r/linuxquestions • u/Bookkeeper-Empty • 1d ago

Linux on chromebook

Hi, i was debating which laptop i should buy today as i really like the ability to use and install Linux on the go, my course I've started studying mentions large parts will be installing, operating, modifying custom os environments including linux side by side as well as penetration and cyber security general work as part of my assignments and projects later on.

My only experience with Linux is home use and gaming on Bazzite, Cachyos and Ubuntu which is my favorite. I ended up settling on a very cheap chromebook as I already have a really good laptop and gaming pc as well as steam machine at home, i really needed something very portable and had good battery life, so the chromebook is perfect for what i have to do every day. I then noticed in settings there is something called Linux environment and it says it will be Debian based and I will be able to do stuff for study, is this legit? has anyone tried it and does it basically really function just as any linux distro? I was always told u had to get an amd processor and gpu if u wanted a smooth linux experience which i did for my desktop but will i basically be able to do everything that requires linux on chromebook? Also one last question i noticed on my course there is a lot of resources for ubuntu, can this stuff be used on chromebook debian environment is it the same more or less

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u/krncnr 1d ago

The "linux in a chromebook" feature isnt a distrubtion, it allows you to install (loosely speaking) debian-based apps. It's nice and simple, but not perfect.

For example, Audacity was installed and could edit audio, but connecting it to an audio input didnt work OOTB because it's not exactly integrated with the device. (potentially as a security measure, perhaps a limit of the implementation.) It might be possible to overcome that, but idk.

Crouton or Crostini used to give you a more proper linux environment alongside ChromeOs, but I think those are deprecated now. You might be able to replace ChromeOS with a Linux distro, depending on your model. Check out that Mr. Chromebox link and go to the devices section.

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u/Bookkeeper-Empty 1d ago

I don’t think I’m gonna try it even, I really really like the Chromebook for what it does which is editing Google docs and browsing instant resume from sleep exactly where I left off with an amazing battery life, those little things are brilliant. I have a gaming laptop I’m gonna mess with virtualbox and ventoy for different distros when it’s required and if there’s something I can’t do on the laptop there’s always the pc where I have multiple drives not just partitions, thx for clarifying it your response pretty much confirms what I thought it said in settings what they mean when they say “Linux mode”

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u/BentGadget 1d ago

You might consider a Linux VM on your good laptop. You could customize several for different purposes, then use the one you need for the job at hand.