Ask HN: Do you use a Chromebook for dev? What is your toolchain?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9588271

by jklein11 • 11 years ago

16 16 11 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I am thinking about getting a Chromebook to use on the go to thinker with. I like that it is light weight and inexpensive. I've also read some positive reviews about using crouton but was curious if anyone has been successful with it more than just as a proof of concept.

dopeboy• 11 years ago

I don't personally develop on a Chromebook but I teach kids who do and they'll use a cloud based IDE like Cloud9 or Nitrous.

Simsor• 11 years ago

I have an Acer C200 (low-end Chromebook) running Crouton. I use it for all my day-to-day programming because it has great battery life (about 10 hours).

There are occasional slowdowns, mainly when using Firefox. The 16Gb of SSD are quite limiting, but it's usable.

I mainly develop using Emacs with various extensions. I've tried Eclipse and it wasn't even remotely powerful enough. I do Python, C++, Web dev and a bit of Common Lisp.

Be aware that dual-booting Linux isn't yet possible on BayTrail-powered Chromebooks because of compatibility issues with SeaBIOS.

geoffw8• 11 years ago

Used one travelling Xmas 2013, its pretty good value theres no denying that. I did have some problems with some binaries, I'm sure someone else could better explain it but I think it was something to do with the processor it runs on, mySQL (I think it was) was a nuisance to get up and running because of it. Must have worked, though, because I worked on it for a month or so.

Obviously it doesn't compare to something like a Macbook Air - which I have with me this time round.

brudgers• 11 years ago

I was thinking about one. I bought a used ThinkPad X201 off EBay for significantly less money...including a replacement battery.

I avoided to jumping through hoops to get Linux installed, avoided managing scarce local storage, gained a copy of Windows 7, and got glorious hardware with a robust secondary support market.

Oh, and the keyboard. What I gave up was spending an extra $100 to get something new. For me it was worth it. YMMV. If I didn't want Linux (or Windows) The calculus might be different.

EpiphanyMachine• 11 years ago

I use one daily, I replaced my macbook pro with the pixel 2. I also use a Toshiba Chromebook 2.

I use node, ruby, postgres, redis, rvm, nvm, terminator, atom, and smartgit.

I have tried sublime and visual studio code also and both work, I just prefer atom.

All programs I have open in their own window or tab and use chromeos native browser for web browsing and dev tools. One exception is smartgit. It spins up multiple processes and I haven't figured out how to run it without running a full Ubuntu desktop.

If you plan to try it out install crouton with xiwi,extension targets and use xiwi to open the programs.

Kareeeeem• 11 years ago

I have a acer c720p. I run a CLI only linux (crouton) that I run and then access via the chrome secure shell plugin through localhost. From there it's just zsh + tmux + vim. I mostly do python web dev with postgres and am learning some C and Haskell on the side. No problems so far.

I like it like this because I really just need a browser and a terminal. ChromeOS is a browser so no need for a full DE.

axaxs• 11 years ago

My only dev computer anymore is an HP Chromebook 14 with 4GB ram. I run linux on it only(antergos at the moment, but ubuntu installs fine too), no dual booting or traces of ChromeOS left behind. This is not just a proof of concept, it is my daily driver and I can answer any questions about it.

Pros -

Lightweight

~8 hours battery life

Great keyboard

Boots and shuts down very fast

Extremely durable for what it is. My 90 lb bloodhound steps on it constantly, and has never harmed it despite my freaking out.

Cons -

Suspend/hibernate is flaky - I disable them

The touchpad was hard to get used to

Hard drive space can be limited (16 GB in my case).

Overall, I much prefer it to a fullsize laptop. If you have any questions, let me know.

vwoolf• 11 years ago

I've never owned one but have a friend who uses one (although I don't recall his model). He observed that it works reasonably well for stuff that's primarily going to happen server-side (shocking, I know) but that he prefers a conventional OS X / Linux / Windows system because he often finds himself wanting to do things locally that should be easy (i.e. scripting, little GUIs) but actually turn out to be hard. It's 90% there but that last 10% makes it not really worth it for him.

He also observed that modern MacBooks and good Linux machines, like that 13" Dell, can be bought for $1000 – $1500 and last for years. For those prices he'd rather buy, either new or refurbished, and have less hassle.

Sfi81• 11 years ago

I run Ubuntu Trusty with kernal 3.19 on HP Chromebook 14 4GBRAM on which I upgraded the SSD to 64GB as my personal dev machine.I mostly work with Go, JS which work very well & Android Studio - the last is a bit slow but bearable - battery life is excellent. The most important enablers were buying a Haswell processor based model with support for Legacy boot and upgrading the ssd without which it's not really feasible to use it as a dev machine. http://chromebook-falco.blogspot.in/?m=1

Look up the ChrUbubuntu script for pointers on partitioning but it's not really needed as newer Linux kernals have most of the patches it applies. http://chromeos-cr48.blogspot.in/2013/10/chrubuntu-for-new-c...

rajeshmr• 11 years ago

Asus x205ta is a better, lighter, cheaper alternative to chromebooks. Install vagrant and use linux. This works perfectly fine for me, have been using this setup for months now, and did i tell you the screen quality and battery life are excellent! All i needed was a browser and command line. I got both with this tiny little machine :)

robgibbons• 11 years ago

I use a Samsung Chromebook 2 running XFCE via crouton. I use it as my main machine for work and play. Because I do web development, the only real drawback with this setup is the ARM processor (not all software has builds for ARM) but in return I get incredible battery life. Like, really outstanding battery life.

Some software that won't run on ARM:

- Skype (use Google Hangouts instead)

- SVN (why aren't you using Git already?)

- Sublime Text (I begrudgingly use Geany or Ninja IDE)

penguinlinux• 11 years ago

I use the same setup XFCE on my Samsung chromebook. I code python on my machine but for things that won't run ARM I have a Mac Mini that has virtual box where I run headless virtual machines. I can reach my server from anywhere using OpenVPN as it is hooked to my home router and use dynamic DNS to reach the OpenVPN server. I am testing lots of projects with that setup. I use Docker, Ansible, Cloudier Hadoop and other projects :) my own private cloud server.

watchdogtimer• 11 years ago

I had been using a C720 with crouton up until a week ago. I usually just close the lid to hibernate it, but that particular day I turned it off. When I turned it back on, I couldn't restart crouton ("Cannot open /dev/tty0 (No such file or directory")

I suspect that's the result of an update in the underlying ChromeOS, but I can't say for sure. Regardless, I think I'll wipe ChrOS off anyway and just put Debian Jessie on it. I don't like to think my setup can be broken by an underlying OS update.

I mostly like the hardware. My biggest gripe is the lack of a delete key on the keyboard, and the placement of the power button just above the backspace key makes it easy to hit inadvertently,

AustinDizzy• 11 years ago

I've been using a Toshiba Chromebook 2 (4GB, full-HD display version) that I got on sale at Best Buy for ~$280 during their Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales and it's really done good for me so far. Crouton took no time at all to set up, and I only use it when I can't do something in the cloud or SSH'd to one of my servers. Since most of my time, including most development time, is spent "in the cloud" then the only thing I really need my Chromebook for is basic web browsing and an SSH client. I also occasionally use Koding for development, and I'm looking into Cloud9 just for the added ability of being able to hook it up to my own server(s). Most of my work is web development (Go, JavaScript/Node.js, HTML stuff, python, ruby, etc.), software development (Go, Linux stuff, etc.), and security auditing/light pentesting (which I can do with a small set of tool using crouton or other tools that live on my servers).

Overall, if you have something that's nearly always on - like a server or VM - then the Chromebook will treat you really well. Even if you don't have one, you can easily use free services such as Koding and Cloud9 for development systems, all without even touching crouton. The only thing you'd really need crouton for is if you want more fine grain control of the software living on your machine, install other program (e.g. firefox, tor browser, atom, or any linux programs).

As far as hardware, the Chromebook has just what I need to survive. The speakers on the Toshiba Chromebook 2 are awesomely loud, and made by SkullCandy which explains that. The battery life at 100% can easily last 10-12 hours of full use. The display is a gorgeous 1080P IPS display, and it has HDMI out just in case. The 4GB full-HD model also has a 2.58 GHz intel celeron processor, so I don't have to worry about ARM compatibilities and it just runs very well, plus it has 4GB of RAM to help with that processing. One factor I was very surprised about was the weight: it's barely there. Seriously though, I didn't expect it to be that light. But it doesn't have a fan, so that could explain why it's so light - not enough thickness to pack heavier componentry into. And it doesn't get too hot at all either, unless you're using it from 100% to dead constantly with heavier processing then it gets just a bit warm.

Overall, if you can shell out the couple hundred dollars for a Chromebook, I'd go for it.

groundCode• 11 years ago

I've been using a Samsung Series 5 XE55 for quite a while - about 2 years now.

I've installed crouton and the extension that lets it run in a browser tab. It works pretty well for development tasks. I also use a couple of cloud dev environments (nitrous.io and codeanywhere) and of course just straight up ssh into a server if I feel like it.

I tend to work in any of ruby, python, c#, go, php, general front end javascript, html, css and lots of database stuff - so essentially various forms of web dev. I've never really had any trouble getting things up and running in croutaon - even managed to get mono and c# working and the latest visual studio code on it.

Which of the three options I use (crouton, cloud, ssh) is really down to whim. I'm comfortable using different dev environments, which I think helps - I'm not fanatical about any particular editor or tool chain - so I'm happy in vim, sublime text, visual studio, online editors etc and climb in and out of languages as I need to. The key for me is to have a disciplined git workflow with my repositories stashed nicely online. The only thing I miss now and then, is some easy image optimisation in the chromeos itself.

I kind of love the fact that the chromebook has great battery life, a pretty comfortable keyboard and that it's basically disposable (I got a factory second for less than £100). It's also pretty sturdy. I've travelled a fair bit with it, dropped it and banged it around, it's been splashed, had coffee poured on it, children's grubby fingers poking the screen - I just don't care...I wipe it down and carry on. It's kind of nice to not be precious about my equipment and the discipline a small hard drive forces on me means everything is properly stashed and backed up so if the machine dies...well c'est la vie.

RogerL• 11 years ago

I did for awhile for Python development. I use the NumPy/SciPy stack, and only used Chromebooks with the 2955u chip, so it ran pretty snappy for me. Bad screen got to me, and rather than drop money on a Pixel I bought an HP x360 Spectre and haven't looked back. The Chromebook is still nice for travel/coffeeshop where damage/loss/theft is a concern as they are priced so cheap. I spilled a beer on one, shrugged, went out and bought a replacement. And how can you knock an all day battery?

Right now the Chromebook is being used as a chrome cast station that I leave by the couch. Today it was streaming classical music youtube videos for me.

Ask HN: Do you use a Chromebook for dev? What is your toolchain?

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