I have an Acer R11 Chromebook. It has a quad-core Intel CPU. With 32 GB and a fairly unlimited Google Drive storage of 2 Terabytes it is a very nice laptop computer. For about the past year I have run the KDE distribution of Linux on it with good success. But as has been my previous experience, if you update your computer software from time to time eventually Linux on a Chromebook with blitz itself into ether-land and you will have to reload it. Such was the case Wednesday of this week when my faithful laptop decided to go to a black screen upon launching KDE.
I reset and rebuilt the Chromebook OS back so the Chromebook was like new. Then I attempted, using CROUTON, to download and reinstall KDE. But each time I did it failed again. Linux is open source freeware with thousands of modules or packages of software that fit together like a big puzzle and make the operating system come alive. Each of the thousands of modules are individually written, changed, and documented by an individual or group as they continually work to make the OS better and better. But each module must function without a glitch on every computer configuration, brand, model, and type there is. So it is possible for one of the modules to be updated after testing and de-bugging, but if it wasn’t specifically tested on the exact machine I’m running there is always the possibility of crashing or locking up after an upgrade.
By default the upgrades are automatic, and it’s not uncommon to get a few dozen updates in one day, although generally there are few or none. Nonetheless, sooner or later with a Chromebook being a peculiar device, my experience has taught me it will go ka-blooey. And then it is time for a new installation. And so it goes.
Right now with the KDE distribution there is a module that doesn’t run on my Chromebook. So I decided to go around trouble shooting KDE and instead installing another iteration of Linux. I don’t much care for XFCE because it is too light or uninteresting, although it is probably one of the more reliable packages for that very reason. KDE is in the middle of complexity, and Ubuntu is a heavyweight – it has a lot of software, a full GUI interface complete with graphical animations and lots of bells and whistles. It’s been a year or so since I last played with Ubuntu with a Unity desktop so I decided to see if I could get it to work.
I’m still pretty much a newbie when it comes to Linux, but I’m learning more all the time. I have found it helpful to read the latest blogs and chatter about installing Linux on a Chromebook because those that know what they are doing share it freely to those of us who don’t. The key is sorting through all the writings to one that seems to come from a good source and knows not only what she or he is talking about, but how to communicate it fully to those of us who don’t.
Through such research studies, psychologists have learned much that can help increase understanding between prescription cialis opacc.cv individuals, groups, organizations, institutions, nations, and cultures. Shilajit ES capsules need to levitra without prescription be sincerely taken so that you can get a perfect penile erection in response to sexual stimulation. Negligible Side Effects: People viagra sales in canada are most cautious about the side effects that can result from use of a vacuum device. Even if he does not, levitra price from the point of suicide or narcotic dependency.
I found detailed install instructions for Chromebooks using CROUTON that added a lot of command line toggles and flags to adjust and pull out the drivers and custom modules designed specifically for a touch screen Chromebook, like mine. It is fairly simple once you’ve done it a few times. It takes about an hour, most of which is watching command lines fly by on the terminal screen as the computer downloads and installs Linux, module by module.
I must admit that the Ubuntu Unity combination has come a long way since I last used it. I still don’t like their Software Store (and sometimes it doesn’t seem to work very well), so I would say after the main system is up and running download the Synaptics Software Manager Package Installer and use it instead of the Ubuntu Store Package Manager that comes with Ubuntu.
In any event, I got it all installed, tweaked and it is up and running. And on the Acer R11 it runs fine. It is not sluggish and it doesn’t have to swap out the RAM or even task all four CPU’s when doing fairly complicated computing. Then again, the best test will come in seeing how long the OS runs on my Chromebook before it quits. I got KDE to run pretty much flawless for a year. I will let you know if Ubuntu runs as long. In closing I will say that if you are running Linux like me, once you get the OS up and running turn off the automatic updates and ignore the teasers that say something new is available. Only update when you have to, and when you have time to do a full install if it breaks. And it goes without saying – store on all your work on Google Drive. Do not rely on your local storage folder to hold anything important without also storing it outboard somewhere. It makes having to wipe your Chromebook back to its original factory fresh software bundle and subsequently re-installing the Linux OS more of an inconvenience rather than a disaster.