Chrome OS Flex, Aims To Breathe Life Into Old PCs and Macs

Chromebooks are a mainstay in many educational institutions because they require modest hardware to run properly, are easy to deploy and maintain as well as aren’t as susceptible to viruses or malware like Windows based PCs or Macs. The magic formula behind this success is that it’s a cloud-based computing platform that asks very little of the local hardware that it runs on.

The only foreseeable problem for the platform is planned obsolescence. Google only provides a set number of years of OS upgrades and security updates for each Chromebook. After said period, you were left to fend for yourself. That’s where Neverware came in. It’s basically Chrome OS but without the catch that new machines aren’t tethered to.

This is why many users with “expired” Chromebooks or those with slow running Windows machines turned to Neverware, a tuned version of Chromium OS to prolong the lifespan of their older machines. Google’s acquisition of CloudReady in 2020, which is the developer of Neverware, lent credence to its significance as the savior of obsolete machines.

That’s why Google has now improved on the formula by introducing Chrome OS Flex, which is meant to help aging PCs and Macs for business and schools, to remain operational. It’s free-to-download and use as a full-fledged operating system backed by Google. However, since it’s still in the “development” stage, expect to see bugs here and there.

It has the same code base and release cadence as Chrome OS, which is said to ensure consistent end user and IT deployment. It comes pre-installed with the official Chrome browser, Google Assistant and various other features that are backed into Chrome OS.

Like the regular Chrome OS, Chrome OS Flex boots up in seconds and doesn’t slow down over time. System updates take place in the background without bogging down system performance or interrupting your workflow. It receives regular security updates and has built-in protection against threats that include viruses, ransomware and phishing attacks.

Google is adamant that antivirus software isn’t required to keep a Chrome OS Flex machine safe from harm. The use of sandboxing technology ensures that threats, if any, are contained to a specific tab or application and won’t compromise other parts of the system.

Considered a read-only OS, it blocks errant programs or executables from running, which is the primary method used to comprise users’ machines. Google’s safe browsing features built into the Chrome browser (also available for PC and Mac), help warn users before navigation to malicious sites or ones with compromised security.

Besides being frugal on hardware resources, Chrome OS Flex can either be installed on a hard drive or made to run off a USB drive. Since Google hasn’t ironed out all the creases yet, it would be best to use a USB if you intend on trying out this operating system

A stable version of Chrome OS Flex will be available in the coming months, and when that time comes, current CloudReady customers will be upgraded to Chrome OS Flex for free. Visit the following website to learn more about this new OS.