Getting Linux apps up and running on a Windows or Mac system is more complicated yet and probably not worth your while, so Id suggest instead just looking through my list of the best productivity-oriented Linux apps for Chrome OS and considering which (if any) of the items there might be relevant for your purposes.

Since people are always asking me whether a Chromebook might be right for their needs, I thought Id put together a quick guide to help any such wonderers figure it out.

Whether its you or someone you know whos curious, the following three questions should help shed some light on what the platforms all about and for whom it makes sense.

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In fact, theres a good chance itd actually make things easier than what youre used to with a traditional PC setup (more on why in a minute).

Now, its important to note that just because something is web-centric doesnt necessarily mean you have to be online in order for it to work.

One of the most common lingering misconceptions about Chromebooks is that theyre completely useless without an active internet connection.

In reality, tons of modern web apps work both online and off, including things like Gmail and Google Docs as well as calculators, calendars, news readers, and even Google Play Movies.

Chrome Os Offline Section Of

You can browse through the Offline section of Googles Chrome Web Store for many more examples.) And thats just looking at web apps.

These days, you can add into that mix the sizable selection of Android and Linux apps that also run on Chrome OS devices and are designed to work equally well online or off.

All in all, the truth is that for most people, using a Chromebook offline isnt terribly different from using a traditional PC offline.

You arent gonna be able to pull up a live version of a web page or download new messages, obviously, but aside from things that inherently require an active connection, there isnt a heck of a lot youd want to do that wouldnt be available.

Do you have specific local programs that you absolutely need, or could most of the things you do on a computer be accomplished with web-centric equivalents along with Android andor Linux apps to fill in any gaps Take a moment to think about what programs you use that are locally installed on your PC things like word processors, email apps, image and video editing software, resource-intensive games, or specialty software related to your work.

Now think about how many of those programs could be replaced with web-centric equivalents and for any that absolutely couldnt, think about whether an Android app or Linux app could reasonably fill in the gap and serve as a suitable alternative.

Chrome Os Full Editing Functionality

If you use Outlook for email, for instance, would you be okay with using Outlook.com or Gmail instead or with using either the Outlook Android app or a local Linux program like Evolution If you rely on Microsoft Word on your PC, would Office Online or Google Docs do the trick just as well or could you get by with either the Word Android app (which requires an active subscription for full editing functionality on a laptop-sized device) or something along the lines of the Linux-based LibreOffice If you use Adobe Photoshop for image editing, would a web-centric suite like Pixlr be powerful enough for your needs or would a standalone editor like Linuxs GIMP program get the job done If the answers are yes or even maybe, then Chrome OS could quite conceivably work for you.

If, however, you have specific local software that you absolutely need and that has no suitable web, Android, or Linux equivalent, moving into a Chromebook might be a stretch.

While the OS has plenty of viable options for common everyday computing tasks, you arent gonna find any robust multimedia editors designed for the web, nor will you find web-centric versions of many specialty business programs that were created with Windows in mind.

The availability of Android and Linux apps can address some of those voids and the significance of the platform even offering such options cant be overstated but those additions wont cover every specific local software requirement (especially when it comes to custom corporate programs).

Theres one more asterisk worth considering: Google offers a simple tool called Chrome Remote Desktop that lets you tap into a traditional desktop computer from a Chromebook and then work on it remotely.

With that tool, you can effectively use local Windows or Mac software via the Chromebook, provided you have a computer thats on and available for the remote session.

Its not entirely ideal as a long-term solution for frequent software use, but depending on your situation and how often you need the traditional desktop program in question, it might be enough to bridge the gap.

Try living only in the Chrome browser on your PC for a week, without opening any local programs.

How does it feel This is the real test.

And lets be clear: In order for this to work, youll probably have to make some adjustments to your routine switching to web-centric apps like Docs for word processing if you havent already, uploading any pertinent files to an online storage service like Dropbox or Drive, and so forth.

What about Android and Linux apps Well, those are a bit trickier to emulate in a traditional PC environment.

If you really want to get ambitious, you could install Bluestacks a free PC- and Mac-compatible program that lets you run Android apps within a more traditional desktop operating system.

It isnt perfect and is far less native-feeling than what youll get with Chrome OS it basically just puts an emulated Android tablet into a window on your screen and then lets you install and open apps inside that environment but for these test-run purposes, it should be good enough to give you a basic idea of what sorts of things you will and wont be able to do.

Chrome Os Simulator For Mac