Google’s New Chrome OS Flex Will Rescue Your Old PC or Mac

Google in the present day introduced a brand new working system, Chrome OS Flex, a free-to-use, cloud-based OS constructed to transform previous PCs or Macs into Chromebooks.

The new OS was developed by Google a couple of years after buying Neverware—the makers of Cloudready—and was primarily made for faculties and companies with fleets of previous PCs or Macs which have been slowed down after years of use. Google argues these techniques could possibly be revitalized by stripping out Windows or macOS and putting in Chrome OS Flex, a light-weight working system that may run on weaker {hardware} and stay steady for years resulting from its reliance on the cloud. Most importantly, Chrome OS Flex will get the identical consideration from Google as Chrome OS—that’s, it depends on an similar code base and can obtain the identical launch cadence.

Thomas Riedl, director of product for enterprise and schooling on Chrome OS, advised us that Google invested closely in making certain that UIs are constant throughout each working techniques and introduced major Chrome OS options, together with the Google Assistant, Chrome browser, and cross-device Android instruments, to Flex.

“With such similar end-user and IT experiences, it’s also easy to transition from Chrome OS Flex to Chrome OS devices when you’re ready to purchase new hardware: With Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, and Chromebases, you’ll experience end-to-end optimization across hardware and software with the strongest security and largest app ecosystem through the Google Play Store,” Riedl wrote in a weblog put up.

Chrome OS Flex could possibly be a saving grace for companies trying to function with a blended fleet of older Mac or PCs and newer Chromebooks. Those getting older techniques couldn’t solely be given new life operating Chrome OS Flex however with Chrome Enterprise Upgrade, they are often managed inside the similar Google Admin console as newer Chrome OS units. It would even be a lot simpler to maneuver every little thing over from Flex to a brand new Chromebook when it’s time for a {hardware} improve.

“Oftentimes, Windows forces them [consumers] to use systems for shorter than they should. We have Chrome ready for you and you don’t have to buy new hardware,” Riedl stated. He went on to say that the primary 100 Chrome OS releases had been on Google’s personal units, however the subsequent will likely be on “whatever hardware you throw at it.”

Google additionally makes a sustainability argument in that transferring to Chrome OS Flex may rejuvenate laptops which are on life help earlier than they’re shipped off to a landfill. Businesses may also swap to Chrome OS Flex for specialised {hardware} like kiosks and digital signage, and in a single excessive use case, a Scandinavian hotel chain switched to Chrome OS (utilizing CloudReady) to flee from a ransomware assault.

Google says Chrome OS Flex can run effectively on units which are as much as 13 years previous—a daring declare we’re desperate to check out as soon as we will get our arms on an Apple PowerBook G4.

“You can go back 10 or more years and people are still getting a really good experience. I do think you’ll get some advantages with speed or performance but one of the more profound things is that Windows won’t stay as performant on year five as on year one. Chrome OS Flex won’t age as poorly and won’t accrue that baggage over time,” Forrest Smith, a product supervisor for Chrome OS, advised Gizmodo.

There are some notable limitations with Flex, most of which stem from utilizing {hardware} made for one more OS. For instance, Chrome OS Flex units operating on PC or Mac {hardware} gained’t have the identical key shortcuts as Chromebooks. Moreover, sure machine drivers aren’t appropriate with Flex; consequently, the webcam on some MacEbook fashions gained’t perform correctly.

Riedl additionally concedes that whereas Flex is supposedly safer than a PC, it isn’t fairly as protected as a Chromebook given the software program/{hardware} disconnect. Google says it is going to be clear with prospects in describing the dangers of switching to Flex and plans to publish a list of certified device models with notes outlining which options do and don’t work.

While testing Chrome OS Flex is as straightforward as booting it from a USB drive—a course of that ought to take about half-hour—changing an OS with one other throughout a whole fleet is non-trivial. Smith says that whereas IT admins are comfy with the set up course of, it isn’t one thing anybody can pull off. The long-term objective, nevertheless, is to simplify the method and broaden the adoption of Chrome OS Flex to particular person customers.

“At Google, we were very tempted to just go big and to put it out to everybody, but over the years, we’ve learned that having a focus is good. Our most loyal fans are those who tinker with it and try it out so what you’ll see is that you have an installer and can try it out yourself,” Riedl stated.

These are nonetheless early days for Chrome OS Flex, and Google admits it hasn’t finished any large-scale testing simply but. With this early entry interval, the corporate is giving customers an opportunity to mess around with the OS and supply suggestions earlier than it pushes it out to market. Those who wish to give Chrome OS Flex a strive can achieve this by loading it from a USB; this technique provides you a “risk-free” method to strive Chrome OS Flex earlier than doing a full OS swap.

Google says a steady model of Chrome OS Flex will likely be made accessible “in the coming months” and to anticipate bugs in its present state. Those who had been utilizing CloudReady will likely be upgraded to Chrome OS Flex freed from cost.