Google Chromebook

My 2019 ASUS Chromebook had serious resolution issues; consequently, I returned it. I now have a 2019 Acer R-13 Chromebook. The resolution is incredible and it's a great little machine for surfing and goofing.

I definitely would not recommend conducting business with any serious matters on one due to potential security issues.  

My cuts on these are they won't accept Norton Security or Microsoft Office. A second issue is the potential for your Google account to be hacked; nevertheless, if all you desire is a great little machine to surf and goof, it's tough to beat the $300 price tag - More fun than a barrel full of monkeys.

Microsoft makes free mobile versions of office applications for Android. Not sure if they're available for Chrome OS or how.functional they are. I generally just use the Google apps for word processing and Sheets for spreadsheet stuff. Also, there should be plenty of antivirus/anti-malware apps for Android and Chrome OS. AND, you may be able to turn on 2 factor authentication for your Google account, so there's an extra layer of security for your account.

Microsoft Office for Android will work on Chromebook. I like the Office apps as they work well for me. I can also save locally or to the "cloud" aka my Hotmail account.

Google does have a two step authentication process as well.

I wasn't sure if 2 step auth was available for regular Google accounts. We use Gsuite at work, which is Google's enterprise product.

Looked at a bunch of Chromebooks, but I think Android does more.

Thanks y'all. Nobody ever accused me of being tech savvy so anything I can get here is greatly appreciated.

The old man (RIP) was a navigator in the Air Force when I was born and an electronic engineer by trade afterwards. I have a mid tower he built just for flight simulator games that runs so hot the CPU is water cooled and the fans would blow you away. It's wicked fast and my primary in the office; however, this little Chromebook works fine in the kitchen where I do 90% of my business after retiring.

The two step authentication sounds great. I have it with others and will check it out.

Good to know we have people here who know how to drive the train on tech. Great stuff for us old guys.

Scott and I have both had jobs in IT for awhile. He's focusing more on photography these days. I'm a Senior IT Engineer for a division of University of Maryland. We're here to help!

Cramptholomew wrote:Scott and I have both had jobs in IT for awhile. He's focusing more on photography these days. I'm a Senior IT Engineer for a division of University of Maryland. We're here to help!

Many thanks. I'll get the better of the deal for sure. I might be able to return the favor if either of y'all want to build a maximum energy efficient home or just want to try a little smoke from my cellar.

Google two step authentication installed and operational. Many thanks!

Awesome, dude!

Just wanted to post a clarification from a tech Neanderthal.

There's apparently different versions of two step authentication. With Google, when it's enabled, they only check when a new machine is involved. Afterwards, it's only one step as usual; consequently, if a hacker attempts to get into your account from an unfamiliar machine, the second step kicks in which is good but not really true two step authentication.

I have other accounts where every single time I log in from any source, a time limited code is texted to me on my phone which must also be entered. Perhaps I'm mistaken but this is real two step authentication.

I may be chasing shadows but Google's version appears more like 1.5 step authentication for lack of a better term.

I bought a Chrome book years ago, but it never left my coffee table.  Good for tooling around eBay while watching TV, but I really needed windows and a larger hard drive to handle all the programs I used regularly for work.  Also, the Chromebook didn't have the proper output for my serial console cable for Cisco routers.

Are you in IT?

Cramptholomew wrote:Are you in IT?

I used to be the lead tech/admin for Sheetz.  Seventy hour weeks bouncing between 400 stores. haha

Dude. I used to do outsourced consulting. Same kinda shite. Got a job with the state university. Can't be happier.

PhantomWolf wrote:I bought a Chrome book years ago, but it never left my coffee table.  Good for tooling around eBay while watching TV, but I really needed windows and a larger hard drive to handle all the programs I used regularly for work.  Also, the Chromebook didn't have the proper output for my serial console cable for Cisco routers.

Agree. Mine sits out on the kitchen bar for coffee and beer goofing but I also need to run Windows and Office. I have a souped up tower computer in the office built by my old man who was an electronical engineer by trade for heavy lifting.

10Furlongs wrote:

PhantomWolf wrote:I bought a Chrome book years ago, but it never left my coffee table.  Good for tooling around eBay while watching TV, but I really needed windows and a larger hard drive to handle all the programs I used regularly for work.  Also, the Chromebook didn't have the proper output for my serial console cable for Cisco routers.

Agree. Mine sits out on the kitchen bar for coffee and beer goofing but I also need to run Windows and Office. I have a souped up tower computer in the office built by my old man who was an electronical engineer by trade for heavy lifting.

Nice!   I'm due for a new tower PC myself.

10Furlongs wrote:Just wanted to post a clarification from a tech Neanderthal.

There's apparently different versions of two step authentication. With Google, when it's enabled, they only check when a new machine is involved. Afterwards, it's only one step as usual; consequently, if a hacker attempts to get into your account from an unfamiliar machine, the second step kicks in which is good but not really true two step authentication.

I have other accounts where every single time I log in from any source, a time limited code is texted to me on my phone which must also be entered. Perhaps I'm mistaken but this is real two step authentication.

I may be chasing shadows but Google's version appears more like 1.5 step authentication for lack of a better term.

10F,

That tends to be more of a factor in how the provider set up their MFA (MultiFactor Auth) schema. Some sites do a "set and forget" style which is what you described based on the use of a familiar computer. This is all about he cookies, others don't store an "i've been here before" cookie on your computer so that it gets recognized.

Being in Internet Sec myself, I don't store cookies, don't do the "remember me" stuff only because I don't feel the need to avoid MFA measures. With that said, i DO use a couple password vaults, one for personal stuff one for work related. Highly recommend them, but even they are set to require authentication each time i leverage them.

Now, that water cooled machine sounds amazing, would love to see some pics.

ExChef

Thanks Chef. Great advice.

I was in IT for the last 28 years before I retired. I had to retire because my medication was messing with my memory. I was the IT director for a large payroll company for the last 18 years. I can finally sleep well at night without worrying about the 3 billion in the rollover tax accounts. I am off of it now but I have purposely forgotten everything I knew.
I have a stack of old notebooks that I just throw Linux Mint on for surfing and email. Besides my phone most of my computing is on a 10 inch Kindle Fire. I have an old Dell T1500 workstation that's loaded for real work if I ever decide to do any.

I have a ton of tablets, 10 in Kindle Fire for one. I just got a chromebook and love it. No stalled youtube videos like I get on Windows. It's fast and efficient and takes care of most of my day's stuff, but not quite all. Love it, though