Google quietly kills "Project Campfire", the semi-secret "Windows/Linux on Chromebooks" initiative

[indrora]

Source: ZDNet  , AllAboutChromebooks

(Image from AllAboutChromebooks)

 

Google has apparently killed their (hiding in plain sight) skunkworks project to run Windows and Linux on Chromebooks under the name "Project Campfire" or "AltOS". From ZDNet:

Quote

Google's "Project Campfire" -- a project to allow Chromebooks to natively run Windows desktop and Linux apps -- is being deprecated before it ever debuted. As noted on AboutChromebooks.com on May 15, code removals from "AltOS" (the more official name of Campfire) are indicative that the project is closed.

The project would have allowed Chromebooks to officially dual boot Windows or Linux alongside ChromeOS.

 

Chalk another one up for the Google Graveyard. This certainly could have been cool, given that it currently requires quite a bit of shenanigans but is quite doable by the enthusiast... On the other hand, we've avoided (narrowly) a brewing OtherOS fiasco.

Edited May 17, 2019 by indrora
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[Arika]

19 minutes ago, VegetableStu said:

is it because there's windows 10 for ARM now? o_o although how easy is it to get a chromebook to boot it?

i imagine it's going to be because they are going to go full ham on ChromeOS and want people to stick ti it instead of giving them the option of using another OS

[Guest]

Not even Apple was this dicky 

[captain_to_fire]

5 hours ago, floofer said:

Not even Apple was this dicky 

Since Apple switched to Intel chips in 2005, I doubt that they'll take away Boot Camp Assistant any time since it's one of it's selling points to the PC users who switched to Mac.

But considering that Apple is to transition some of their Mac line like the Air to ARM, it would be nice if one can still run Windows 10S via Boot Camp on an A13X MacBook Air, then it'll probably be the fastest Windows 10 on ARM. 

[Doobeedoo]

Screw Chromebooks lol

[Guest]

7 hours ago, captain_to_fire said:

Since Apple switched to Intel chips in 2005, I doubt that they'll take away Boot Camp Assistant any time since it's one of it's selling points to the PC users who switched to Mac.

<snip>

But considering that Apple is to transition some of their Mac line like the Air to ARM, it would be nice if one can still run Windows 10S via Boot Camp on an A13X MacBook Air, then it'll probably be the fastest Windows 10 on ARM. 

Well one OS is better than locking down all. Used to be able to run Linux pretty natively as well (Before Touchbar MBP).

 

Windows has actually released Windows 10 for ARM, so you can run windows on even a Pi. It doesn’t run well and it’s pretty useless so not sure about the future.

[Trik'Stari]

God I want ChromeOS to die. It's designed to pray on ignorant public servants in the educational sector.

 

If your kid is in a school using ChromeOS or Chromebooks, do them a favor and get them a Windows laptop. Much as I dislike some things Microsoft does, don't handicap your children to learning to use an OS that largely only exists in the educational sector. I cannot forsee any major corporation hinging their entire operation on an OS that requires an internet connection to function. Offline functionality is something that needs to be maintained. This idea of making everything under the fucking sun, cloud based, needs to die as well.

 

Single point of failure is always a bad idea. Fuck the cloud.

[Trik'Stari]

1 hour ago, NyetARussianSpy said:

Hmmm... JoliCloud, a cloud based OS is sort of ringing a bell, isn't it dead now?

 

How many people I know use Office 360? There's users who'd prefer using 2007 then ever switch to 360.

 

Are there many fans of Adobe CC? I still cling to my CS5.

 

Why is there this liking in having everyone switch to cloud-based subscription models?

 

Chromebooks are a goldmine in requiring subscription services for being useful in the long-term, a regular Windows laptop or a speced-out old MacBook (for budget reasons) can far more volatile and aren't determined by rules of monthly payments just to keep your stuff somewhere.

They like cloud based software (and now hardware as well) because it gives them more control and the ability to charge more. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

I hate chromeOS because it's buggy and has nowhere near the capabilities of a traditional OS. The hardware on chromebooks is generally garbage, and extremely fragile compared to traditional laptops.

 

"But it's cheaper and cheaper to repair!" but it breaks FAAAAAAAAR more often. I know, because I work on chromebooks and traditional laptops, for a living. In bulk. For multiple major public school systems (we are a service provider). If my childs school system was switching to them, I would go to the next school board meeting and harass the living shit out of the school board for handicapping my child and other children, by giving them an inadequate and largely useless computer system that doesn't exist in the business world.

[Ekst4zy]

@Trik'Stari LOL, some strong opinions dude. 

 

As an IT dude who is ne of the people managing a pretty big operation with office computer, public facing computers and digital signage I can't disagree more.

 

Sure, Windows laptops are far more superior when it comes to "doing things", but only when you consider pure Chrome OS without Linux containers.

 

 BUT

 

Don't tell me that "chromebooks are handicapping your child" that's just ridiculous... First of all, they are supposed to be restricted a lot. Second, if Linux containers are "limiting" your child... then I'm sorry mate. Online only? what? Are we talking about Chrome OS from like 2-3 years back?

 

Chrome OS has a lot of very interesting use cases in Enterprise world. They are super easy to lock down and require basically 0 attention.

 

Don't get me wrong Chrome OS has a lot of limitations and we will keep using windows 10 laptops for office systems (we are an X1 Carbon shop... Thinkpad for the win), but it's also quite interesting if you can shift your way of "doing things" which is very beneficial in many cases.

 

 

I'm all about diversity and options... and Chrome OS is a damn good option for many things.

 

P.S. @indrora Title is a bit misleading. Linux containers are doing just fine. It's just windows that is getting killed.

 

Cheers!

[Trik'Stari]

45 minutes ago, Ekst4zy said:

@Trik'Stari LOL, some strong opinions dude. 

 

As an IT dude who is ne of the people managing a pretty big operation with office computer, public facing computers and digital signage I can't disagree more.

 

Sure, Windows laptops are far more superior when it comes to "doing things", but only when you consider pure Chrome OS without Linux containers.

 

 BUT

 

Don't tell me that "chromebooks are handicapping your child" that's just ridiculous... First of all, they are supposed to be restricted a lot. Second, if Linux containers are "limiting" your child... then I'm sorry mate. Online only? what? Are we talking about Chrome OS from like 2-3 years back?

 

Chrome OS has a lot of very interesting use cases in Enterprise world. They are super easy to lock down and require basically 0 attention.

 

Don't get me wrong Chrome OS has a lot of limitations and we will keep using windows 10 laptops for office systems (we are an X1 Carbon shop... Thinkpad for the win), but it's also quite interesting if you can shift your way of "doing things" which is very beneficial in many cases.

 

 

I'm all about diversity and options... and Chrome OS is a damn good option for many things.

 

P.S. @indrora Title is a bit misleading. Linux containers are doing just fine. It's just windows that is getting killed.

 

Cheers!

My users are all educational sector, so yeah, probably ChromeOS from 2-3 years ago in terms of available apps.

 

And still, I maintain that ChromeOS is a no-go for most large scale businesses. Too much to hinge on a single point of failure. Internet goes down, the things become largely useless. I care less about locking things down and things requiring attention than I do about things actually functioning.

 

That, and the way I've seen ChromeOS do licensing has been retarded. Device needs to be at a specific revision before enrolling, once it's enrolled, it cannot be updated. Oops, someone enrolled it before updating. Now you have to "burn up" a license by unenrolling it via the control console, and then it can be updated and re-enrolled.

 

Again, these are public sector educational employees managing things, perhaps I shouldn't expect them to know how things should work.

 

As for the X1 Carbons..... would that happen to be a rather large law firm, with offices in DC, NYC, and Alaska?

 

Edit: And it handicaps them because they aren't learning Windows and MS Office, which are dominant in most business sectors compared to ChromeOS.

[Ekst4zy]

On 5/18/2019 at 9:51 PM, Trik'Stari said:

As for the X1 Carbons..... would that happen to be a rather large law firm, with offices in DC, NYC, and Alaska?

We are based in Vancouver and we are not a law firm

[Den15]

Sad news I guess...

 

Not for windows, that's stupid bloatware.

 

At least there's linux apps support... Hope they revive it somehow, would be nice running manjaro flawlessly on one of these