ChromeBook, Chromium, and CloudReady

I’ve been installing CloudReady OS on older laptops for a couple of years now. Basically, that means I’m making old computers into useful Chromebook-like computers. If you’ve never used a Chromebook, you should consider giving it a try. A Chromebook is a great alternative to a full blown computer. Most folks use a computer for the browser. I spend most of my time on a browser, looking stuff up, buying from amazon, watching youtube videos on how to take apart and reassemble the laptop someone gave me.
 
Many people are getting away from their computers and just using their smart phone or iPad. A tablet is an astonishing computer that can generally do anything that most of us are doing on our computers. I mostly work on my PC and my phone. The only tablet sized device I use is my Kindle paperwhite, which I love. When I travel, I don’t bring a computer, as I can generally check on things with my phone.
 
CloudReady is now a Google product, as is Chromium and Chromebook. They are similar enough that I am going to treat them the same for this particular article. What I am going to talk about is CloudReady, mostly. The way I make a “ChromeBook” is I use a USB installer of CloudReady and start up the computer booting from the USB drive. After it starts, I sign in and use the option in the lower right corner to install it onto the computer. It wipes the drive and installs itself. It’s pretty easy. The nice thing is that it uses far less resources to operate that a PC or Mac, and so, it’s a great option for an older laptop.
 
Pretty much, you can do whatever you want, using available apps and cloud based software. I’ll include a bunch of links below. The first one is an wee explanation of CloudReady and Chrome HERE. 
And HERE. 
 
Get a copy to install HERE. 
 
The downside? It’s NOT a Chromebook. While many programs will run via the browser, there is a whole world that is off limits due to not actually being a Chromebook. Currently, you can’t download apps from the Google Playstore, and you can’t run Android apps. Still, there is a huge amount you can still do, and most likely, all that will keep you plenty busy.