https://www.aboutchromebooks.com/news/linux-on-chromebooks-just-might-get-me-through-a-masters-in-computer-science/ Skip to content About Chromebooks About Chromebooks Chromebooks, Chrome OS and Chrome tablet news, how tos, views and reviews * Home * News * Reviews * How to * Opinion * Apps * Q&A * Products * About / Contact * Site news * Privacy Policy Linux on Chromebooks for Masters in Computer Science News Opinion Linux on Chromebooks just might get me through a Masters in Computer Science June 13, 2021June 13, 2021 Kevin C. Tofel 11 Comments 16 GB, Acer Chromebook Spin 13, Chromebooks, Computer Science, Core i5, Linux, Linux on Chromebooks Starting this fall, I'll be pursuing a Masters in Computer Science at Georgia Tech. And just like I did with my recent undergraduate Computer Science coursework, I'm thinking to try using my Chromebook for class. It might be a stretch and I'm not suggesting that a Chromebook is the best tool for this task. But I think Linux on Chromebooks just might get me through the program. I'm considering this for two reasons. First, I'm on a budget and would prefer not to buy a new computer just for the Masters program. Second, I want to see how far Linux on Chromebooks can take me down this path. I realize that most Chromebook owners aren't walking this path with me. (Although if you are pursuing a Masters in Computer Science, let me know!) But this could show many people that the ability to run Linux apps on a Chromebook is more useful and powerful than they might think. I've already checked the minimum hardware requirements for the program, which are as follows:[svg] My daily Chrome OS driver is still the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 with 16 GB of memory I bought in 2019. And that amount of memory meets the minimum requirement. So too does the Intel Core i5 processor inside. [svg]External SSD for my Chromebook I'm a bit short on the local storage as this Chromebook only has 128 GB of SSD storage. However, I have a 256 GB external Samsung SSD lying around from an old project and I already have it hooked up to my Chromebook. I still need to format and run a little maintenance on it but it's showing up in the Chrome OS Files app. And I can share that storage with Linux. Even better: There's a method to run the Linux container on an external drive with Chromebooks. I've looked into it but haven't tried it yet. I definitely will soon. In terms of being able to code on a Chromebook? Well, that's not really a problem as I've already proven. I started out doing Java code using Linux on Chromebooks and later added Python, JavaScript & React, and Node.js.[svg]My full stack To Do app with HTML, CSS, React, Node.js and cloud-based ElephantSQL I'm currently writing in C code on my Chromebook since I'll need C skills for some of the classes. I figure I should use the next two months to prep for the program as best I can. The tougher aspect will be using libraries and applications that chug through massive amounts of data. It appears I'll need MATLAB and OpenCV, both of which are available or can be compiled for Linux, for example. I'm thinking I'll see this challenge with my Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning classes specifically. Having the larger external SSD storage will help, but ideally, more memory would be beneficial. So too would a dedicated GPU. Maybe eGPUs will be a Chrome OS thing by then? Of course, I have to take notes too. I'm one of those people that's really helped by note-taking. I've already evaluated a bunch of tools such as Notion, Roam Research, Obsidian, and others. I won't say which I'm leaning towards because frankly, it doesn't matter: They're all available as either web and/or Linux apps. So they all run just fine on my Chromebook. Here's a knowledge graph of some of my note topics in one of the apps to visualize how I'm using it:[svg] Even if all else fails in some very specific use cases, I've got a plan B: Use the Chromebook for the 90% that I think I can use it for and use virtual machines in the Georgia Tech Computing Center. It's not ideal, particularly since this is an online, remote program. But it lets me use the Chromebook I have, thanks to Linux support, without splurging on a new computer costing $1,500, $2,000, or more. Frankly, that's what I'm trying to avoid because I have a pretty decent Linux machine hiding in my Chromebook. Share this: * Twitter * Facebook * More * * Reddit * LinkedIn * * Pocket * * - Help me understand these unannounced, new Asus Chromebook CX1 laptops * Deal alert: Asus Chromebook Flip C536 with 11th-gen Core i3 on sale for $469 - [INS::INS] You May Also Like [svg] Project Crostini gets new features, fixes in Chrome OS 71 Dev Channel October 18, 2018October 18, 2018 Kevin C. Tofel 4 [svg] Need some low-cost Chromebook options? Asus has three for you, starting at $229 October 25, 2018 Kevin C. Tofel 3 [svg] Chromium code suggests 4K Chromebook code-named Atlas in the works April 4, 2018April 5, 2018 Kevin C. Tofel 0 11 thoughts on "Linux on Chromebooks just might get me through a Masters in Computer Science" * [svg] atlman June 13, 2021 at 11:14 am Permalink In my experience, the biggest issue with online study on platforms other than Windows and macOS isn't the course materials but the occasional midterm and final exam that requires lockdown browsers and other anti-cheating software. (I do see that a major lockdown browser supplier is currently beta-testing support for ChromeOS.) Considering how dominant ChromeOS has been in the education sector for so long addressing this blind spot should have been done long ago. We have a literal generation of kids for whom Google Classroom on Chromebooks has been a major part of their education and they are going to want to retain that. Also, online college is only going to continue to grow. Maybe it isn't the best approach for getting degrees in medicine or experimental physics but for most careers the ability to attend school while working and most important without spending 4-5 years of your life - and a loan-subsidized $100,000 - in some small college town is going to be increasingly appealing to a lot of people. ChromeOS is going to be the dominant platform for remote learning so the technology providers are going to have no choice but to catch up, and they have their choice of PWA, Android and Linux apps to accommodate these users. It isn't as if they already don't have to write a UNIX-like app to accommodate their tiny macOS userbase already so porting that to a proper *.deb package should be easy. Reply + [svg] Kevin C. TofelPost author June 13, 2021 at 11:26 am Permalink That's a great point. And I know that a few profs use the Respondus Lockdown Browser, which IIRC, isn't available for Linux. Totally agree on your points regarding ChromeOS and education! Reply + [svg] Greg June 13, 2021 at 1:41 pm Permalink I provide IT Support in schools and we use a lockdown browser for exams on Chromebooks and have done so for a few years now. Super simple to setup, from my end, and totally stable and secure. Reply * [svg] Joe R McDaniel June 13, 2021 at 12:03 pm Permalink Get a Raspberry Pi4+ with 8gb, a good monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Excellent Linux platform. The CB is probably useful as a portable device for Linux, but not nearly as stable. Reply + [svg] Kevin C. TofelPost author June 13, 2021 at 12:19 pm Permalink That would likely be a nightmare. Even the top Pi has very low compute power compared to any modern Core CPU. And another wrinkle: it's limited to ARM-based Linux apps. Reply * [svg] Pat Anderson June 13, 2021 at 12:11 pm Permalink The next iteration of the Asus CX5 with the Tiger Lake 11th gen dual core i3, which according to on review already runs circles around 10th gen core i7s (May 14 Chrome Unboxed), I am guessing may well have 16 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage. That would meet the requirements you listed for your Masters degree course. But even more interesting to me (I have not tried it yet) is the possibility of installing Linux with crouton on a large capacity external drive, which could be quite small in physical dimensions. As far as crostini has come, it still feels to me like it is in perpetual beta. Crouton on the other hand runs many flavors of Linux and so far I have not found a feature of Linux under crouton that does NOT work. Just my $0.02 worth. Reply * [svg] Chris Saltmarsh June 13, 2021 at 12:37 pm Permalink Well, my days of a Master's is way done. But I use a chromebook for fairly serious stuff. It's Java, Rust and C, mostly; I can get all the cool IDE-like stuff going, using vim and coc and so on. Writing is done mostly with markdown. 4Gb of ram, 32 of storage plus a 64G SD and I don't have a problem. OK, I might wait a few seconds for a build but wotthehell archie. But I am almost completely fingers-on-keyboard when working. I do backend, not pictures. And I have a wireless keyboard for when I'm in the office. That's the kitchen. Reply * [svg] James June 13, 2021 at 1:44 pm Permalink Go for it Reply * [svg] Michelangelo Grigni June 13, 2021 at 2:00 pm Permalink You may need to enable swap for big ML experiments, is that working yet? Reply * [svg] Poncho June 13, 2021 at 3:10 pm Permalink Good to see someone trying this, I believe its the future and you are a pioneer before it becomes common place. From when I've tried to more CS style uses with a Chromebook, there always seems to be a solution, but for MacOS there are Xtimes tutorials, and StackOverflow articles. So the solution can be harder to find. For the machine language type assignments the situation could be reversing. Am I wrong to think the trend is better to do ML type task, with less headaches in a rented cloud computer, than on a beefy individual computer. And the Chromebook would give a great experience. Reply * [svg] Kwan Lowe June 13, 2021 at 4:48 pm Permalink I'm using a Chromebook abotu 50% of the time when working. The Linux sub-system works quite well for Python, Go and any shell related tasks. Because I spend the majority of my time on the command line, it's really a non-issue for most of my administration tasks. Octave CLI works. Matlab-online is fine for my occasional needs. I have also used online IDEs such as Codenvy /Cloud9. They work fine, though I admit I don't use them all that often. Jupyter notebooks also work fine. I can even spin up web servers and other browser tools directly (e.g., node or Python servers, Kubernetes dashboards, etc.). About the only pain point is that my work uses a proprietary network software that's only available for Mac/Windows. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Comment [ ] Name * [ ] Email * [ ] Website [ ] [ ] Notify me of follow-up comments by email. [ ] Notify me of new posts by email. [Post Comment] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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