I have now read two things which mean I won't be buying a Chromebook:
There is no Amazon Instant video support for the Chromebook, and none planned.
Google have dropped EXT2/3/4 support from the Chromebook (I'm guessing because they like paying Microsoft royalties for EXFAT, for some reason).
So, for those reasons, I'll be avoiding Google's locked-down proprietary walled-garden OS like the plague. I'll mark this solved since it simply is not worth the effort to try to load a real Linux onto one for these pathetic machines.

They've reversed that (kind of nice from such a small dev group):
https://code.google.com/p/chromium/i...id=315401#c124

I Honestly like my cheap acer c720.
It's fast, and not restricted in any way (default debian installs/dual_boots just fine, even the bios/firmware is free software).

Thanks for the update. I just don't trust Google at all now though -- dropping support for something they didn't have to code and leaving MS file systems supported is not a behaviour that makes me want to buy a product.

Well, it's your money, your choice. Google seems to change things now and then, just trying things out. The lack of support for extent filesystems was a brief excursion into lunacy, but they got back pretty quickly. But I still think a chromebook like the C720 is a good buy, because if you don't like ChromeOS, you can easily remove it and run straight Linux, and it's a good-performing device for a very fair price. But again, it's your money, so buy whatever you prefer.

I still haven't seen any evidence of somebody running a "real" Linux on a Chromebook successfully without voiding the warranty to put it in developer mode and even then the trackpad support seems to require patching the kernel which is very far from ideal fora day-to-day machine.

I've only had 1 problem with chrome & that is that they don't have an app for viewing lorex camera's remotely. Also you can't do it from your browser.
They do look nice though.

Putting it in developer mode does not void the warranty. Whoever told you that was simply ignorant. Even if it did, it's very easy to reinstall ChromeOS and restore it to factory state, and nobody could tell you ever did anything with it.

It must vary by model but the Chromebook tutorials I have seen talk about having to unscrew a panel to set a screw for developer mode. The information is so scant though and I have't seen a single tutorial that looks complete.

I agree because even Arch's wiki states

Which is a pretty standard disclaimer I know. But being one of those that almost bricked mine. I tend to agree,

Like Jeff Hoogland says,

So I followed those steps. But on my C710 instead of C720, and no ctrl+l brought up legacy bios. In the meantime. Being in Developer Mode slowed down my boot times immensely. Because of this screen.

http://cdn8.howtogeek.com/wp-content...U2d98N4HFz.jpg

which is unsettling to someone to when it stays there for a long while. Waiting for you to hit space.

Then you have different instructions from Here.


See the difference? There is so much conflicting info on these things. Maybe because of model numbers and such. But it is no cake walk.
Especially for someone purchasing a legacy version like I did on my C710.
You have Arm instructions and hardware hoops to jump through that are different than Intel Hardware hoops and then different again between intel c710 hardware and intel c720 hardware. Almost like tripwires laid in a users path for them to brick their system.'
'
I know this is the future of bios and laptops and tablets and such. I know I can take or leave it.
I also just know the hype caught me with my pants down.

I was really hoping to dual boot on a 64gig SSD with ChromeOS and Some Linux distro like a normal dual partition
linux install. But better safe than sorry.

Some chromebook users are the windshield. Some are the bug. I guess I am one of the bugs.

You're doing it wrong
Don't ignore that last link you posted (dev-mode has always been the -d option).

Basically, you're confusing two completely different sets of instructions.
*runnining dev-mode (ctrl-D)
*using SeaBIOS (that picture you posted really is your "BIOS" interface) to boot an other kernel/OS (needs to be enabled in ChromeOS's dev-mode -- if available, same for USB boot).

A third option would be removing the entire boot thingy (flashing two pins in the c710 or removing a sticker with a screw on the c720).
Unlike the other option, this will void your warranty (as it would with any other device).

If you want it easy, try crouton:
https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton (only requires dev-mode).

OK. But while holding Ctrl + L does not drop mine into legacy bios. After using the commands in the browser crosh terminal.
And I am doing that right as I get a bash shell and am also dropped to a "#" prompt and my commands are accepted.
I can power down and hold ctrl + l till I am blue in the face <Edit: even with a Bootable Linux flashdrive plugged in>, and boot into chromeos (not legacy bios) every time.

I guess no one finds it strange one needs the chromium operating system installed and a browser to access terminal before one
can access the bios to change boot options. If that does not sound kinda funny. Oh well.

Been there, done that Here.

Before that. The SeaBios had me locked out of my newly purchased Chromebook. I bet if you had to have your install of Windows
working and verified by the hardware as legit to access the UEFI bios. You folks would have a 100 page thread blasting that, but I guess SeaBios and googleos gets a pass on this.

I never said I wanted easy. Just wanted not to be locked out and told, "take it or leave it".
I have spent considerable time on this netbook being discussed. Reading posts and even seeing
other users state about how slow a crouton interface is. Switchng is fast. But when in Linux.
All of a sudden your netbook slows down ( I am being general is my description here) from what
I have read without quoting certain chromebook users I know who have ran this way. I want
to leave them out of this.

As far as doing it all wrong. I guess it won't be the 1st time in my life I am doing it all wrong.
But. With a all the systemd words, anti drm words, uefi words, don't lock me out words ,(because a maze is a lockout of sorts), freedom words.
I am doing it all wrong. Sheesh.

Edit: Just to show I am not the only one that thinks this is locked down.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Huge-...x-463177.shtml

Happy Trails, Rok

Learn UEFI. Forget legacy BIOS. It's dying, and won't be around much longer, because of its limitations. UEFI is here, and it's the future, so you may as well learn to deal with it.

Ctrl-L on a chromebook tells it to boot from an external drive. That's all it does.

Do not confuse developer mode, crouton, etc with actually installing Linux. You can entirely remove ChromeOS and replace it with Linux if that's your preference. It's true that different manufacturers implement things differently. They do the same with Windows computers, or the tiny amount of Linux computers they sell. This ain't news. Getting to developer mode on a chromebook isn't that hard for most, though. A little research will show you which ones are easier to deal with. My Acer lets you do it entirely through the keyboard.

But again, everyone has different needs, and can spend their money however they want to. I'm out of this discussion, it's gone off the rails.

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I know this has been marked as solved, but the later part of this post I have been meaning to make, but ust keep forgetting. No one has touched on the point yet, or I missed it. Forgive me.

I have only seen about voiding the warranty by performing hardware mods to be able to flash something like CoreBoot to bypass the whole devmode thing entirely

Why even bother?

273, Best Buy in the US, and other retailers around the planet it seems, carry Windows 8 laptops with comparable hardware and pricing levels as Chromebooks. So why not get one of those, if you indeed want a new machine, and just deal with the normal UEFI hassle which at this point is reasonably well documented? And if not, probably a lot easier to get help and get around, no having to press key combinations on each boot, etc.

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I really don't want Windows 8 as I doubt I would use it so don't want to go down as a "sale" of it. I'm currently looking at, perhaps, Windows 7 pro as I might at least get some use out of it. However, were dual-boot Chromebooks better documented with a higher degree of certainty I wouldn't end up with no touch pad or similar I think it could be quite fun.
The warranty-voiding aspect is a certainty in the cases where a screw has to be set for developer mode and, as I understand it, a possibility if the original OS is wiped, deliberately or by mistake, and one is not able to put back the official image. Consumer law seems a little unclear about software modifications which can't be reversed but even if it were legally possible to claim under warranty for faults on a device you had wiped the software from it could well be a pain to do so involving consumer rights groups and the like.
To a certain degree the above also applies to Windows but Windows dual boot, as mentioned, is likely a lot simpler.

I know you wouldn't want Windows 8, but I only proposed it as the hardware would be the same price, so why not get hardware that may have less issues getting Linux running - as well as have a more familiar keyboard (caps lock anyone?). To me, the lack of a hassle would outweigh the principle of not giving MS a sale of Win8 (I better put on my flame suit here, huh?). My ASUS 11.6" laptop came with 8, which I promptly erased any trace of (including recovery partition), and runs Jessie nicely.

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