Buying a Chromebook? Don't forget to check that best-before date

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From https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/08/22/buying_a_chromebook_dont_forget_to_check_when_it_expires/

Buying a Chromebook? Don't forget to check that best-before date
Google's little-known Auto Update Expiration D-Day leaves users bereft of auto software refreshes and more – here's how to check yours

By Tim Anderson
22 Aug 2019 at 08:08

It is unlikely to be printed on the box, but every Chromebook has an "Auto Update Expiration (AUE) Date" after which the operating system is unsupported by Google.

The authoritative document on the subject is here, where Google explains that it "provides each new hardware platform with 6.5 years of Auto Update support". While 6.5 years sounds reasonable, Google starts the clock ticking "when the first device on the platform is released". The exact definition of a "hardware platform" is not provided, but it presumably relates to the motherboard used. Later models may use the same hardware platform, which means they are not supported for as long. It is nothing to do with the purchase date.

What happens when the dreaded AUE date passes? This means there will be no more automatic software updates from Google, no technical support from Google, and "business and education customers... should not expect that they can manage their devices as expected using the Google Admin console".

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1. On a related note, Gallium OS

From Wikipedia :

GalliumOS is a Linux distribution for Chrome OS devices, developed by the community-supported GalliumOS project. The distribution is made for Chrome hardware including Chromebook, Chromebox, Chromebit and Chromebase. GalliumOS beta1 was released on 10 November 2015.

Gallium is based on Xubuntu and maintains compatibility with the Ubuntu repositories.[1] Multiple sources indicate that Galliums' boot time is faster than Linux distributions made for Chrome OS. It is optimized to limit stalls and has integrated touchpad drivers.[2][3]

Gallium is compatible with some Chrome devices. It is necessary to prepare the device in different ways based on the hardware chipset

[exboyfil]

2. This is my daughter's situation right now

I bought the Chromebook for her to replace her school one when she graduated in May, 2016. Seems awfully early to expire the thing


I have been somewhat disappointed with my Chromebook. I was able to patch up my six year old i5 ASUS and keep it going (with a remote keyboard and a 3rd party Windows 7 because ASUS' back up disc didn't work).

My own one expires in August, 2021. I will probably give her mine if she starts having problems with her one.

[hunter]

3. Same as any other machine. Maybe Google should have followed Microsoft's and Apple's way...

... where your machine just works until it doesn't.

Individual consumers are always going to be on their own dealing with these monster corporations. The only people these corporations will ever listen to are their major institutional customers.

If Microsoft breaks your old computer with an update they don't really care. You'll be on your own searching for a repair. If they break a huge fraction of the computers at a major financial institution, then they will care.

Google's "6.5 years" is a minimum date, mostly aimed at institutional users who will use that as a measure of depreciation. The IRS allows five years on computers so that's not a big deal.

Past 6.5 years an individual's Chromebook will still work, but it may or may not continue to get updates, and it may or may not be able to run the latest software. When Google added Android apps to Chrome OS, they excluded many older x86 Chromebooks that were not able to adequately emulate Android's ARM software base. But the least expensive Chromebooks that used ARM processors were able to run Android software without emulation. These were not excluded.

Chrome OS applications are heavily sandboxed. It may not be as risky to run Chrome OS without security updates then it is to run Windows or Apple operating systems without updates.

I'm extremely prejudiced against Apple and Microsoft products because I hate fixing them when they break.

People who use their computers mostly to browse the internet, or occasionally read and write "office" documents, are much less likely to screw up a Chromebook than a Windows or Apple laptop.

I use a Chromebook for most of my internet browsing and most of my writing. It was cheap and I just don't have to worry about it. I also have a dual-boot Windows/Linux laptop that I'll reluctantly bring along whenever I might have to deal with Windows crap.

My desktop machine runs Debian, which is a flavor of Linux.

[LeftInTX]

4. Thanks for this!!!

Mine will expire in June 2021

For just over $200, it has been a bargain. It is very lightweight and has a long battery life. I've got a bad back and need something lightweight. I don't use my Chromebook at home and take it with me when I travel or need internet access on the go.

I will buy another Chromebook again. Previously my portable computer was a netbook which I purchased in 2010.

I use a desktop at home