Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

nathanjhill · 2024-12-11 05:56

First time posting here, and yes, I have a story to share:

https://nathanjhill.com/2024/12/can-an- … e-in-linux

I didn't mean to purchase an older Acer Chromebook with 1080p screen, Celeron, 4GB of RAM, and (ugh) 16GB eMMC storage on eBay one evening. Here I am, though. While I love Fedora and am much more familiar with it, the installer options quickly ate up the limited internal space on the very resource-constrained laptop. Somehow, I stumbled upon Q4OS, and I am blown away. It's speedy and good-looking. The "basic install" option is a lifesaver for machines with limited storage.

A few tips that helped:

- The installer chose way too big of a swap during formatting. During the first go round, it ate up like half of the internal storage which left very little room to install other apps. I know swap can help when you have limited RAM, so I opted for the swap as file option. I could have perhaps done the formatting manually, but this seems like a fine option. How cool it would be if this part of the process recognized the size of the internal storage and offered more flexibility?
- Firefox as a default browser is perfect. I recommend adblockers at all times, especially for older hardware.
- I really enjoy Dillo+ which can be built in minutes on my ancient Chromebook. I did have to create a menu item for it, but that was trivial.
- My goal is to have as few apps as possible - just to have the ones that I truly need. The web browser, Konsole, maybe a Markdown app (like Remarkable) are perfect for my needs. It's in essence a Chromebook-like experience? Maybe?

So far, from what I have been able to test, all features of the Chromebook work - webcam, sound, microphone, touchpad, Chromebook keyboard keys. It's great stuff!

Thanks for the great work, Q4OS team.

I posted the full article on my dinky little blog (happy to share privately as I cannot post links?) and submitted it to Hacker News in case this builds up a little more publicity for the OS.

Last edited by nathanjhill (2024-12-14 00:15)

q4osteam · 2024-12-11 10:09

Welcome @nathanjhill and thanks for sharing your experience. Your account has been upgraded to allow you to post links and attach files up to 300kb. You can now edit the OP to suit your needs.

Which desktop did you choose for your Chromebook, Plasma or Trinity?

Q4OS really needs a publicity, so it's great that you submitted your review to the Hacker News

crosscourt · 2024-12-12 19:14

You didn't mention which model of Acer Chromebook but it should have a sd card slot you can use to add more storage space. I don't run Linux on my Chromebooks/Chromeboxes but I have 32gb internally and I use a 256gb sd card to add to my capacity. Chromebooks are really cheap right now.

Last edited by crosscourt (2024-12-13 18:54)

nathanjhill · 2024-12-13 02:06

I'm glad I can post the link now - keep in mind I try to be a little humorous, sarcastic, and opinionated.

It's an Acer CB3-431. No SD card (unless it is hiding really well). I opted for the Plasma edition, because I just don't find the lighter desktop environments any faster. They tend to frustrate me because they don't have an overall sense of integration or basic little niceties that are commonplace. I still have rage-induced memories of having to open an app or some silly utility to change the desktop wallpaper on Fluxbox or Open Box or some "super light" distro.

And even for things like XFCE, they often default to the touchpad being split into left click or right click.

Q4OS really hits a nice balance. I changed my theme and may have switched a couple of features off, but it was simply ready to go.

I am certain I can do a little more fine-tuning, but it works great. Firefox is the biggest memory hog, but that would be true with a lighter desktop environment.

nathanjhill · 2024-12-13 07:00

BTW, I still can't post links. Not sure what is going on.

q4osteam · 2024-12-13 09:59

nathanjhill wrote:

BTW, I still can't post links. Not sure what is going on.

You should now be able to post links and also attach files. Mistake on our side, we apologize.

crosscourt · 2024-12-13 19:05

Thanks for the info and indeed you dont have an sd card slot, but you could use a usb-c/usb sd card reader adapter, which are quite handy.

nathanjhill · 2024-12-14 00:17

crosscourt wrote:

Thanks for the info and indeed you dont have an sd card slot, but you could use a usb-c/usb sd card reader adapter, which are quite handy.

I am using a low profile USB thumb drive as a backup right now. I doubt it would be faster than the internal drive, but I certainly could expand past the anemic 16GB internal limit.

crosscourt · 2024-12-14 19:26

The nice part is you do have two USB 3.0 ports so certainly an external drive or USB thumb drive is a great option. The older Chromebooks typically didn't have sd card slots but that's changed with slightly newer models than yours. It's a shame the internal drives are soldered on as Ive changed to larger drives with my Chromeboxes with no issues.

Q4OS Forum

#1 2024-12-11 05:56

Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

#2 2024-12-11 10:09

Re: Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

#3 2024-12-12 19:14

Re: Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

#4 2024-12-13 02:06

Re: Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

#5 2024-12-13 07:00

Re: Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

#6 2024-12-13 09:59

Re: Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

#7 2024-12-13 19:05

Re: Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

#8 2024-12-14 00:17

Re: Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

#9 2024-12-14 19:26

Re: Q4OS on a end-of-life Chromebook is a perfect match

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