

Here’s a list of devices, and how to enter Developer Mode. So Chromeboxes have a different way of getting into Developer Mode that involves a physical button on the Chromebox itself. Chromeboxes are a little different because they don’t have a power button on their keyboard, and for Chromebooks the power button is required for entering Developer Mode. If you’ve ever attempted to root your Android phone, this is NOTHING like that. Basically what it means is we have to kind of “root” or “jail-break” your Chromebook. So before you freak out, Developer Mode is not as scary as it might sound. I’ll list the 3 phases, then I’ll walk you through each one: OK, so now that we know what Crouton is, and what Ubuntu is, and why we would want it on our Chromebooks, let’s get to the fun part: Installing Crouton on your Chromebook! Ubuntu allows you to take advantage of many free softwares not supported by Chrome OS Ubuntu is an operating system built on the “Linux kernel” So, time for a brief summary before I move on:Ĭrouton allows you to install Ubuntu on your Chromebook There are also video editors, and audio editors available for free. For instance, if Pixlr just isn’t robust enough for your photo editing needs, you could use a free program available for Linux called “Gimp”. One of the biggest advantages to Linux distros, is that there are many many free softwares available. Also, many people find Pixlr to be lacking.

For instance, there isn’t a good video editor that works on Chromebooks. But sometimes there isn’t a great alternative available. Instead of iTunes, you could use Google Music to listen to/purchase music. For instance, instead of Photoshop, you could use to edit your photos. Most people are able to find alternatives, and that’s why they buy a Chromebook, because they’ve done their research and they know the limitations. This means no Photoshop, no iTunes, no Office365 etc. These awesome benefits come at a price however: the Chromebook does not support installing software or drivers. So what does any of this have to do with your Chromebook? Well, as you probably have figured out, your Chromebook is really fast, and really secure. We’re only going to talk about Ubuntu here. Crouton supports the following 3 Linux Distros: Mint is not supported by Crouton however.

So I would say “Ubuntu is one of many Linux distros”.Īnother popular Linux distro is called “Mint”.

Note: All OS’ built on the Linux kernel are typically referred to as a “Linux distro”. Crouton allows you to install the Ubuntu distro on your Chromebook. Here’s what you DO need to know: There are many OS’ built on the Linux kernel, one of which is called “Ubuntu”. What’s a Linux kernel? Don’t worry about it. There are several OS’ that are built on what’s called the “Linux kernel”. Non-nerds, what did I mean by that note? Well, Linux isn’t technically an OS.
