Chromebook 2017: Neverware CloudReady

Over the past semester or two (not sure which), I have been trying to find an OS that will work on the HP laptop I was given without running the risk of overheating and shutting it down or crashing. When it was initially given to me, it had Windows 10 installed. Since then, I have tried both Windows 7 and Ubuntu, and neither have really brought me much relief. At one point, I considered installing RemixOS on it because at some point I considered getting an Android phone, but honestly I wasn't that impressed by the Windows emulator, and figured the real thing wouldn't be much better.

Then I remembered trying ChromeOS at one point and figured I would give it another try. I've read it is supposed to be really good for older PCs and I had recently read an article about an operating system that was nearly identical to it's retail counterpart called CloudReady.

CloudReady UI

Let me just start out by saying that this is not the same OS I used almost six years ago. Besides having an Office365 version (that costs $1/year and needs a corporate account), it also keeps up with its retail counterpart, including Android App Conversion. From personal experience, two apps are needed for this process, and I prefer to install them in the order I list them. They are ArcWelder, and Twerk.

ArcWelder Chrome App

 Again, from personal experience, ArcWelder serves as more of the back-end of the app conversion experience. I tried to use it first, and didn't have much luck. Maybe if I get into more web programming it'll come in handy, but I've only taken one class so far, so we'll have to wait and see.

Twerk Chrome App

Twerk (not to be confused with a certain dance) is, from what I have found, the more front-end and user interface of the app experience. I have also found that it will not convert an app store APK file to Chrome, so your best bet is to download each app individually and run them on a trial-and-error basis.

As far as what it can do, I have found that it'll work nicely whenever I retake WDD100. I have already found a replacement for Brackets that includes its own version of Beautify built in, and it also synchronizes nicely with Dropbox and other web services, such as Office 365 (even though there is a separate Academic version for that). All in all, it is a worthwhile OS. I just can't use my laptop on my lap directly or else it will overheat and shut down.

Windows 10 S: A Horse of a Different Color

By now, the news has spread about Microsoft's new edition of Windows 10. For the most part, this OS behaves exactly like Windows 10. The only caveat is that it cannot run native Windows applications unless they have been downloaded through the Windows Store. Before I switched to Ubuntu LXDE, I had the opportunity to try this edition of Windows 10 thanks to a trial that allowed existing users of Windows 10 Education users to "upgrade" their license to the new OS. 

Windows 10 S error prohibiting installation of software from native EXE files.

Anyway, as noted by the above image and caption, the "S" in Windows 10 S means, in short, that without third-party software, like Citrix, an end user can only install applications from the Windows Store. While, in the long run, this is a very good idea, in the current state of things, it is a horrible situation for the average consumer that thinks they can get a fully-functional Windows PC at a Chromebook price. Imagine if someone's grandparent walked into Best Buy and wanted a new PC at an affordable cost, and expected all of their existing software to work, only to find the above message on their screen. In short, if enough people bought into it, especially without the proper disclosures, there would be a lot of angry returns from senior citizens and otherwise computer illiterate customers wondering why the crap they can't install iTunes or Quicken or where the heck their FreeCell game went.

That being said, it's not that Windows 10 S is a horrible idea, because it truly isn't. In fact, with the Citrix option, it might even make a great Thin Client option. On the surface (not the new laptop that is included with the OS), however, as stated before, the right marketing needs to be handled to ensure that end users aren't blind sighted by incompatibility issues, and that goes the same for its  corporate minded brother.