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As a middle ground you can run a Debian Linux VM on ChomeOS, https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9145439
I use a Chromebook as my day to day machine and then pop open the VM if I want to do anything fancy/with Linux. It's not perfect, but works well enough. You can even run Firefox if you prefer.
If you're getting one for linux be warned that it's not as straight forward as regular laptops due to the unlocking process, sometimes non-standard hardware and the unique keyboard layout. If you do anything where you make heavy use of f-keys or delete it's not worth it.
Also never buy one new, schools dump them by the truckload so it's easy to get solid hardware at much lower prices.
Chromebooks are designed around coercing the user into the google ecosystem. Everything google based is seamless while everything else is a second class citizen.
I will never buy another Chromebook except maybe to use as a tablet. I simply can't stand the needlessly dumbed-down keyboard layout.
They’re spy machines designed for children. They give them to all students in school and force them to do all their homework with them!
I have a young relative who uses a chromebook for school. I bought the same model for cheap, and guided them through opening it up, looking over the internals, and putting it back together again.
I was going to show my fam how to wipe it and install linux, but then I came across the need for using google's ecosystem (for a project I'm collaborating with others on.) I have a flip-phone that I use when I need to give out numbers, so I used that to make the google account. Basically I only ever log on to that google account on that chromebook, and only for that project, so it's compartmentalized.
I am a network engineer and have used Linux as my primary desktop os since 2000 or so. With the bona fides out of the way, I picked up an Acer Chromebook Plus from Costco for $250 and I think it's a great deal for the money (it's currently on sale for $200). It has 8 gb memory, 512 gb storage, 8 cores, etc. Most important, it has a native linux environment that lets me install Linux apps, including GUI apps in case you prefer other browsers like Librewolf over Chrome.
Is it the best laptop on the planet? No. Is it the best laptop you can buy new for $200? Probably.
Chromebooks are the answer to the question: "What's the point of an operating system if I do everything through my web browser anyway? Why not make a computer that just opens a browser?"
Your choice of distro is probably less important than your choice of DE. Chromebooks vary quite a bit in their specs--many are low-end hardware, but some are quite impressive. With decent hardware, I'd recommend Mint with Cinnamon DE as a good starter. For lower specs, you could try Debian with XFCE.
The Chromebooks were meant to be cheap computers to give you an Internet browser. They mainly target schools because kids destroy them fast, and older people that really just want to go to Facebook, YouTube and the likes. Their whole thing is basically they're cloud based and kinda disposable. They even ran this ad about it.
It's like the MacBook experience for cheap and the only thing it runs is Chome and Android apps.
They're kind of slowly becoming the new thinkpads thanks to good coreboot support for them. People have really been unleashing them and doing all sorts of crazy things like eGPUs and stuff since they're so easy to mod the BIOS.
That ad was awful
They were designed to be cheap laptop thin clients for google web apps.
Basically just a browser machine for people who only use a browser and/or web apps anyway. Wouldn't recommend one personally but if it works for your use case then it's great. Remember that the best software and hardware is whatever makes your life easier (or you like better, depending on your priorities).
For what it's worth, what you use a Chromebook for doesn't have to be limited to just Google's ecosystem. While it's going to be optimized for it, you can do pretty much anything you'd normally use Chrome for on a standard desktop OS (with the exception of any advanced things that may require specific hardware/software to run, like some browser games). If all you do on the internet is browse social media and chat with friends, it'll cover most of your basic needs.
Mine's my toilet computer. Gonna be on the can for a while? Might as well scroll through Lemmy in the meantime.
Cheap internet browsing within Google's sphere.
At least that's what mine was for when I had one. It had minimal storage space, hardly any RAM, etc. it was a web browser with a keyboard.
Which was what I needed at the time and I didn't have a lot of money.
I don't have any insights though into your follow-up question
Chromebook tablet 2-in1s are fantastic. Take the Lenovo Duet 3: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/lenovo/lenovo-edu-chromebooks/ideapad-duet-3-chromebook-(11-inch-qlc)/len101i0034.
Amazing tablet for Android apps, can run VSCode or things like code-server via the browser, runs Linux, and dirt cheap at $240 right now.
I'm running ubuntu on it now which is fine, but I literally had to open it up and remove a screw to allow it to run another OS (on top of f*ing around with it's bizarro shell to get the installer to run).
It's not a secure system, but it's cheap and it does what I want and it's not google so - yay.
You can run pretty much any Linux distro on a Chromebook even though you may need to jump through some hoops to get it to run. From there you can run any Google app in the browser. As for distro recommendations, Mint is great for getting started with Linux.
