Chromebook's biggest fan, Linus Torvalds

[saptech]

That may be because Google's high-end Chromebook Pixel has a very well-known and enthusiastic fan: Linux's inventor, Linus Torvalds.

Chromebook's biggest fan: Linus Torvalds | ZDNet


I did read a couple of his article on Google+ awhile back.

 

[ardchoille]

Can't say I blame him, I bought a Chromebook a few weeks ago and it's the best purchase I've made in a long time.. well, since I bought my Droid Razr HD. Boots in 6 seconds, very fast, auto-updates, doesn't use boatloads of data in the background, and the entire thing sync's to my google account. Factory reset is as easy as clicking on Powerwash, rebooting, signing into google and waiting a minute or two for sync'd items to re-install. And, you can run a live Linux distro from a USB stick by booting into developer mode

 

[mikedt]

"He wasn't that impressed by Chrome OS"

"So I'm running F18 (Fedora) on my Pixel...."

I'm thinking he probably does a lot of globetrotting, Google's full range of cloud services are not available in all countries, e.g. music. And you can forget trying to be productive with Chrome OS in China.

 

[ardchoille]

"He wasn't that impressed by Chrome OS"

"So I'm running F18 (Fedora) on my Pixel...."

I'm thinking he probably does a lot of globetrotting, Google's full range of cloud services are not available in all countries, e.g. music. And you can forget trying to be productive with Chrome OS in China.

Yeah, not only does he switch distros often, his favorite desktop environment also changes now and then. But, those are the good points about Linux.. you can switch things around. It reminds me of android in that you aren't stuck with what the manufacturer wants you to use

 

[saptech]

I thought he always stuck with Red Hat/Fedora & at one point with SuSe.

 

[Speed Daemon]

I thought he always stuck with Red Hat/Fedora & at one point with SuSe.

I don't think that the guy who invented Linux is "stuck" with anything in the Linux world. :laugh: He can literally write his own ticket in that respect...

 

[alostpacket]

Yeah, not only does he switch distros often, his favorite desktop environment also changes now and then. But, those are the good points about Linux.. you can switch things around. It reminds me of android in that you aren't stuck with what the manufacturer wants you to use

Speaking of which, how is the ROM scene for your Razr HD?

I've been considering getting the "developer" version.

 

[saptech]

I don't think that the guy who invented Linux is "stuck" with anything in the Linux world. :laugh: He can literally write his own ticket in that respect...

Yes, that is what I thought, that he would have one hellava distro, sorta like LinuxFromScratch type of distro.

Back in the late '90s, I thought I read on the job he used Red Hat before Fedora and at home he used Suse, before OpenSuse. I believe that is what I read then.

 

[9to5cynic]

Linus was using linux before it was cool :rofl:

Now a serious question about the Pixel, I was under the impression that on a non-chromeOS you'd get a really weird aspect ratio... Anyone know if that's true?

 

[saptech]

Linus was using linux before it was cool :rofl:

Now a serious question about the Pixel, I was under the impression that on a non-chromeOS you'd get a really weird aspect ratio... Anyone know if that's true?

From the article, it seems Linus believe Chrome OS is a problem holding the hardware back from it's full potential.

"I think Chrome OS isn't necessarily a bad idea, but I think Google is being a bit too timid about it, and limiting things a bit too much. And that may make sense if your hardware is limited (ie slow Atom or ARM CPU, cheap 1366x768 panel), but on this machine it's really holding the hardware back."
So I'm running F18 (Fedora 18) on my Pixel for that reason."

I'm not sure if this answer your question or not!

 

[ardchoille]

Speaking of which, how is the ROM scene for your Razr HD?

I've been considering getting the "developer" version.

To be honest, this is the first Android phone that I've had that didn't need to be rooted. You can disable the bloatware in android settings and my battery life is around 56 hours between charges. There are several ROM's available, but I don't think I'll ever root this device.

 

[mikedt]

Can't say I blame him, I bought a Chromebook a few weeks ago and it's the best purchase I've made in a long time.. well, since I bought my Droid Razr HD. Boots in 6 seconds, very fast, auto-updates, doesn't use boatloads of data in the background, and the entire thing sync's to my google account. Factory reset is as easy as clicking on Powerwash, rebooting, signing into google and waiting a minute or two for sync'd items to re-install. And, you can run a live Linux distro from a USB stick by booting into developer mode

That's one reason why don't use Windows now, because it always seems there's some background data activity going on with it. If one is on a metered 3G connection that can be costing you real $$$ as well. Problem for me is, I don't know for sure what that background activity is, because Windows is a blackbox. Is it phoning home and sending my data to Microsoft and government servers in Redmond, Washington DC and Beijing?

 

[Speed Daemon]

Yes, that is what I thought, that he would have one hellava distro, sorta like LinuxFromScratch type of distro.

Back in the late '90s, I thought I read on the job he used Red Hat before Fedora and at home he used Suse, before OpenSuse. I believe that is what I read then.

I'm sure that even Linus...especially Linus would be weary of endless OS installs and configurations, just like the rest of us.

I haven't heard much about his choice of distros as much as his love of KDE..at least before KDE4 came out. He really hated the GNOME 2 interface, and I can't imagine him loving GNOME 3. So I'd extrapolate that he's probably using a distro that is based on something other than GNOME. :dontknow:

 

[Speed Daemon]

Linus was using linux before it was cool :rofl:

<Homer Simpson>It's funny because it's true.</Homer Simpson>

Now a serious question about the Pixel, I was under the impression that on a non-chromeOS you'd get a really weird aspect ratio... Anyone know if that's true?

The X Window System can be configured to run at any resolution and refresh rate that you can write a modeline for. If someone is getting "a really weird aspect ratio", it's probably because they aren't well versed in the finer points of X configuration.

IMHO it's a good sign about the progress of Linux that we're now so reliant on auto config programs that we don't automatically go into debug mode when they don't get it right the first time! :thumb:

 

[nickdalzell]

I still hack config files, mostly because even today my new Toshiba was stuck at low resolution for no reason until I edited Xorg.conf (800x600 anyone?)

 

[mikedt]

I still hack config files, mostly because even today my new Toshiba was stuck at low resolution for no reason until I edited Xorg.conf (800x600 anyone?)

Have you got the correct, sometimes proprietary, drivers installed? And not just using generic X.org VESA drivers?

800x800 generic VGA Windows drivers anyone? That happened on my new Lenovo computer, until I actually went and installed the correct driver from the manufacturer's web-site. But now I've given up on Win, mainly because of location.....



To activate, go to a store that sells Windows..... :laugh: in China! Sorry Microsoft we're not in Kansas or Washington any more.

More and more, I can see why the PRC seeks to become self sufficient for PC OSs and software rather than be dependant on a restrictive US corporation..
http://androidforums.com/computers/703801-chinese-ubuntu.html

 

[nickdalzell]

Actually all I had to do was edit the file, change the resolution and vertical and horizontal sync and awayyyy I went!