[conspire] Installfest?

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Paul Zander (paulz at ieee.org):

> Long ago, it was common to do installs at CABAL.    I recently got a
> very good deal on a new Chromebook.   I found instructions online
> saying I could go under the settings and find a selection to install
> Linux.  But that selection doesn't seem to be there.   Hopefully there
> will be time to discuss it between the gourmet activities.

Sure, we can do that -- if it's an Intel-based Chromebook.  If it's
ARM-based, that's a problem.

The official method recommended and supported by Google is terrible
(IMO), and is not _really_ a Linux installation at all.  In that method,
you leave ChromeOS (an Android thing) as the installed OS, and install a
userland software environment called Crostini.  Crostini then is able to
run (some) Linux apps.

All options from this point forward require enabling "developer mode",
and some suggest installing custom firmware.  As it says on
https://github.com/reynhout/chrx :

  Update firmware, if necessary -- see chromebooks
    required for Bay Trail, Braswell, and Apollo Lake models
    recommended for Broadwell, Skylake, and Kaby Lake models
    optional for Haswell models

(Those keynames are the motherboard chipsets.  Which you need to
determine based on your Chromebook model.)

The second method is a halfway measure, (again) leaving ChromeOS and
running your chosen Linux distro in a chroot environment called Croton.
Naturally, this means your already cramped, tiny SSD becomes even more
cramped.

The third method is to do a true native installation of a Linux distro.

Dual-booters can do that, too.  But see point about SSD capacity.

Generically and characteristically, chromebooks are short on RAM, CPU,
and disk -- relative to commodity laptops of the same vintage.  So,
lightweight distros are highly recommended, e.g., GalliumOS. See:
https://github.com/reynhout/chrx#chromebooks