And for those cases, this article exists.
“Without problems” isn’t true. The older the hardware, the more complex it is to maintain support.
I agree, it isn't but are there stories of ANYONE running an old version of macOS having any issues what so ever? As long as they're not deliberatly opening dodgy files (which again is still difficult on macOS) I doubt they'd ever see an issue (but again I wouldn't recommend it if you can update of course and i've never run a device old enough to not get software updates so.
That's not true at all. Any number of seemingly-benign websites can be compromised and loaded with webkit exploits that will instantly pwn any non-updated machine. The fact that you're visiting MacRumors is evidence that you visit sites beyond the most secure services from Apple, Google, etc.
People have a misconception that malware is only related to shady and illegal sites, but it can be anywhere--- lets say you want to convert 5 liters to gallons and you click on the first website that shows up in the search results, promising to be an easy measurement conversion calculator. If it's your unlucky day and you're running an old web browser or old OS, congrats on becoming a new spambot or cryptominer.
Outside of web browsing (which constantly brings new remote code to your machine), it's probably safe to use some non-web internet services on an old/nonsupported machine if you're behind NAT.
the best OS to install on an old mac is Windows 10. even as a software developer, i avoid linux like the plague. the average consumer will hate linux. tbh, i think it is pretty safe to install Windows 10 for long term usage now. i think it has been over 2 years since windows 10 received any major updates. semi annual updates are unlikely to somehow break your system. no need for LTSC.
For all Apple talks about the environment, they could easily release a MacOS/iOS lite. But that doesn’t sell new hardware.
Google doesn’t have to sell hardware.
Google doesn’t have to sell hardware.
You shouldn't.
There ARE however, people who could benefit from running Chrome OS Flex rather than Lubuntu on their unsupported Apple computers. Since you know what Lubuntu is, you'd probably be better off with that.
When following the instructions listed on their site to build a USB installer, you do get to select your hardware, and in this case it tells you to select the Google Flex OS option... There's a dropdown with a long list of devices.
Linux has a UI as easy to use a Windows or macOS - when I was in "elementary school" I was using MS-DOS!
Well, he can simply install Firefox or any other more recent browser and ditch that WebKit crap. Many ways leads to Rome.
Personally I avoid Goolge like the plague - but this seems like a pretty decent idea for some causial users who have a perfectly working Mac but can no longer access things like their bank account online due to old web browsers. Mainly thinking of some older retired folks on very limited incomes.
For the tech savy - switching to linux would probably be a better opthan than Chrome.
For the tech savy - switching to linux would probably be a better opthan than Chrome.
I like this idea, I think if it supported Android apps in addition to webapps, this would be a winner for folks who only need a Chrome browser. I wouldn't use it personally, but it could be fun to play with.
In all fairness you must commend Apple for the fact that their machines even last that long and, usually, are still in a pretty usable state even a decade later. The fact that you can reasonably expect get 8 to 10 years out of some piece of hardware is by no accounts a bad thing, and something you clearly cannot expect from off-the-shelf PCs, especially low cost no-names. But.
Apple kinda has to stop talking out of both sides of their mouth when it comes to the entire environmental aspect. A 2008 iMac with 2 gigs of ram and a Core 2 Duo can still run 64 bit applications, can still run a browser, can still run office applications, and as such is still mostly useful as a simple SOHO machine, or for a kid getting its first computer, or a simple media viewer. It is perfectly viable hardware if you are aware of its limitations.
Now, yes, there are ways to run newer versions on these machines via Open Core and other "hacks". But those are reserved for the at least mildly tech savvy. The average Joe(sephine) that still thinks that computers are magical mystery machines will replace their computer when it says "This piece of junk is too old to run modern software, kek". And so it goes to ebay in the best of scenarios, but most likely to the trash.
Plus I think Mac users with the appropriately sized wallet would still buy new Macs when they feel there is an upgrade worth buying. But less people would buy sub-standard 300 dollar PCs that are kinda "old" the day they are bought, like a lot of these low-cost All-In-One sporting an Intel Atom that are possibly slower than the aforementioned 2008 iMac. In a perfect world those people would prefer a 200 bucks used iMac that still has a decent amount of flair over a 300 bucks piece of burning plastic - if it just came with a decently recent OS. Heck, maybe those people would actually realize that Macs are great for them, and next time buy an actually new Mac. Hence: I'm not even sure this would be to Apple's financial detriment.
And now Google of all companies is targeting end-of-life Macs to spread their Chrome OS - which is brilliant if your goal is to become a quasi-standard. Nah, Apple has no good reason not to support those Macs at least software-wise. And they should in their own interest.
I thought ChromeOS already supports Android apps AND Linux apps if you want to? Anything available for Debian Linux should be available for ChromeOS too.
I don’t see this process as doable.
Could not get my PC to access the USB stick and I’m not going to turn off secure boot.
I didn’t try to install on my iMac.
I could install Linux on my iMac but only from the optical drive.
I have never considered any of the Linux distros easier than Mac OS.
Then again I’m not the brightest bulb in my string.
My best experience has been Linux Mint.
If my current Windows 10 is still functioning when 10 hits EOL, hope to move to Linux.
Could not get my PC to access the USB stick and I’m not going to turn off secure boot.
I didn’t try to install on my iMac.
I could install Linux on my iMac but only from the optical drive.
I have never considered any of the Linux distros easier than Mac OS.
Then again I’m not the brightest bulb in my string.
My best experience has been Linux Mint.
If my current Windows 10 is still functioning when 10 hits EOL, hope to move to Linux.
I am not ever going to do this, but this is a great incentive for Apple to support older machines longer.
Older machines are not suitable for the modern web anyway, a bit pointless if you ask me. Installing Linux or Haiku would be a better choice for offline computing.
Older machines are not suitable for the modern web anyway, a bit pointless if you ask me. Installing Linux or Haiku would be a better choice for offline computing.
I added RAM and put an SSD on a mid-2012, still going strong (except the battery).
It's annoying Apple doesn't provide Catalina to install, so I found alternative methods.
My eventual jump to Apple silicon will be fun.
It's annoying Apple doesn't provide Catalina to install, so I found alternative methods.
My eventual jump to Apple silicon will be fun.