# Anyone Writing on a Chromebook?



## tomreynolds (Jul 9, 2013)

So here's my dilemma: right now I'm doing most of my writing on a 5+ year-old 13" Macbook in Scrivener, which is a great workhorse but the battery life kinda stinks even with a new battery and it's too heavy to lug around everywhere I go really. Add to that the fact that this Macbook has literally my life on it, so even though it gets backed up pretty religiously it'd still be a major pain to lose or drop it.

So here's my question: is anyone out there writing using a Chromebook and if so how has it been? The new Acer C720 ( http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Chromebook-11-6-Inch-Haswell-micro-architecture/dp/B00FNPD1VW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388819201&sr=8-1&keywords=c720 ) is under 3 pounds, less than an inch thick, and only $200 with I think something like 8 hours of battery life.

It seems like I could use Scrivener's sync functionality to sync .txt versions of my chapters to an external folder (Dropbox or Google Drive) and then use something like http://writeboxapps.com/ to edit from there. I've tried it out and it works pretty well, but I'm just curious if anyone has written on a Chromebook for extended periods and if they liked it. A $199 light, 11" laptop that I can bring to the coffee shop just to write with would be pretty ideal.


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## Lefty (Apr 7, 2011)

I have a Samsung 550 that I use. Once finished, I copy the file to Word to clean up then format. We got two of our kids the Acer 720 for Xmas. The battery seems to last a long time. I really like mine, and I can obviously access all of my files anywhere.


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

i used to use one of the little Asus Eees to do my writing. The lightness and convenience was great. The Linux OS occasionally drove me insane.  I have an Asus T100 now, and I think I'm happy that I shelled out the extra $200-300 for it.


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2014)

I've been using my Asus eee PC since 2008--it's been around the world with me. Great little machine. Unfortunately, 1 GB of RAM just isn't enough to cut it anymore, not to mention the replacement battery has been giving me some issues. For Christmas, my parents gave me some money for a new computer, so I bought an Asus X200CA with a touchscreen, as well as a 128 GB SSD. One I figure out how the UEFI and secure boot work, I plan to replace the hard drive and install Ubuntu 13.10 (I don't really have the patience to try Windows 8, and besides, Linux is so much better). But dang, I'm going to miss that old eee PC.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

They are flipping fantastic. My writing output probably doubled last year because of all the writing I was able to do whilst commuting. And because of the short boot time, and the flash memory, I basically boot up on Monday morning, and shut it down on the weekend (treat it like a phone, or a tablet, there's rarely a need to actually power the thing off).

I have a Samsung 11.6", the keyboard is amazing and comfortable - it doesn't have A CAPS LOCK  FOR CONVENIENT SHOUTING but that's it's only fault, and in six months, I think I've noticed that maybe three times.

In short: they're cheap, light and work well for writers - buy one at your earliest opportunity.


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## Leanne King (Oct 2, 2012)

I considered a Chromebook for Mrs P who wanted a cheap second machine for web browsing. However, web browsing usually turns into "oh, and I'll just edit this document while I'm here, and save this photo in Evernote, and listen to some music, and maybe watch this video" etc etc. So I researched a bit, to make sure Chrome OS was up to it. And I kept finding articles like this one: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/chromebook-week-of-hell/

That was one of the more generous reviews I read. The other problem I had was that the Acer is $199 in the US, and €299 in Europe - what's up with that? Acer make a full featured Windows 8 touchscreen laptop for the same price. Needless to say, no Chromebook was purchased. Ubuntu or Crunchbang on an old netbook is far more flexible, and cheaper.


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2014)

Pelagios said:


> Needless to say, no Chromebook was purchased. Ubuntu or Crunchbang on an old netbook is far more flexible, and cheaper.


 Seconded. I just had to replace my workbook and heard much the same things. A laptop with Fedora and Openoffice works fine even with 1 Gig memory, and cost well under £200 (it also weighs under 1.2KG which is the nearest to my old Disgo I've found).


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## Island Lady (Dec 1, 2013)

My old Toshiba laptop started to die on me last October. I went through the pain of researching absolutely everything I could find because this time I wanted something I could carry in a bag to work and on flights etc.

Colleagues have Ipads (and are always demonstrating how wonderful they are) but they don't use the range of software that  I use (I use Photoshop, CorelDraw etc. as well as the Office Suite.) and I didn't want to compromise or have to buy a second machine to use all my favorite programmes.  I already had a small (cheap) android tablet for reading ebooks so I'm familiar with touch screens etc. I'm also a fully trained touch typist and the tablet screen keyboards drive me mad. I know I could have an additional keyboard but that then set me off looking at Chromebooks as it seemed like a good compromise.  However, I couldn't work out if I could use my favorite programmes in flight mode, so I was put off these.

In the end, after weeks of consideration I bought an ASUS 200e, a hybrid between a tablet and netbook which has a touchscreen, windows 8 and it still has the traditional windows desktop as well. Unfortunately it cost almost twice as much as a Chromebook (and prices here in the UK are significantly higher than in the US), but it does cover all the functions I want from it and it is light at 1.3kg. It has turned out to be perfect for my needs.


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## Indecisive (Jun 17, 2013)

Another Asus user here. I looked at the chromebook and came across the same reviews, saying that it's useless for actual work. I paid under $300 for it last summer, and it's on Ubuntu (I don't like the looks of Windows 8. Does that make me a Luddite?)

Don't forget the drops and spills warranty!


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## Leanne King (Oct 2, 2012)

Forgot to mention: Scrivener is still free on Linux, which is another good reason to go with a 'full' distro over Chrome OS.


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2014)

Pelagios said:


> Forgot to mention: Scrivener is still free on Linux, which is another good reason to go with a 'full' distro over Chrome OS.


It is?


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## Leanne King (Oct 2, 2012)

Yep. As long as it's in beta, it's free. Current version is good until December 2014.


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## scribblr (Aug 20, 2010)

One thing that seems to be true when using anything related to Google (Chromebook or Google Chrome) is that the Google will have copies of your book even before you publish.


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

scribblr said:


> One thing that seems to be true when using anything related to Google (Chromebook or Google Chrome) is that the Google will have copies of your book even before you publish.


Ah well, they do anyway. I use Google Drive.


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## Andrzej Tucholski (Jan 4, 2014)

Is there some reason you don't want to have just another macbook? I just bought MBA13 mid2013 and this little tricky juggernaut can run 21 hours on single battery charging. And if I work with wifi + scrivener + evernote + spotify it's still more than 12 hours


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## Zenferno (May 29, 2013)

I purchased a Samsung Chromebook in October and am thoroughly enjoying using it for writing.  I get about 6.5 hours of battery life on a full charge.  It's light and comfortable to carry around (I bought the Techair Z Slipcase): from bed to desk to park to library to meetings.  And as you mention, it's not the end of the world if it gets broken because everything is saved in the cloud.  I left my PC for the family to use so I use Chromebook for everything.  My only frustration with it is I don't have the use of Scrivener (and a few other downloaded software programs) and am not sure how I'm going to format/upload my new book to Amazon.  I'll be doing the opposite of you and buying a Macbook Air as soon as I have the money.  Since you already have a MBA for the heavy lifting and just want something low-cost to write with, I can definitely recommend the Chromebook.  There's a new model out now called Chromebook 11.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

You're probably tired of no, I don't have a Chromebook, but.... But that's what I'm saying anyway. I'm another with an Asus Eee, 11" screen. I wrote one novel on it and liked it for the weight, etc. Running Scrivener on that small screen was a crunch, but what made me go and get a 15" Samsung laptop in the end was the reflective screen on the Asus. Here at home I had to position myself carefully with regard to windows and lights, and when I took it to the library, it was almost impossible to get in a position where it wasn't a problem. The one time I tried to show a friend something on it outside, suffice it to say she never saw what I tried to show her.

Of course I don't know what kind of screen is on Macs and the Chromebook, but the reflective screens are almost ubiquitous these days, so I thought I'd mention it. I could only find Samsung and one other brand that made laptops with matte screens and only the Samsung was affordable.

This thread makes me want to take the Asus out, charge it up and try Linux just to see what it's like.


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## rjspears (Sep 25, 2011)

I have an Acer C7 and have been using it for several months.  I got a refurb for only $120.  That's a fraction of the cost of a MacBook and less than I've seen any other netbook.  At that price, it was too hard to pass up.  It's small and very portable.  Having a computer boot up in less than 7 seconds is great.

I absolutely love it.  I've been using Google Docs/Drive for my writing for the past three years.  I love not having to worry about having to save files to USB drive or deal with emailing files.  Plus, I've used the offline feature a few times when I didn't have internet access and it was seamless.

I even got my editor to edit my last manuscript in Google Docs.  The commenting feature was almost as good as Word and I've actually had some serious issues with track changes in the past.

If you watch for deals, you can usually find a bargain on them.  

As for those who say you can't do actual work on them, I say pfaugh!  Along with writing, I have a "real world" full time job and do 85% of my work (word processing, spreadsheets, and even presentations).


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

Chrome Writers,

Do you experience any lag time in using the Google word processor? Startup, changes, going from page 34 to page 278? Opening multiple files at the same time? How about printing?

Any performance differences from one WiFi source to another? Do you always have to be in range of a WiFi? 

I have been thinking about one since I recently had the 1 gigabit Google Fiber service installed at the house.


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## jvin248 (Jan 31, 2012)

Get the Chromebook. 
At $200 you can drop or destroy five or ten of them before achieving the cost of a Mac, or two or three or four for a windows 8 laptop that has as much learning curve as the Mac or ChromeOS anyway.

Install libreoffice, this looks like a good link http://blog.rollapp.com/2013/11/libreoffice-cloud.html but google docs will work for most tasks. However, do think about where you will use it most to write and if there are any problem wifi signals that will cause issues working to the cloud, local-apps is a good consideration.

I'm also a netbook (HP) user for travel - it came with windows 7 but I immediately installed Debian Linux and LibreOffice. So a Chromebook I might search for current techniques like this one:


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## Lefty (Apr 7, 2011)

Terrence OBrien said:


> Chrome Writers,
> 
> Do you experience any lag time in using the Google word processor? Startup, changes, going from page 34 to page 278? Opening multiple files at the same time? How about printing?
> 
> ...


I haven't had any of those issues. You don't have to be on WiFi - you can work offline. I have 3G on mine also, but I never use it.


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## valeriec80 (Feb 24, 2011)

Why don't you just go to Newegg or TigerDirect or something and get a laptop that's like a Chromebook and nearly as cheap, but will run Windows? (Then you can just install Scrivener, because I don't get the point of having Scrivener if you can't actually, like, use it.)

My boyfriend got a Chromebook, and I swear this little laptop I got is the same kind of laptop as that Chromebook, but it's got a Windows OS, and I think it was like $80 more expensive. You could definitely find good deals on either of those sites, though.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Wow, lots of Chrome venom in here from folks who've never used it. I've tested out and am saving up for one. 

Chrome isn't Windows? Good. Not everyone wants Windows. 

I would love to see Chrome OS merge with Android OS at some point. But failing that, I love what I've seen so far. I used Google Drive for a while before picking up Scrivener and it works fine.  I prefer Scrivener, but I was able to move projects back and forth between Drive and Scrivener just fine, and fast.

I use Scrivener on my desktop but I want my next laptop to be a Chromebook for other reasons and using Drive is better than using  Word for me. 

My only undecided bit is if I want to spend less and get the Acer 720 with the Haswell Celerons but the terrible trackpad and 
loud keyboard, or if I want to spend a bit more for the HP 11 with the nicer hardware but less powerful processor....  Or maybe wait until they have more 4GB RAM models out. 

I love Scrivener, but I won't let that dictate what laptop I use as my out-in-the-living-room, distracted writing laptop. I like Chromebooks and intend to own one soon, so don't let the Windows and Mac zombies dissuade you. A Chromebook can be a fine solution.


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## kathrynoh (Oct 17, 2012)

I'm another one that's been looking into the Chromebook.  My laptop needs replacing and I've heard so many horror stories about Windows 8.  I was wondering if it would be okay to tide me over until I can get a windows machine with a stable o/s.  My main concern is with being able to write offline (in case I go to a cafe etc with no wifi).


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

Craig - I don't see any venom. Or signs of zombie virus. I've used most of the main OSes - various Linux distros and Windows versions, a couple of MacOS versions, Android... iOS on other people's devices. I'm rather anti-Microsoft at the best of times... but I find Windows the easiest to configure by far. I even quite like Windows 8.1.


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## Shaun Jeffrey (Jun 17, 2010)

I have a Samsung Chromebook, which I bought specifically for writing on, but now I am about to buy something new to replace it. I like the Chromebook itself. It's a convenient size, and it's easy to use, but I don't like the Google writing software. I also don't like that once I'm away from the Wifi, most of the apps I've downloaded are useless as they only run when connected to the internet. I want to go back to my Microsoft Word, which I preferred far more. I'm now looking at an Asus Transformer T100, which I believe comes preloaded with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013. I like the look of it because you can use it as a tablet or with a keyboard. My only concern is that it might be too small.


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## Leanne King (Oct 2, 2012)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> I love Scrivener, but I won't let that dictate what laptop I use for out-in-the-living-room, distracted writing laptop.


EXT. CAR SHOWROOM FORECOURT. DAY.

SALESMAN: Hello, sir. How can I help?

CUSTOMER: Hi, I need a new car for my commute to work. I was looking at this Acer Chromos. Seems cheap, is it any good?

SALESMAN: Oh yes sir, a nifty little runabout. They use cheaper parts to get the price down, but it's a great car and gets excellent mileage. I'm sure it will be perfect for you.

CUSTOMER: Oh, right. Sounds interesting. Does it do everything a regular car does?

SALESMAN: Of course! I mean, you can't carry passengers, and there's no trunk, but apart from that it's just like any other car. Oh, you also can't use it on all the roads.

CUSTOMER: Sorry?

SALESMAN: Not all roads are compatible with this car. But don't worry, the manufacturer supplies their own road network, and new roads are being upgraded to support the car all the time.

CUSTOMER: Fair enough, I suppose that's a reasonable compromise given the price. As long as I can use it on the freeway to get to work every day, I guess it will be fine.

SALESMAN: I'm afraid it doesn't go on the freeway, sir. But don't worry: you can take the backroads. You might have to drive around the houses a bit, but you'll get to work in the end, and it won't take you much longer.

CUSTOMER: I see. What about that one over there? The Acer Winos? Does that go on the freeway?

SALESMAN: Yes, but--

CUSTOMER: Does it have a trunk? Take passengers?

SALESMAN: Yes, but--

CUSTOMER: Oh, look, it's exactly the same price as the Chromos. And it says I can even change the wheels and go off-road if I want to--

SALESMAN: Please! Sir! Stop drinking the Kool Aid. Don't be a zombie. You mustn't let your choice be influenced by where you actually intend to drive the car!

---

In all seriousness, Tom: if you want to try Chrome OS for free you could artificially hobble your existing MacBook by downloading Chromium OS, whacking it on a USB stick and live booting it to see how you get on. It's not identical, but it should give a reasonable idea.


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## Sassafrazzled (Mar 14, 2010)

I use a chromebook and have been very happy with it. I bought it instead of a more fully functional laptop specifically because I didn't want a full on second machine to worry about maintaining. The chromebook is basically just a remote terminal for my desktop. It's cheap, light, the battery lasts ages and it's instantly on whenever I feel like opening it. Personally I think they make wonderful little second machines. I was already using gmail and chrome, so setup was almost done just by logging in the first time.

If you really want, you can dual boot linux/chromeos. I haven't personally, so I can't tell you what the performance is like. A lot of people seem to do it though. http://www.howtogeek.com/162120/how-to-install-ubuntu-linux-on-your-chromebook-with-crouton/

My experience with Google Docs for writing is that it works. I won't sugar coat it and say it's ideal, but it gets the job done and it's been easy to collaborate with my editor through sharing. Things like Word and Scrivener are obviously more fully functioned. I have had to write offline occasionally, and it has synced up just fine when I got back on wifi. (You do need to remember to enable offline editing for Docs when you first get going on the chromebook.)

It's maybe worth mentioning that android phones (and iphones I believe) allow you to easily share their internet connections with other devices. It's built in functionality that turns the phone into it's own little wifi network that you can connect to. We did this the other day with my husband's galaxy s2, and it worked perfectly for getting our chromebooks online.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

Terrence OBrien said:


> Chrome Writers,
> 
> Do you experience any lag time in using the Google word processor? Startup, changes, going from page 34 to page 278? Opening multiple files at the same time? How about printing?
> 
> ...


There's minor lag when opening up a document that reaches above like, 30k words - but only in initially loading it, after that, it's fine. (Found this out during Nano).

Multiple documents isn't a problem.

I've never had to print from mine.

Wifi would depend on the wifi itself, rather than the Chromebook, but as others have mentioned, you can work offline (I usually do, then just sync it when I get home).


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## Philip Harris (Dec 15, 2013)

I have a Samsung Chromebook that I bought to allow me to write in the summer when my office gets too hot (yes, I was just looking for an excuse) and I like it

It's very light, starts up very quickly and given that all I'm using it for is writing and the odd bit of web browsing when I should be writing, I don't have issues with speed or functionality. I haven't had a problem with the dependence on wifi yet. Google Docs is okay for writing, although I don't try to keep a full novel in one file, I break it down into multiple docs. I've actually done more writing since I got it because it allows me to find a more comfortable location to write - the library or sitting on the bed.

What I don't do with my Chromebook is large amounts of editing. I've just started revising a new novel and I'm going to be doing that on my desktop PC, in Scrivener. I tend to write on the Chromebook (or my iPad with a bluetooth keyboard) then move it into Scrivener for revisions and editing.

That said, I wouldn't want to use it as a traditional laptop and if I was in the market for a solution to my overheating office right now, I'd be looking at a cheap Windows 8.1 laptop. Primarily so that I could work in Scrivener all the time and use Google Drive to sync between all my various machines.

If you want another perspective, Jamie Todd Rubin is a big fan:

http://www.jamierubin.net/2013/12/08/20-real-things-i-have-done-on-my-google-chromebook/

Phil


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Well, despite Pelagios' snark... 

No one ever said "Chrome OS does everything other OS's do." It's a different type of OS, made for a completely different, more mobile purpose. It is an OS built to help people live primarily in the Cloud, rather than off their hard drive.

And yes, that means that you need to either live off WiFi, or get a Chromebook that has a wireless plan attached. Personally, I prefer to live off WiFi because I don't want the monthly expense added to my mobile bill when I spend most of my time at home where my WiFi is readily available, or at restaurants/etc. where their WiFi is readily available. But I live in/close to a rather large urban area... those who live in a more rural area might prefer a 4G version. Personal tastes.

ChromeOS is a constantly-in-development system, so they update it around every 3-4 weeks, so anyone trying it even six months ago, it's changed.

In the past while, ChromeOS has improved the extent to which many of its standard apps can be used offline, for example. It's not like Mac or Windows where they do a major OS upgrade and it's like "except for security patches, this is your OS for the next couple years, and maybe we'll address improvements you want next time out." In that way, ChromeOS is even more fluid and the developers even more responsive than with Android, which has updates only 2-3 times a year, at most, lately.

ChromeOS is mostly for those who want a laptop rather than a tablet for surfing the 'net, email, watching Netflix, playing tunes on Google Music, and the like.

BTW, Google Drive (Docs) is not the only option for office-like apps or writing apps on the platform. There are others out there, some free, some with a monthly micro-payment, and some with a one-time price. None of them are like Scrivener, but you can find more variety than people indicate via the Google Play store for Chrome.

It currently has weaknesses in the area of games: not many developers are used to developing for gaming "in the cloud" and are used to having a locally-stored drive on which to dump game assets. That sort of development is discouraged with the ChromeOS model, the idea is to have most assets streamed from the cloud. But companies that do online-only browser games have adapted much more quickly.

Over time, I'm sure gaming will improve, though my sense of things is that making ChromeOS a gaming platform isn't the top priority. But, like, any game that runs on Facebook will run on ChromeOS, because it's the same Chrome-based browser. But if you want to buy this laptop to play games like Call of Duty instead of, y'know, actually writing? Go with something else.

But for writers who want to use it to write, browse the Web, and check email, and have fewer potential distractions? Netflix and Facebook are still there to distract you....  ...then ChromeOS is good as a laptop OS.

The models of Chromebook I'm looking at weigh in at two to four pounds, which is a lot more "mobile" for taking out into the living room on the couch than the 10-pounds-plus Asus laptop running Windows that I currently use.

But to get all fired-up about "MacOS can do more" or "Windows can do more," yeah, sure, so what? It's designed for a different type of use and at least it doesn't have 30 years of legacy code weighing it down (especially true of Windows). 

ChromeOS/Chromebooks are a different type of laptop for a different type of user. If it fits you and your intended use, there are a lot of advantages.

If you want to do things with a laptop that Chromebook isn't designed to do? Then by all means, use something else. No one's suggesting it's the only choice for every conceivable use.

That said, according to chart I saw yesterday, comparing December 2012 to December 2013.... Chromebooks have grown from about 1 percent of the market two Christmases ago, to over 9 percent of the market this Christmas (which is now, last year... ahh, mind-bender, LOL).

Anyway, it had the biggest gain of any platform in the laptop/tablet market. Android grew, too. Windows-based solutions shrank quite a bit, and even Mac/iOS shrank, marginally... nowhere near as much as Windows. Of course, in fairness to Microsoft and Apple, they're already probably maxed out in market share anyway, and are still #1 and 2....


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## valeriec80 (Feb 24, 2011)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> ChromeOS/Chromebooks are a different type of laptop for a different type of user. If it fits you and your intended use, there are a lot of advantages.
> 
> If you want to do things with a laptop that Chromebook isn't designed to do? Then by all means, use something else.


Well, if your intended use is to write on Scrivener, then... *scratches head*

I think the OP needs to clarify whether this is going to be his *main* computer, or just a little dinky thing to have for surfing on his bed and traveling with.

BTW, my bf made the Chromebook run Linux, which seemed like a lot of work to me, like when we rooted my tablet and put Vegantab on it (something I thought I'd be able to do on my own. Hahahaha.) And he liked it that way just fine. But he's not a writer. Anyway, my bf has this nasty habit of falling asleep while lying on the couch with his laptop on his chest, and he's already killed three laptops this way (because they fall off when he moves and, over time and after many such falls, end up breaking in various ways). The Chromebook is one such tragedy. But as long as the OP isn't going to knock his off the couch over and over again, it'll probably be okay.


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## tomreynolds (Jul 9, 2013)

valeriec80 said:


> Well, if your intended use is to write on Scrivener, then... *scratches head*
> 
> I think the OP needs to clarify whether this is going to be his *main* computer, or just a little dinky thing to have for surfing on his bed and traveling with.


I'm still using a Macbook as my main computer, but using Scrivener's syncing feature to put .txt versions of everything in the cloud using Dropbox or Google Drive. I've used the syncing in the past to have copies on my iPhone and it works pretty well.

I bit the bullet and picked up a Acer C720 for $200 from Best Buy yesterday and love it so far. It's definitely not going to win a beauty/build contest against a Mac, but I'm really impressed so far with how responsive it is considering the price and love the fact that it's about the size/weight/battery life of an 11" Macbook Air for 1/5th of the price. It won't replace my main computer, but for $200 it's so far been pretty great for distraction free writing using the full screen mode and for just general purpose web browsing on the couch.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

valeriec80 said:


> Well, if your intended use is to write on Scrivener, then... *scratches head*


Ahh, and here's Ms. Snark.

One CAN write without Scrivener. It's not the only tool out there. Which I already pointed out.

But ****OOHHH, GOOD POINT, I'M AN IDIOT WHO NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT****

Feel better now?

Oh wait, I did think of that and said that I'm not going to let Scrivener dictate what I buy... Hmmm.


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## jonathanmoeller (Apr 19, 2011)

It's pretty good for doing raw composition, and I do a lot of miscellaneous light computing tasks on mine - email, social media, blogging, and so forth. It's not very good for editing because Google Docs isn't very good for editing yet, and there are some indie-writer tasks you're just not going to be able to do on it, like cover layout, print book preparation, EPUB preparation, and so forth. 

To sum up, in my opinion a Chromebook is a superb secondary computer, but a poor primary one. But, as ever, YMMV.


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## valeriec80 (Feb 24, 2011)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> Ahh, and here's Ms. Snark.
> 
> One CAN write without Scrivener. It's not the only tool out there. Which I already pointed out.
> 
> ...


Craig (grin), you get really worked up about tech stuff. But, um, I have very public nervous breakdowns online, so, uh, glass houses and... yeah.

I just misunderstood the OP. I think I didn't read it carefully enough. (Mea culpa.) But I thought he was like, "I want to write books and use Scrivener, and I'm thinking about getting a Chromebook." Which really confused me. Because, you know, no Scrivener on Chromebook.

Anyway, as my last act as Ms. Snark and as a high priestess in the Church of the Delightful and Most Perfect Scrivener, Who Shall Be Worshiped and Adored For All Ages, I shall only say this:

Sure, you could write without Scrivener. But why would you want to?


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

valeriec80 said:


> Craig (grin), you get really worked up about tech stuff. But, um, I have very public nervous breakdowns online, so, uh, glass houses and... yeah.


Hey, Mr. Over-Reaction here, or something. Mr. Melodrama, maybe? Pick the appropriate nom-de-plume as you deem appropos. 

And I'm at least the candle-lighter in the Church of Scriv.  I do almost all my work in it, but for a secondary/living room laptop, I can work in Google Docs and pull those files into Scrivener... a Chromebook just is nicer for me in other ways. A little first draft stuff is easy to pull in. I do most of my serious writing on my Scrivener-fueled desktop PC... 

To each their own, obviously.


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## Key (Jan 6, 2014)

I write in Word, and I can't figure out how to make it work on Chromebook!  So, not really.    But it's best to write on a non-internet connected computer anyway, I find.


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## rjspears (Sep 25, 2011)

I think the OP will enjoy his Chomebook.  I have an Acer C7, but I also have a Windows 7 laptop.  I almost never boot up my Windows 7 laptop.  

As for writing, I do all my work in Google Docs.  The only reason I used Word is if my editor insists on it and then I port the final edited file into Word to prep for for eformatting.  (Although, I think I could do much of the work from Google Docs.)  

My only other reason for using my Windows laptop is to use Photoshop for cover work.  The Chromebook can't do that -- yet.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Key said:


> I write in Word, and I can't figure out how to make it work on Chromebook! So, not really.  But it's best to write on a non-internet connected computer anyway, I find.


 Yeah, a different OS has a way of making that hard. 

But actually, Google Drive (with Google Docs) works with Word files very smoothly, and there are other Apps in Google Play that can do that, too, without the $119 cost of Office Home and Student Edition. 

For example, Office Apps from Digital Planet claims the tightest compatibility with MS Office formats. Free.

There's also TeamLab Office Apps.

And Google is working on a version of their recently-acquired Android app, QuickOffice, that will work on Chromebooks.

Options....


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

rjspears said:


> I think the OP will enjoy his Chomebook. I have an Acer C7, but I also have a Windows 7 laptop. I almost never boot up my Windows 7 laptop.
> 
> As for writing, I do all my work in Google Docs. The only reason I used Word is if my editor insists on it and then I port the final edited file into Word to prep for for eformatting. (Although, I think I could do much of the work from Google Docs.)
> 
> My only other reason for using my Windows laptop is to use Photoshop for cover work. The Chromebook can't do that -- yet.


When you write in Google Docs, using the Chrome, can you then access those Google Docs files using a PC or Mac?


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Terrence OBrien said:


> When you write in Google Docs, using the Chrome, can you then access those Google Docs files using a PC or Mac?


Yes. The documents are held Google Drive.

It's been a while since I used Docs, but it may be saved in .RTF format, meaning Word can open it as-is, if I recall correctly.

And Docs can also export to a Word-specific format.


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## R. K. Clark (Oct 6, 2011)

I have a Chromebook which I use for a pseudonym.  I like it, to be honest.  Yes, having a wi-fi connection helps in that the file that is open will update automatically, but you don't need it.  If I want to write for a long period of time, I just turn off wi-fi until I get home.  There, I plug it into the power to recharge the battery and let it update itself when I turn on wi-fi.  There are no games (OK... no good games... OK... no Borderlands 2) on Chrome which means a majority of the distractions I have are gone.  Yes, I had to make a new Google Account, but it was fast, painless and easy.  I can export files to my choice of formats (.docx, .doc, .rtf) and from there put them through Windows Office if I need to change things there or make them ready for conversion to Kindle or any other e-book format (not that I would do such a thing...I wuv you, Kindle!)

Downside?  Yeah. The .mp3 player app doesn't work for me, so I have to use either Google Play (I have issues with how *that's* set up) and buy music or find a streaming audio service.  

But all in all, if you want something that's a little more business oriented and fairly inexpensive -- I've go with Chrome.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Reminder: Google Play Music is now a streaming audio service, if that's what you want.  

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

I didn't find google docs word processor up to par. In particular, it does some really weird formatting if you try and cut and paste in and out of it, which I just kept running afoul of. Example: It will use either a paragraph return or a line feed depending on whether a paragraph has an indent. I can't remember which way goes with which, but it's just a big WTH!? 

Scrivener is also not particularly kind about importing documents from exterior locations, so if someone was planning to use Scriv at all, my experience would lead me to very strongly suggest sticking with it throughout the process.

I think it would be fine if you were going to write entirely in Google Docs and do a single export to word for final publishing.

I'd get a MacBook Air, for less money, around $600 you can get an Acer S3 which is pretty much the MacBook Air's Windows equal.


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## The world would be prettier with more zebra strip (Apr 20, 2011)

Off topic: Rin, when did Mirrorfall become a novel?! 

On topic: I bought my little acer for around 250. It's maybe a ruler length long. It has horrible reviews on Amazon, but I love it. I planned on using it for writing, and that's what I do. Internet access sucks, but my internet access naturally sucks. Heck, even my new kindle fire only gets a connection at NIGHT. Which is okay 'cause that is when I download games. I used to have such good internet connections...but now I write more, so I guess it's okay.

I downloaded open office and just write. When it is all done, I convert it from .odt to .doc and take it to word on my big computer. Some minor formatting additions and done.


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

Just curious here, but a 13" laptop has now become 'too big' to carry around?!


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Katie Elle said:


> I didn't find google docs word processor up to par. In particular, it does some really weird formatting if you try and cut and paste in and out of it, which I just kept running afoul of. Example: It will use either a paragraph return or a line feed depending on whether a paragraph has an indent. I can't remember which way goes with which, but it's just a big WTH!?


Well, there's a bit of a problem with how you're doing it, there. To move text out of Google Docs, one ought to export to the desired format (RTF or DOC or DOCX), not copy-n-paste.

You're free not to like Google Docs, but it you dislike it because you didn't use the best method, well... 



Katie Elle said:


> Scrivener is also not particularly kind about importing documents from exterior locations, so if someone was planning to use Scriv at all, my experience would lead me to very strongly suggest sticking with it throughout the process.
> 
> I think it would be fine if you were going to write entirely in Google Docs and do a single export to word for final publishing.
> 
> I'd get a MacBook Air, for less money, around $600 you can get an Acer S3 which is pretty much the MacBook Air's Windows equal.


Again, I have had no problem importing into or out of Scrivener, provided one uses the appropriate method of doing so. Importing out, one has to select the right profile, for sure, or you can end up with a mess. Use the right profile and it's been very intuitive, for me.  Scrivener is a bit more technical on that count than MS Word, but then I only use MS Word anymore when I am more or less forced into doing so.


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2014)

Serena Walken said:


> I downloaded open office and just write. When it is all done, I convert it from .odt to .doc and take it to word on my big computer. Some minor formatting additions and done.


You know, there's a really nice plugin for OO/LO that will convert your manuscript (.odt, .doc, whatever) directly to epub, which you can then edit in Sigil, Calibre, or the ebook publishing software of your choice. It's called Writer2ePub, and it works like a charm.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

Calvin Locke said:


> Just curious here, but a 13" laptop has now become 'too big' to carry around?!


Well, if you're taking it evey where, every day, it does get heavy.



Serena Walken said:


> Off topic: Rin, when did Mirrorfall become a novel?!


A while ago.


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## Sassafrazzled (Mar 14, 2010)

R. K. Clark said:


> Downside? Yeah. The .mp3 player app doesn't work for me, so I have to use either Google Play (I have issues with how *that's* set up) and buy music or find a streaming audio service.


I mostly use shoutcast.com through the Radio Player Live extension. There is an actual shoutcast extension but it's much more basic and doesn't remember stations.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/radio-player-live/boidnimkebefpfgbeekbjoponilnomle


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

Edward M. Grant said:


> Anything bigger than my 10" netbook is too big to carry around on a regular basis. I even replaced my 10" Android tablet with a 7" because the old one was just too darn big.


Wow. What did you do 10 years ago when a 15 incher was the standard?

I guess we all want our phones bigger and every other device smaller.

I can't work on anything smaller than 13". I wouldn't want anything much bigger, for sure, but that hits the sweet spot for me. Don't like the smaller tablets, as they approach phones in size.

All of this, of course, is my opinion and I do not mean to knock someone else's. I carry the 13" laptop and 10" tablet around in the same bag. Guess I just got used to it.


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

> Wow. What did you do 10 years ago when a 15 incher was the standard?


Worked at a desktop and took a laptop only when necessary--usually only when travelling.

Having something that light changes the way you view a laptop. Don't forget, a MacBook Air or most of the other 11 inch models, Chrome or Ultrabook, also have enough battery capacity that you don't need to drag the charger along either. My "laptop case" is basically a foot long sleeve and the whole thing is more like carrying a legal pad than a laptop of old.


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## williamvw (Mar 12, 2012)

I write notebook reviews for Computer Shopper, so I get to see plenty of designs. Personally, I find the 10" netbook stuff too small to write on. I'm prone to wanting multiple apps and windows running, and maybe my 40-something eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be. I find that 13" is my sweet spot for a writing laptop now. I have a 5 lb. Toshiba Satellite 14" from 3.5 years ago, and the weight on that thing just kills me now, although it still works like a champ. My favorite machine -- and I really, REALLY hope they don't ask for it to be returned anytime soon -- is an Acer Aspire S7 (http://www.amazon.com/Acer-S7-391-6468-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Ultrabook/dp/B00AVYPLF4. Only 2 lbs., great display, phenomenal audio for the size, touchscreen, and awesome keyboard backlighting (soft green, not that harsh white LED). Yes, it's a full-blown Win8 Ultrabook, and I'm no Win8 fan, and at sub-$800, it's spendy. But if you've got the bucks and want to stay with the Windows universe, it's the best writing notebook I've tried yet.


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

williamvw said:


> I write notebook reviews for Computer Shopper, so I get to see plenty of designs. Personally, I find the 10" netbook stuff too small to write on. I'm prone to wanting multiple apps and windows running, and maybe my 40-something eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be. I find that 13" is my sweet spot for a writing laptop now. I have a 5 lb. Toshiba Satellite 14" from 3.5 years ago, and the weight on that thing just kills me now, although it still works like a champ. My favorite machine -- and I really, REALLY hope they don't ask for it to be returned anytime soon -- is an Acer Aspire S7 (http://www.amazon.com/Acer-S7-391-6468-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Ultrabook/dp/B00AVYPLF4. Only 2 lbs., great display, phenomenal audio for the size, touchscreen, and awesome keyboard backlighting (soft green, not that harsh white LED). Yes, it's a full-blown Win8 Ultrabook, and I'm no Win8 fan, and at sub-$800, it's spendy. But if you've got the bucks and want to stay with the Windows universe, it's the best writing notebook I've tried yet.


Good info. Agree all the way. The Aspire S series has had my eye for a while now.

It truly is amazing how both price and weight have plummeted for laptops over the last 5 years or so. Sub $800 is now considered pricey. 5lbs heavy.

I have an HP Envy Spectre 14" job that was super-spendy, but real sharp looking and built to last. I recently posted I have a 13" but need to correct myself.

Write it down. A man has undersold something in terms of size. <cough>


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## R. K. Clark (Oct 6, 2011)

Bunknee said:


> I mostly use shoutcast.com through the Radio Player Live extension. There is an actual shoutcast extension but it's much more basic and doesn't remember stations.
> https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/radio-player-live/boidnimkebefpfgbeekbjoponilnomle


Ooh! Thank you! I'll put this on my Chromebook when I get home.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

williamvw said:


> Yes, it's a full-blown Win8 Ultrabook, and I'm no Win8 fan, and at sub-$800, it's spendy. But if you've got the bucks and want to stay with the Windows universe, it's the best writing notebook I've tried yet.


I use Win7 and don't want Win8 touching my desktop or old laptop ever, since MS seems to screw up every-other O/S update they release. (Win7 was cool, Vista was not, XP was cool, ME was a nightmare, 98 was smooth, 95 was clunky... you get the idea...)

But what about "Anyone Writing on a Chromebook?" made you assume folks in this thread want to "stay in the Windows universe and pay 'sub-$800' for the privilege," hmm?  (teasing)

If you like the Acer brand, they are in the Chromebook game, though.

The Acer C720 is $199 and has more horsepower processor-wise, than any other current Chromebook. (2.78 pounds) The C720P adds a touchscreen. But it is an 11-inch model and 2.98 pounds in weight.

That's okay, though. Since you said you like larger screens, there's always the HP Chromebook 14 for $299. Same Celeron/Haswell chipset as the cheaper Acer 11-inch unit, 9.5 hours of estimated battery life, and only a hair over four pounds... light for a 14-inch laptop. And way cheaper than any Windows machine.

Oh, and following CES, there's a Toshiba Chromebook now, too. 13.3-inch screen, 9-hour battery, and only 3.3 pounds. $279. Other details still pending...

Now, LOL, I know you said YOU want to stay "in the Windows universe" but turnabout's only fair... there's my Chromebook pitch to you, my friend.


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## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

I'm trying something new with the current WIP: using Evernote on my iPad Air with a wireless keyboard.

Evernote is great. It keeps my content sync'ed between all of my laptops and devices, so I can work on the latest regardless of which screen I'm staring at.

I like the idea of using my iPad Air because it's light and very mobile. Also, it's a single app at a time kind of device. Less squirrels to worry about as I don't have Tweetdeck and other distractions to lure me away from writing. Plus I like taking the iPad to different places around the house, which gets me out of my study. I find getting out of my study enforces the idea that I'm here to write now, not check work email, etc. (I work at home, so my study is where I'm at most days).

Last, I got a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard for Christmas. Great device. Thin, light, and great battery life. It's a little bit of a learning curve for me cause the key combinations are new (I'm a lifelong Windows user and software developer, and I've never owned anything from Apple other than my iPhone and iPad), but having a "real" keyboard greatly enhances my ability to churn out words.

Once I'm done with the rough draft, I'll copy it from Evernote into my usual workflow on my laptop. But I like the flexibility of being able to work on it whether I'm on the personal laptop, work laptop, or iPad.


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## williamvw (Mar 12, 2012)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> I use Win7 and don't want Win8 touching my desktop or old laptop ever, since MS seems to screw up every-other O/S update they release. (Win7 was cool, Vista was not, XP was cool, ME was a nightmare, 98 was smooth, 95 was clunky... you get the idea...)


I totally agree. My non-Acer systems are all Win7, and I have no intention of changing that. The split interface of Win8 is a nightmare. I only have Win8 on the Acer because it's a review unit and came pre-configured that way.



CraigInTwinCities said:


> Oh, and following CES, there's a Toshiba Chromebook now, too. 13.3-inch screen, 9-hour battery, and only 3.3 pounds. $279. Other details still pending...
> 
> Now, LOL, I know you said YOU want to stay "in the Windows universe" but turnabout's only fair... there's my Chromebook pitch to you, my friend.


I'm really a function over form guy. I don't care about the Windows universe at all. I do care about getting frustrated when I can't do the things I want to do when I want to do them. And yes, sometimes it's Windows 8 causing that frustration.

3.3 lbs. is still a little heavy, now that I'm so spoiled with the S7, but it's definitely not bad, and that price for a 13.3"/9-hour unit is great. Most of all, don't get me wrong about the Chromebook thing. I think it's a great idea -- a beautiful mid-point between a full-blown system and something super-simplified, like a Neo Alphasmart. I like touchscreen capability, but it's not necessary for writing. I like having good audio for writing sessions, especially in coffee shops, but average audio is OK. Smooth video and excellent graphics? Again, nice to have but not essential and sometimes a liability when it comes to having text that is too small at native resolution. So I'm totally down with the Chromebook idea and implementation. It makes gobs of sense as a cheap way into a decent writing machine. On the fair/good/great scale, I'd give it a "good." A 13" S7 or MacBook Air is great...but only if you can justify the extra hundreds of dollars. In my opinion, all of the extra bells and whistles above Chromebook level are nearly useless -- EXCEPT the lighter form factor and superior keyboard quality. For high-output users, yeah, that might be worth an extra $500.


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

Another strong recommendation for the Acer Aspire S series. We have a fleet of S3s at work and they're fantastic. In particular, I think the touch pad is about the best I've ever used other than Apple's.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

BIG CAVEAT ON CHROMEBOOKS:

I've been perusing a LOT of video reviews of various Chromebook models on YouTube, and I've come to a decision for myself that I'd urge others considering Chromebook to consider as well:

1) Never buy a 2GB Chromebook, even though that's the MOST common configuration. *4GB RAM is a must* if you don't want to have the performance choke on most websites and games. 2GB models consistently drop frames in games and Netflix and YouTube. 4GB models perform smoothly.

2) Don't bother with any Chromebook that lacks a minimum processor of the Haswell-powered Intel Celerons. The Haswell tech is what turns a 6-hour battery into a 9-hour battery.

A lot of popular Chromebooks lack these minimums, although post-CES, it looks more and more like Google is asking everyone to switch to Haswell Celerons, though there will still be a lot of 2GB models... but every review I've seen shows Chromebooks that lack these minimums as underperforming, while every Chromebook with these minimums performing very zippy and still easy on battery life.

4GB RAM and Haswell-powered Intel Celerons: don't buy a Chromebook that lacks these two items as minimum standards, and yes, that means saying No to the visually appealing HP 11 Chromebook, but yes to any 4GB HP 14 Chromebook. (There are 2GB HP 14s, and it's a $50 price difference... $299 for 2GB, $350 for 4GB... but it'll be the best $50 you can spend in terms of performance of what you're buying.)

Now, if Google could ever move their hardware partners out of 720P screen dimensions to 1080P resolutions on laptop monitors, it'd get that much better...

In addition to HP 14, I'm waiting at least until February when the Toshiba Chromebook comes out. 13.3, lighter than the HP by .75 pounds, and it's a Toshiba. So long as they have 4MB, and their price is lower than the HP 14, the Toshiba MIGHT be my ideal Chromebook...


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

Win 8 gets a bad rap...8.1 makes things much better.

Some people don't like change. I get that Vista sucked and so did ME...but to think it's an every other thing, well, that's just silly. Win 7 just made Vista a better product.


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

Calvin Locke said:


> Win 8 gets a bad rap...8.1 makes things much better.
> 
> Some people don't like change. I get that Vista sucked and so did ME...but to think it's an every other thing, well, that's just silly. Win 7 just made Vista a better product.


Win 8 is horrible. It's just Windows 7 with some features taken away to make it more difficult to use. Supposedly they are backpedaling big time and Win 9 will bring back the start menu.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

C'mon, folks, really?

This is a Chromebook thread, not a "defend Windows" thread.

If you wanna defend Windows, start a thread on that, please!  It'd be fun for you... but let's allow this thread to stay on track.


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> C'mon, folks, really?
> 
> This is a Chromebook thread, not a "defend Windows" thread.
> 
> If you wanna defend Windows, start a thread on that, please!  It'd be fun for you... but let's allow this thread to stay on track.


Oh fer crying out loud, hasn't the OP made a decision YET :-D Whaddya waiting for, quad-core wristwatches, already? I wanna go offtrack... *whines*


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

Considering the discussion, a talk about OSes actually is on topic. We aren't talking about what brand of conditioner is best.

For those that miss the start bar, it's back in 8.1 and even better with a simple download from Pokki. If you have a touchscreen computer, Win8 far exceeds Win7 (and I loved Win7) If you don't, then absolutely don't bother. I have a PC that boots into XP, Vista, Win7 and Win8 so I can readily compare on the same hardware. Win8 is more stable, faster, and after a bit of adjustment, easy to use.

As for Chrome OS, it's more gimmicky than anything else. I'm an android fan and ditto for the Chrome browser, but Chromebooks are nearly useless without WiFi. For just writing, it could work, but there are so many PC options in the same price range that far exceed what a Chromebook can do. Chromebooks just don't feel like full-blown computers, because, well, they aren't. If the thought of a big tablet works for you, then go for it. Anyone who has an android tablet knows the difference between that OS and Mac or Win. If you can deal with that, then maybe a Chromebook would be the way to go. But don't get one just for the attractive price. Someone once said something about the price of something and what you end up with.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

Calvin Locke said:


> As for Chrome OS, it's more gimmicky than anything else. I'm an android fan and ditto for the Chrome browser, but Chromebooks are nearly useless without WiFi. For just writing, it could work, but there are so many PC options in the same price range that far exceed what a Chromebook can do. Chromebooks just don't feel like full-blown computers, because, well, they aren't. If the thought of a big tablet works for you, then go for it. Anyone who has an android tablet knows the difference between that OS and Mac or Win. If you can deal with that, then maybe a Chromebook would be the way to go. But don't get one just for the attractive price. Someone once said something about the price of something and what you end up with.


I was tossing up between a tablet and a Chromebook - but ultimately went with the Chromebook, as the attached keyboard appealed to me (and I didn't want to have to sync a Bluetooth keyboard every time I wanted to write for two minutes), so that was the deciding factor for me.

A lot of people do end up going with a Chrome for a reason like that - they often aren't looking for a fully-featured computer, otherwise it wouldn't be an option they were even considering.


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

Rin said:


> I was tossing up between a tablet and a Chromebook - but ultimately went with the Chromebook, as the attached keyboard appealed to me (and I didn't want to have to sync a Bluetooth keyboard every time I wanted to write for two minutes), so that was the deciding factor for me.
> 
> A lot of people do end up going with a Chrome for a reason like that - they often aren't looking for a fully-featured computer, otherwise it wouldn't be an option they were even considering.


Totally agree. I just think some people see something that looks like a laptop and expect a laptop. The only similarity is that it can sit on your lap.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Calvin Locke said:


> As for Chrome OS, it's more gimmicky than anything else. I'm an android fan and ditto for the Chrome browser, but Chromebooks are nearly useless without WiFi. For just writing, it could work, but there are so many PC options in the same price range that far exceed what a Chromebook can do. Chromebooks just don't feel like full-blown computers, because, well, they aren't. If the thought of a big tablet works for you, then go for it. Anyone who has an android tablet knows the difference between that OS and Mac or Win. If you can deal with that, then maybe a Chromebook would be the way to go. But don't get one just for the attractive price. Someone once said something about the price of something and what you end up with.


Look, you can have whatever opinion you have, but it's misleading to call ChromeOS "a gimmick." There are a lot of OSes that rely on being online these days, and contrary to what you suggest, Google's been doing a lot to make their productivity apps far more active and useful when offline.

The line of criticism that other OSes can "do more" is also invalid because ChromeOS has never been claimed to be an OS that does more than it aims to do. It's specifically designed for "life in the Cloud." You make it sound like Google's been passing it off as something more than it is. They haven't. That's where your "opinion" is misleading.

Every pro-ChromeOS contributor that I've seen speak up in this thread, who broaches the topic, has been accurate in that regard if they broached the topic at all. But those who want a Chromebook... WANT a Chromebook for what it is, not what it's not.

So, y'know, repeat "it's not a full-featured OS yet" till you're blue in the face, but all you'll get is blue in the face because we already know it's different from Windows and MacOS. In fact... that's a SELLING POINT, not a handicap, for most of us. It's not just about price... except maybe for folks like yourself.

Fact is, I like many aspects of the ChromeOS design.

1) No need to buy virus protection programs every year or two. It's built-in and so far no one has cracked it.

2) It's something relatively new and constantly evolving, and often it's fun to be part of something like that. Ubuntu users will understand that part of ChromeOS's appeal.

3) I like that their OS is updated on roughly a monthly basis, rather than once every 2-3 years. The Google team is far more quick to address issues.

The ChromeOS matures rapidly because of this. Anyone who tried it six months or a year ago can't really say they know everything it can do, because the OS is already several revisions more advanced since then.

4) http://www.jamierubin.net/2013/12/08/20-real-things-i-have-done-on-my-google-chromebook/ since apparently you ignored or missed it. A "gimmick" doesn't allow all those things to be done. And since the article was written in December (last month), it's still pretty relevant.

So, your mini-slam on ChromeOS and Chromebooks is a bit misleading, friend. It's more than a gimmick. And having it not "feel" like a "more full-featured OS" is relevant, but let's be honest, it's a subjective opinion, just like pro-ChromeOS impressions are subjective opinions. The article I linked to on item four lists facts... and the facts say you can do a lot more real-world things on ChromeOS than detractors would have people believe.

P.S. How often is it really ANY O/S that is the real problem, anyway, when you "can't do something" on that O/S? Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's about developer support... no one's developed a particular product you might want for that O/S yet.

And usually, the solution isn't "updating the O/S to do more things," it's gaining an audience, an installed user base, so that developers see it as potentially profitable to bring their product to a new O/S.

"Not a full OS" is usually just code for "doesn't have my favorite program on it yet." The same insult was hurled at Android in its early days... but if there hadn't been folks willing to support it, we'd have never reached KitKat (4.4.x) which enjoys very broad developer support these days and most of that "mobile OSes like Android aren't REAL OSes" criticism has been silenced or ignored.

It'll be the same with Chrome, which is currently the fastest-growing OS platform on the market.... (December 2012, ChromeOS accounted for about 1 to 1.5 percent of sales in the laptop/tablet segment... December 2013, that had risen to around 9 percent).

So, the audience is still small compared to Windows and MacOS, but it's not getting to the point where more developers are hopping on board... the stage Android reached around the time Gingerbread/Honeycomb came out.

No one's claiming you can do things like run Scrivener on a Chromebook. But is that an OS problem? No. It just means Literature and Latte hasn't decided to develop a version of Scrivener for ChromeOS yet. (And it'll be quite a while before they do, because they're still very preliminary on moving forward on an Android version, at this point.)

But again, the argument primarily isn't about the OS, ultimately. It's about developer support, and on all new and emerging OSes, that's an issue until they gain mindshare and a significant segment of the market.

Going from about 1.5 percent to 9 percent in a year is a strong sign that, even with the types of programs that aren't available for ChromeOS yet, there's growing interest in what Google's building. Developer support will flow toward that growth, over time.


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## MatthewAlanThyer (Jan 13, 2014)

tomreynolds said:


> So here's my dilemma: right now I'm doing most of my writing on a 5+ year-old 13" Macbook in Scrivener, which is a great workhorse but the battery life kinda stinks even with a new battery and it's too heavy to lug around everywhere I go really. Add to that the fact that this Macbook has literally my life on it, so even though it gets backed up pretty religiously it'd still be a major pain to lose or drop it.
> 
> So here's my question: is anyone out there writing using a Chromebook and if so how has it been? The new Acer C720 ( http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Chromebook-11-6-Inch-Haswell-micro-architecture/dp/B00FNPD1VW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388819201&sr=8-1&keywords=c720 ) is under 3 pounds, less than an inch thick, and only $200 with I think something like 8 hours of battery life.
> 
> It seems like I could use Scrivener's sync functionality to sync .txt versions of my chapters to an external folder (Dropbox or Google Drive) and then use something like http://writeboxapps.com/ to edit from there. I've tried it out and it works pretty well, but I'm just curious if anyone has written on a Chromebook for extended periods and if they liked it. A $199 light, 11" laptop that I can bring to the coffee shop just to write with would be pretty ideal.


I know this does not answer your question specifically, but I wrote the bulk of my first novel using an iPad 2 and a Logitec bluetooth keyboard using Storyist. Incredibly lightweight, awesome battery life, and I ended up charging the whole thing several times from nearly zero to full using a 14 watt portable solar panel.


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> Look, you can have whatever opinion you have, but it's misleading to call ChromeOS "a gimmick." There are a lot of OSes that rely on being online these days, and contrary to what you suggest, Google's been doing a lot to make their productivity apps far more active and useful when offline.
> 
> The line of criticism that other OSes can "do more" is also invalid because ChromeOS has never been claimed to be an OS that does more than it aims to do. It's specifically designed for "life in the Cloud." You make it sound like Google's been passing it off as something more than it is. They haven't. That's where your "opinion" is misleading.
> 
> ...


I come from the school of thought that everything said is opinion. I don't feel the need to add IMO, as unless there's some title in my signature that speaks to expert authority, people will take what I say as my view. All your points are well-noted and from what I know, correct. And remember, I said 'gimmicky' not a gimmick. There's a difference.

For someone who has known nothing but standard PCs, the switch to Chrome can be confusing. That' why I said what I did about tablets and such.

You seem to be a big fan. Try not to take criticisms to the platform personally, as they are not intended as such. Oh, and it is also a nice thing not to get so hot under the collar and attack someone you barely know. I was talking about the Chrome OS from my experience, not about your dog. Amazing how manners disintegrate for some people when they are online.

Yes, Ubuntuu users will find something similar here, but how many of those people are common?

The simple response to all the benefits of a Chromebook is that although it can do a lot of things a PC can, it's not a PC. Yes, some people may want that. It's better than a netbook for some. Others want the power and familiarity of a PC. Some users aren't fully aware of the difference. They see it looks similar and buy it. You can say Google is 'working' on making things better offline, but that immediately implies they ain't so good right now.

The OP asked about the Chromebook and I gave my feelings on it. I'm fairly certain he didn't have one in his online cart and deleted it after my words. Maybe if I typed in my sexy voice that might work...if he were a she. And then, probably not.


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## JaroldWilliams (Jan 9, 2014)

Call me a cynic, but the ChromeBook seems to have a couple of fatal flaws.

1. All of your files (you know, the manuscripts you are working on) are stored on Google. No problem with that if Google could guarantee security, but I had my Gmail account hacked and that means that they also had access to my documents.

2. My ignorance is going to be transparent here...but I like to do my own covers and I am not at all certain that can be done on a web site.

I am using an OLD Compaq Presario running Win 7 and as long as it holds out, I think I will continue in that mode.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Calvin Locke said:


> The simple response to all the benefits of Chrome OS is that although it can do a lot of things a PC can, it's not a PC. Some people may want that. It's better than a netbook for some. Others want the power and familiarity of a PC. You can say Google is 'working' on making things better offline, but that immediately implies they ain't so good right now.
> 
> The OP asked about the Chromebook and I gave my feelings on it. I'm fairly certain he didn't have one in his online cart and deleted it after my words. Maybe if I typed in my sexy voice that might work...if he were a she. And then, probably not.


All fine and well and good. But in a Chromebook thread, I think most people already glommed on to the fact that it's "not a PC."

Or a Mac.

Or even an Android. 

And the idea about Google working on offline use is more a response to a dated criticism of the OS... it was initially built to be completely Cloud-dependent; it's already less-so. Because they'd updated a few times already since that became a criticism last year. Several apps are already "offline usable." 

But like I said about (and may have been missed because I annoyingly update my posts even after hitting "Post," rebel that I am... I think most of the problem isn't with the OS, so much as it is with developer support, will expand as the Chromebook installed base and market also expand.

For me, this is just sort of a repeat of all the anti-Android rhetoric.. people would claim "it's not an iPhone!" and no one ever said it was... but once Android matured and gained enough market share, more developers jumped on board and the criticism fizzled.

The same will happen here, provided that the marketshare and installed base keep growing.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

JaroldWilliams said:


> Call me a cynic, but the ChromeBook seems to have a couple of fatal flaws.
> 
> 1. All of your files (you know, the manuscripts you are working on) are stored on Google. No problem with that if Google could guarantee security, but I had my Gmail account hacked and that means that they also had access to my documents.
> 
> ...


I can see item 1 as a valid concern, though remember that there's a difference between a "web app" and a "web site." Including the level of security involved.

But if a single security fail were a basis for never going somewhere or using something ever again, Sony'd be out of business as of their big PlayStation Store blunder, and Target would be declaring bankruptcy today because "can anyone ever trust them again" after a 110 Million customers-affected leak?

As for item 2, I would agree that, with 99 percent of all Chromebooks being at only 720P resolution (except for the ridiculously overpriced Chromebook Pixel), it's not a great platform on which to design covers.

ChromeOS has an app that handles photo manipulation, but no one's going to mistake it for a Photoshop-level app any time soon. It's very basic at this point and it'll be a while before a more sophisticated developer comes along and offers something that's close to that. (I'd be thrilled if a decent version of Gimp is eventually released for ChromeOS, but I don't expect that soon.)

I wouldn't call that a fatal flaw. I'd call it a lack of developer support in that area.

And even the most ardent fans of Chromebook, including myself, see it as a "second computer" device. I might want my Chromebook to eventually replace my old Win7 laptop, but it won't come anywhere near making me want to give up my Win7 desktop. Not even close.

But Microsoft's main pitch-line right now is, "get the same experience on all your devices."

Trouble is, folks like myself don't want a clunky Windows experience on a tablet. I want an Android experience there. Because it's better.

And for my next laptop, I want a Chromebook experience. I don't want a "Windows experience" there, either.

Windows has it's place. All OSes do.

But for me, that place for Windows is only on my desktop.

I mean... Apple Macintosh fans should be able to relate to this, if they have long enough memories.

For me, pre-Windows 95/98, Macintosh definitively offered the better "experience" as an OS design. This was around the time of System 7.

I freakin' LOVED Macs.

But after Windows 95 came out (I was living in the Twin Cities in Minnesota at the time) you simply couldn't find anyplace that offered any amount of significant floor space to Mac software. And the internet was still dial-up and far too slow to deliver apps to anyone that way. And Mac software was ALWAYS more expensive at that time.

So... much as I loved my Mac experience... I eventually gave up and joined the Windows world... by Microsoft's brute force of pushing all Mac software off nearly every store shelf.

Microsoft can't win by financial bullying anymore. Android and ChromeOS and even Ubuntu can thrive these days because "shelf space" is virtual, not physical. And folks like me have long enough memories to hold a bit of a grudge.

But yes, the battle now is won or lost based on developer support, not physical retail shelf space.

Any OS that can gain marketshare and an installed base will sway developer support. Microsoft can't just "buy it all up" like they did in the mid-90s. And that's the only game they really know, and they haven't really adjusted over the years....


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## Sassafrazzled (Mar 14, 2010)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> So, y'know, repeat "it's not a full-featured OS yet" till you're blue in the face, but all you'll get is blue in the face because we already know it's different from Windows and MacOS. In fact... that's a SELLING POINT, not a handicap, for most of us. It's not just about price... except maybe for folks like yourself.


I agree, it's definitely not about the price. I fully intend to replace the Chromebook I have, with another Chromebook. I'm hoping that the 2014 lineup will have a couple of options in the mid-price range because I would be perfectly happy to pay a little more. ChromeOS but on a slightly beefier machine would be ideal for me, as an essentially zero maintenance _secondary_ computer.

It is perfectly possible to not use Google Docs for writing by the way. There are other online document editors, and with internal storage and a thumb drive you can backup what you have outside the Google cloud. I'm not recommending Chromebooks for people that absolutely don't want anything to do with Google, but there are options. Pixlr.com is also a decent, but fairly limited photo editor. It's no Gimp/Photoshop, but I've used it in a pinch for resizing things or other basic tasks.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Bunknee said:


> I'm hoping that the 2014 lineup will have a couple of options in the mid-price range because I would be perfectly happy to pay a little more. ChromeOS but on a slightly beefier machine would be ideal for me, as an essentially zero maintenance _secondary_ computer.


CES introduced the first of the 2014 lineup. Some devices are still low-point, but I'm starting to see the first sign of mid-range ($350 to $500) devices start to be at least rumored.

On Chromebook, that means 4GB RAM standard, and maybe later in the year, it'll also mean 1080P resolutions and generally better build materials.

The 4GB RAM is something I now regard as essential because I've yet to see a 2GB Chromebook that doesn't drop frames and stutter in performance....

And the new "minimum chipset" for 2014 is definitely the Haswell-powered Intel Celerons... they add about 30 to 50 percent on battery life, and make even the beefier Chrome apps perform a lot more smoothly, especially when combined with 4GB RAM instead of 2GB.

...So maybe by midyear, we'll start to see some quad-core Chromebooks instead of the current dual cores being offered.


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## MatthewAlanThyer (Jan 13, 2014)

nomesque said:


> Oh fer crying out loud, hasn't the OP made a decision YET :-D Whaddya waiting for, quad-core wristwatches, already? I wanna go offtrack... *whines*


Quantum core wristwatches that project the information right into your visual cortex ... and have a sexy brushed aluminum case.


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> . And folks like me have long enough memories to hold a bit of a grudge.
> 
> But yes, the battle now is won or lost based on developer support, not physical retail shelf space.


There it is. Now I understand. Some people went fighting into the MS realm. Got it.

The second part of the quote goes right to the 'fatal flaw' issue. You said it wasn't a fatal flaw of Chrome, but lack of developer support, which you later say is the key to the battle.

Totally agree with you on the 'second' status of a Chromebook. Heck, you wouldn't see me recommending a Surface for this sort of use, no matter how they are marketed.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Calvin Locke said:


> There it is. Now I understand. Some people went fighting into the MS realm. Got it.
> 
> The second part of the quote goes right to the 'fatal flaw' issue. You said it wasn't a fatal flaw of Chrome, but lack of developer support, which you later say is the key to the battle.
> 
> Totally agree with you on the 'second' status of a Chromebook. Heck, you wouldn't see me recommending a Surface for this sort of use, no matter how they are marketed.


Kinda figured we'd end up agreeing more than disagreeing before it was all over. When one doesn't let the general impulse to spat get in one's way... and I used to have that, big-time, back in college... much more in control of it in my 40s...(if you think I'm spat-prone now, be glad you didn't know me in the late 80s and early 90s.)


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## rjspears (Sep 25, 2011)

I've read through this thread and contributed to it.  It seems that there are a lot of opinions floating around -- mine included.

I have an Acer C7 Chromebook and love it.  I love it's size, it's weight, and the speed in which it boots up.  I do use it for a lot of my writing.  I write all my first drafts on it (or in Google Docs) and have had no issues with no WiFi, yet.

That being said, I do my own covers and know that I can't do it on my Chromebook.  I also eformat a great deal of my work.  I can't do that on my Chromebook (the way that I do it).  

I knew what I was getting when I bought and understood it's shortcomings.  It's good at what it does and I accept what it can't.

Someone one might say that having two separate computers is an expensive proposition and they could be right.  If I hadn't paid $120 for refurbed Chromebook, I'd agree.  For me, I think the speed in which it boots up is the real difference make.  I have an iPad 2 and it is quicker to boot, but it's nowhere as effective a tool as my Chromebook.  

Anyway, that's just my humble opinion.


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

rjspears said:


> I've read through this thread and contributed to it. It seems that there are a lot of opinions floating around -- mine included.
> 
> I have an Acer C7 Chromebook and love it. I love it's size, it's weight, and the speed in which it boots up. I do use it for a lot of my writing. I write all my first drafts on it (or in Google Docs) and have had no issues with no WiFi, yet.
> 
> ...


I think that's a great illustration of how I see Chromebooks. Useful, zippy, but not the complete package. Maybe in the future.

That's not to say they don't have a purpose. They are kinda like a two-seater car. They can do just about everything a regular car can, but still serve better as a second vehicle.


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

Saguahe said:


> Quantum core wristwatches that project the information right into your visual cortex ... and have a sexy brushed aluminum case.


Mmmm... now you're talking!


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Calvin Locke said:


> They are kinda like a two-seater car. They can do just about everything a regular car can, but still serve better as a second vehicle.


Thinking like a married man, perhaps?

Teens and college students, not to mention most adult singles, value flashy two-seaters far more highly than four-door cars that seat five. a/k/a "family" vehicles


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

Edward M. Grant said:


> I drove two-seat, mid-engined sports cars for most of my life until I moved to Canada (not much good in the snow ).
> 
> And I also wrote the first 7,000 words of my new novel on an Android tablet with the on-screen keyboard. A Chromebook would have been much better, but not as convenient to carry around; I was thinking of buying one to replace our netbook, but installing Linux appears to be a pain and there are new netbooks (sorry, '10" Bay Trail notebooks') appearing on the market now.


I hear ya. I typed 50% of a novel on an old Windows 6 phone with a pull out keyboard. It was the first real smartphone I had with Office on it.

I'm not knocking alternative methods. Just saying they ain't for everyone. Hence...alternative.


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## williamvw (Mar 12, 2012)

Calvin Locke said:


> I hear ya. I typed 50% of a novel on an old Windows 6 phone with a pull out keyboard. It was the first real smartphone I had with Office on it.


Exactly. I did over 40,000 words on my Android phone in 2013, nearly all of which was done in the bathroom. (Hey, you can read or you can write. Don't judge.) I love that Acer S7 on the road, but I use a 14" Toshiba in my rocking chair, an dual-display ASUS on my treadmill, and a tower PC for my day work. I think the device needs to fit the situation. One size does not fit all; it doesn't even fit one person.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

Edward M. Grant said:


> A Chromebook would have been much better, but not as convenient to carry around;


My Chromebook isn't significantly heavier or bulkier than a tablet - that was part of the appeal.


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## Calvin Locke (Mar 6, 2012)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> Thinking like a married man, perhaps?


Nope. Not married. Had a two seater for years. It's not practical for most people. Which has been my point all along.

It's like when I say something like, drug dealers are scum. Someone always follows with, 'I know a drug dealer who is the nicest guy in the world!'

Congrats. You met the anomaly. Or you're a bad judge of character.

Two seaters, for the most part, serve best as second cars.

I know, people hate generalizations. All I am saying is, the above statement fits way more people than it doesn't.

What I don't get is, so many people do things to step outside of the norm. That's cool. Then, when said behavior is noted as such, they argue that it is the norm, or more norm than the norm. Or should be accepted as the norm. Why step out of the norm in the first place? And I am not acting as a proponent of norms, isolating divergent behavior, singling people out, or any of that. Just stating what I see as the facts. I, for the most part, do not fit the norms either.


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## rjspears (Sep 25, 2011)

```
I did over 40,000 words on my Android phone in 2013, nearly all of which was done in the bathroom.
```
Now, that's dedication! I feel guilty taking my Kindle to the bathroom.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

I am going to get a Chromebook soon, to replace my 2007 Macbook. I'm tired of the heat the bottom of this thing generates, and the second battery is deteriorating. After doing a lot of research, I've been experimenting by writing and editing in Google Docs and using only the Chrome browser for the last week. Everything is working well. Docs has come a long way since the first time I tried it a few years ago. It makes for a nice, clean looking, minimal writing environment but with all the basics one needs: spell checking that can learn new words, styles, and so forth.

I'm getting the HP 11, but I'd love to have the Pixel, of course!

I use Word on my final stretch, and I had looked into a Windows laptop. But to get one with a decent IPS screen at the minimum along with an acceptable keyboard was going to cost more than I want to invest now. (My writing income went to purchasing a new air conditioner and dishwasher this year. I live in Alabama. Air conditioners are necessary and expensive.)

Mind you, this will be my composition machine. I have a Mac Mini for using Word with track changes from my proofreader and for producing ebooks and covers and all that great stuff.

Over the years I've written novels on a Windows desktop, a Windows laptop, an iMac, a Macbook, and an iPad 3. I'm adaptable. And I don't use Scrivener anymore. I'm a linear plotter and writer, and I just don't really use all the features. They're great features, lots of them, but I don't need them myself. Which is funny since I started with Scrivener 1.0.


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## Lefty (Apr 7, 2011)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> Mind you, this will be my composition machine. I have a Mac Mini for using Word with track changes from my proofreader and for producing ebooks and covers and all that great stuff.


That's what I do, write on the Chromebook, then use a PC for edits and formatting. The machine does what I need it to do. I'd prefer a backlit keyboard (I think the Pixel has it, but I'm not going to drop that much for a terminal).


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> I'm getting the HP 11, but I'd love to have the Pixel, of course!


You don't need the Pixel... I doubt anyone really does... but I'd gently nudge you away from the HP 11, if I could.

It's a pretty case, but no version of the HP 11 comes with 4GB of RAM, and it comes with a two-year-old Exynos processor.

What that means for you is that it'll perform clunky even when just web browsing. (Choppy scrolling, frame drops on YouTube, etc.)

What you want is a 4GB RAM Chromebook, and the minimum of an Intel Celeron w/Haswell tech chips.

Every single Chromebook I've seen with those specs, regardless of brand, perform well!

That would include the slightly larger HP 14, the new Toshiba (13.3 screen, coming in February), and the Acer C720.

And there are more coming... but those three, I believe, all have those two critical specs.

Go to YouTube and search for Chromebook reviews... you'll see that it's not just me saying that 2GB = bad and 4GB = smooth and Intel is better than castoff cell phone processors from two years ago.

Fortunately, I know you can get an HP 14 Chromebook with 4GB and Haswell Intels for $299 at Walmart.com, (with store delivery or home delivery for free) and at $349 they toss in two years of no-contract 4G wireless for when you're not near WiFi. (There's a 200MB limit on how much 4G data you are allowed each month, though.)


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> You don't need the Pixel... I doubt anyone really does... but I'd gently nudge you away from the HP 11, if I could.
> 
> It's a pretty case, but no version of the HP 11 comes with 4GB of RAM, and it comes with a two-year-old Exynos processor.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice! But for me, those just aren't acceptable options. The HP 11 has the bare minimum screen I will pay for, at any price, in 2014. I'm super picky about the screen quality. The panels on those models have either a worse PPI than my Macbook or are slightly better but with less brightness. That's what I like about the HP 11: bright IPS plus slightly better PPI than my Macbook.

I've played with the HP 11 in the store and the Samsung with the same internals and didn't notice any choppiness on the sites I tested. I've got a super fast internet connection at home, which will help. The machine will be using almost exclusively Docs, Mail, Trello, and a few other productivity basics. I've got an iPad 3, a Mac Mini, and an Apple TV, so I don't need Youtube or games. In fact, I'll use Stayfocsd and stay locked out of most everything distracting like tech blogs, sports news, Facebook and Twitter, etc.

I would like more ram, don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of ram. I've got 16 gb in the MacMini. I think some of the models coming out later this year will have superior specs and good prices. Lenovo has three Chromebook models set to debut in the summer. The rumored specs of the next Samsung model sound awesome. But for right now, the HP should be able to handle my docs fine (I'll return it if it doesn't) and I like the keyboard and screen which I've tested. The HP 14 has a nice keyboard, too, but that screen was no good for me. And the Acer 720 was a no go for me both with the keyboard and the screen.

Naturally, if someone wants to gift me a Pixel, I'd be quite happy. But I seem to lack overly generous benefactors.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

I understand about the screen quality, even though I'd point out that aside from the Pixel, no Chromebook runs resolutions higher than 720P anyway.

That said, it's a great screen; and at these price levels, it's always a tradeoff, not "all of the above," but still... I'd rather have smooth performance, personally. Oddly enough, going from 2GB to 4GB makes more difference than the processor.... I don't know if one can add RAM to a Chromebook, post-purchase, but if you're get on the HP 11 because of the screen, be sure to buy from Best Buy and ask them if they can upgrade the RAM. Best of both worlds, that way. (HP 11 AND 4GB!)


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> I understand about the screen quality, even though I'd point out that aside from the Pixel, no Chromebook runs resolutions higher than 720P anyway.
> 
> That said, it's a great screen; and at these price levels, it's always a tradeoff, not "all of the above," but still... I'd rather have smooth performance, personally. Oddly enough, going from 2GB to 4GB makes more difference than the processor.... I don't know if one can add RAM to a Chromebook, post-purchase, but if you're get on the HP 11 because of the screen, be sure to buy from Best Buy and ask them if they can upgrade the RAM. Best of both worlds, that way. (HP 11 AND 4GB!)


1366 x 768 on 11.6 is okay-ish with about 135 PPI, but on a 13.3 or 14 inch screen, I just can't do that. Screen brightness is also very important to me.

RAM in the HP 11 isn't upgradeable. RAM does matter in this instance more than the processor because of the way that the Chrome browser keeps each tab in its own little special bubble to increase stability. I'm oversimplifying.

I'm getting it from the Google Play Store because you can return it within 15 days for any reason. So if it doesn't do what I want, I'm only out for shipping it back to them.

From reading reviews, customer and expert, most but not all experts says it's underpowered and most customers say it's adequate. I think the difference is in wifi connection speed, use cases, and extensions. I saw one guy who complained that Chromebooks were all severely underpowered. But he had a screen shot that showed over a dozen extensions active and more tabs open than I could count.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Let me know your impressions here after the first week of ownership. I'm interested to see what a real user thinks,  not a pro reviewer.  

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## Guest (Jan 24, 2014)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> I understand about the screen quality, even though I'd point out that aside from the Pixel, no Chromebook runs resolutions higher than 720P anyway.
> 
> That said, it's a great screen; and at these price levels, it's always a tradeoff, not "all of the above," but still... I'd rather have smooth performance, personally. Oddly enough, going from 2GB to 4GB makes more difference than the processor.... I don't know if one can add RAM to a Chromebook, post-purchase, but if you're get on the HP 11 because of the screen, be sure to buy from Best Buy and ask them if they can upgrade the RAM. Best of both worlds, that way. (HP 11 AND 4GB!)


In most chromebooks / netbooks I don't think you can; the ram is soldered in. You can swap out the hard drive, though.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

My Chromebook 11 was delayed a week due to snow shutting down the Birmingham area. But I have had it for a day now, and so far I love it.

The screen is great. Take the Macbook Air 11 screen and make it brighter and with better viewing angles, and that's the HP 11 screen. The keyboard, layout differences aside, is a lot like the the Macbook Air. I like this one better, but there's really not much difference.

As for performance ... yes, it could use the stronger processor that's now available, the upgrade to this one. Yes, it could use another GB of RAM. However, it works great for all the stuff I'm doing. I have no problem loading multiple tabs, playing music, and writing in Google Docs. (I really like this keyboard.) That said, if you're one of those people who uses twenty browser extensions (I use three counting AdBlock) and leaves open thirty tabs and then opens some docs and plays some music simultaneously: it's not for you.

When playing music with Mail and the Kindle Cloud Reader open, I get a little bit of delay in my 110,000 word novel that I'm proofreading. When I kill the music, the delay goes away. It may be due to the particular music app I'm using. I haven't tried others. I've heard that the Kindle Cloud Reader is a resource hog, too.

Anyway, I'm very content, and unless I hit a snag, I'll be keeping this over my 2007 Macbook.


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## SawyerPentecost (Jul 11, 2013)

I had one. In the end, it was too small for my hands. 

I moved onto a zaggkeys + ipad combo. Tipped on its back constantly.

Got a conventional asus 15" laptop. Nice, but still heavy.

Finally settled on a macbook air 11". Best computer i've ever had.

I did like the chromebook, but until scrivener comes in ios or android flavors, the macbook is the winner for me. But everyone is different.

For me it's almost always come down to something a former boss said to me: "You know what's expensive? Buying the wrong d**n thing." I have found it to be true 99.9% of the time.


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## SawyerPentecost (Jul 11, 2013)

But I DO love it when I hear about someone who wrote a book on a phone, or tablet, or mini pc...that's dedication!


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

David,


Thanks so much for your impressions of the HP Chromebook 11. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

A few days ago, I dropped by a Best Buy. They had the HP 11, the HP 14, and the Acer C720, all of which I've been considering. The only one missing was the not-yet-released Toshiba 13.3.

Having handled them all personally now, I can say that the HP 11 was my favorite, for two reasons. First, the two-pound weight made it feel VERY portable while the HP 14 felt like it was ALMOST verging on being as heavy as a traditional laptop (even though it's not... my Asus 17 Windows 7 laptop from three-four years ago is well over ten pounds!)

But boy oh boy, the difference between four pounds and two pounds is huge.

Furthermore, I love that the HP 11 runs off the same sort of power cord a cell phone or tablet uses. That makes it feel more portable, too.

And the design is just slick.

The 11 felt a bit small next to the 14, but I could see myself adjusting to that.

The biggest culture shocks were: the trackpad seems to be a one-button mouse design, similar to Apple products, which is a big adjustment for someone like me who's used to two-button mouses.

Also, I'm used to a full, extended keyboard, which means my right pinky likes to search out Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down buttons, as well as the Back/Delete buttons.

Because of the keyboard differences with a Chromebook, I kept hitting the Power Off button, located as the uppermost key on the right hand side of the keyboard. That'll take some adjustment.

Combined with your positive responses, I'm now leaning strongly toward an HP 11 instead of an HP 14.

Sure, the stronger processor and more RAM would be nice... but I have a cell phone and tablet to run Netflix and YouTube. If I'm going to use this primarily as a writing and web-browsing machine, I think I can avoid Netflix and YouTube.

I'll probably just focus on the writing tasks and maybe Google Play Music via the HP 11.

Besides, it's less than $300. If all goes well, I can just update to a faster model with more RAM in a year or two.  In the meantime, it's my "work on my latest WIP while out in the living room" PC...

...Now I just need to get to a place where I can afford the HP 11...

(At least using it as a dedicated writing machine, I can probably deduct it as a business expense as a writer... for next year's tax cycle, not this year's, naturally.)


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

jtbullet said:


> I had one. In the end, it was too small for my hands.
> 
> Finally settled on a macbook air 11". Best computer i've ever had.


Umm... an 11 inch Chromebook and an 11 inch MacBook Air are... the same size.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

jtbullet said:


> I had one. In the end, it was too small for my hands.
> 
> I moved onto a zaggkeys + ipad combo. Tipped on its back constantly.
> 
> ...


Always buy the right tool for you. Spend as much as you can to get a quality item. I pay as much as I can for bedding, because it's a third of my day. And I don't skimp on my computers. This Chromebook wasn't just about price, though that was a factor, and an important one since it matched up feature-wise with what I would've done with a more expensive machine.

The Chromebook 11's keyboard has full size keys like on the Macbook Air, and is certainly a larger keyboard than a Zagg with an iPad which is a reduced keyboard. But if Scrivener's your thing, it's not going to make you happy. I just don't need Scrivener anymore, so I'm good with that. I deluded myself into thinking I needed it for a long time, but for a linear writer like me, it's just too much fuss and bloat. Again, for me. Some writers need Scrivener. I'm just not one of them.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> But if Scrivener's your thing, it's not going to make you happy. I just don't need Scrivener anymore, so I'm good with that. I deluded myself into thinking I needed it for a long time, but for a linear writer like me, it's just too much fuss and bloat. Again, for me. Some writers need Scrivener. I'm just not one of them.


I love Scrivener, but I can write without it. The idea, for me, of the Chromebook is that I can write in Docs while I'm out in the living room. Then, later on, when it's time to do serious-time, dedicated writing, I'll be on my Win7 desktop, which has Scrivener, and moving material from Docs to Scriv is easy-peasy.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> But boy oh boy, the difference between four pounds and two pounds is huge.
> 
> Furthermore, I love that the HP 11 runs off the same sort of power cord a cell phone or tablet uses. That makes it feel more portable, too.
> 
> ...


The design is very slick. Get one somewhere that will let you make a return. I got mine from Google Play for that reason, in case it doesn't work for you.

You can two-finger tap for right-click, which is what I'm used to doing. Coming from a Macbook, the experience here is fairly normal for me, except the control button on the far left does the stuff I'm used to Command next to the spacebar doing on the Mac. There are lots of keyboard tricks, like Alt + Backspace for forward delete.

It's a smidgen thicker than the Macbook Air and a smidgen lighter, and it really makes a difference. The micro USB charger is nice, because I've got a backup battery pack I can carry with me to boost it.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

I love that most of the time I check this thread, it's when I'm using my Chromebook.


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## My_Txxxx_a$$_Left_Too (Feb 13, 2014)

Content removed due to TOS Change of 2018. I do not agree to the terms.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

AnnChristy said:


> I did notice when I was shopping for it, that the salepeople who normally look me over and are then very helpful were actually...and I don't think this is too strong a word...disdainful when I said I was after a chromebook. One of them actually said, "You know that isn't a real computer, right?"


Some salespeople just get a little...skittish when people come to buy them - some people genuinely think it's a "real" computer, just one that's very cheap...then proceed to ignore the explanation, and pitch a fit when they take it home and it isn't running windows.

I bought a replacement one on Friday (I cracked the screen on my first...it's now going to be a media centre for the TV) and had the salesman start the little "do you know what you're buying" dance before I shut him up with "I own this already, I'm just buying a new one"...and the one I got (last in stock) was a repack because someone had bought it, expecting it to be a windows computer.

I'm not saying that salesman can't be demeaning little notsafeforkboardswords, cause they honestly can be - but in this case, there's possibly a "stupid previous customers" element at play.


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

Rin said:


> Some salespeople just get a little...skittish when people come to buy them - some people genuinely think it's a "real" computer, just one that's very cheap...then proceed to ignore the explanation, and pitch a fit when they take it home and it isn't running windows.


Yeah, I have a friend working in computer retail, and he'll often comment about the number of people bringing back perfectly good laptops because 'it's not as fast as my desktop' ... *face-palm* And that's not even getting into Chromebooks.


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## seela connor (Apr 11, 2011)

I have a chromebook. It's my preferred way to do anything on the web and the chromebook vastly improves my ability to get work done remotely. I have an acer C720 ($199) and I get ~ 8 hrs of battery life. For such an inexpensive device, I'm shocked by how much I like it.

Basically, here's my workflow:

- Write in Google Docs.
- When I'm ready to publish, I export to Markdown using this script: http://lifehacker.com/this-script-converts-google-documents-to-markdown-for-e-511746113
- I use pandoc to convert markdown to a well-formatted epub, kindlegen to convert the epub to mobi, and calibre command line tools to convert the epub to a pdf.
(I've written a script that automates all of this, as well as resizing my cover images to the appropriate sizes. At some point I'll get around to putting the script somewhere that others can use it!)
- I've stopped using meatgrinder on Smashwords, preferring the direct upload of an epub, but pandoc does markdown to doc conversion, or it's easy enough to save the file from Google docs as a docx and Save As... in Word to a .doc.

The nice thing about this setup is that I have a nice, full-featured machine at home that I need to keep updated and a cheap, fast laptop that has great battery life for those times when I'm out in the world. Since I have a mac mini as my home machine, it's also the cheapest way to get into a mac computer. I'm not as scared of losing the chromebook, like I was with my macbook air, because replacing it is so inexpensive.


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

They could be asking if you know it's not a "real" computer because of returns. People are idiots and don't know what they're getting into. Somehow it's different if it's a tablet, even though the #1 feedback I've head on tablets is "what do you mean, I can't install MS Office." (Which has now changed to "OMG you have to pay monthly to install office?!")


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

AnnChristy said:


> I did notice when I was shopping for it, that the salepeople who normally look me over and are then very helpful were actually...and I don't think this is too strong a word...disdainful when I said I was after a chromebook. One of them actually said, "You know that isn't a real computer, right?"
> 
> I had to explain what I was using it for before they would stop pointing me towards another laptop. A little insulting, to be honest.


Customer service, brought to you by Microsoft. 

I had a similar experience at a Best Buy once. I asked a guy about Chromebook and he started talking about Windows 8 and Surface.

I let him go on for a bit, but finally interrupted and said, "You do realize I asked about a Chromebook, right? Not Windows 8."

His response was, "Oh. I thought you wanted to talk about a REAL computer." And then flat-out walked away from me.

So yeah, there are some highly biased idiots on various sales floors around the country.

It should be noted the guy who did that to me was standing right in front of a Chromebook display when he did it.

I was briefly employed for a CompUSA once, and the motto there was "sell a customer based on what we have on hand." This guy apparently never learned that lesson.


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## Aero (Jan 17, 2014)

I have the C720P, the acer Chromebook with touch screen. I'm pretty amazed at this little laptop compared to my previous netbook that choked just running gmail. There are tutorials that let you run Linux right from within chrome OS and I'll get that going next weekend along with scrivener for Linux. For now I'll just make notes in Google docs and then copy into scrivener on my workstation. It feels how I wish my iPad did with an add-on keyboard. Usable. 

A few things I love:

Two finger swipe left/right to go back in a web page
Two finger scrolling up/down (had to turn off the wonky Australian style scrolling)
Enabling the double tap drag in accessibility
Enabling pinch to zoom for the touch screen in settings (strange that it wasn't on by default)
Figuring out that ALT+Backspace = Delete


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

Customer service in many Best Buys and the like can be really crappy at times because the folks who work there are often avid computer gamers. That's their world view. So they often don't understand why you want a Chromebook, or a Macbook, or an iPad (that's changed), or a Surface. They couldn't get any use out of such things, and surely you do the same sorts of things with your machine as they do. I've seen so many customers misled or steered toward things that have far too much power or weight or features they don't need for more money. Every now and then I see a good sales rep who figures out what the person needs and steers them appropriately.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

seela said:


> I have a chromebook. It's my preferred way to do anything on the web and the chromebook vastly improves my ability to get work done remotely. I have an acer C720 ($199) and I get ~ 8 hrs of battery life. For such an inexpensive device, I'm shocked by how much I like it.
> 
> Basically, here's my workflow:
> 
> ...


That's an awesome workflow! If only I could dump Word which has, for the first time ever, begun to cause me problems recently. But I need track changes for working with my proofreader.


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## LeeBee (Feb 19, 2014)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> That's an awesome workflow! If only I could dump Word which has, for the first time ever, begun to cause me problems recently. But I need track changes for working with my proofreader.


David, if you could get your proofreader to use Google Docs, there is a very good track changes add-on. All you would have to do is turn on track changes and highlight new changes, share the document (with edit permissions) with your proofreader, and he or she could then make all the corrections and comments. Then your proofreader shoots you an email when the editing is done, and you go in and look at all the corrections.


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> That's an awesome workflow! If only I could dump Word which has, for the first time ever, begun to cause me problems recently. But I need track changes for working with my proofreader.


If LeeBee's suggestion doesn't work for you, for whatever reason - try OpenOffice or LibreOffice? Depending on your Word issues, it might be more robust, and it has track changes functionality inbuilt.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

AnnChristy said:


> So, after this awesome thread and a little research, this Miss Sceptical is responding from a brand new chromebook!
> 
> You guys had so many good things to say that it won me over.
> 
> ...


http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,182749.msg2578257.html#msg2578257


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## Shaun Dowdall (Mar 8, 2013)

Some sales people just stick to what they know and are comfortable with. It's a bit insane when I see how few people understand modern tech and digital, even those who work with the stuff (I should know, I see those people every day) At the end of the day there is no one size fits all product, people have to decide what works for them, and go for that solution. 

For me, my Macbook Pro is my main writers tool, my iPad air with attached keyboard, my portable writers tool. I went to have a look at Chromebooks yesterday as I hadn't yet seen one in the flesh, and must admit I was impressed.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

nomesque said:


> If LeeBee's suggestion doesn't work for you, for whatever reason - try OpenOffice or LibreOffice? Depending on your Word issues, it might be more robust, and it has track changes functionality inbuilt.


Oh no! It's not causing LibreOffice/OpenOffice problems. Those two were a train wreck *for me*. Word isn't crashing. It's just misbehaving, primarily by switching from English as the default document language to a mix of Swedish/Dutch/Italian randomly. This is only a problem when spell checking. The other annoyance is the ribbon freezing onto the current selection after a lot of use. That gets fixed with a simple restart.

It's nothing that affects the integrity of my document (which is backed up anyway, of course).

I tried LibreOffice last year and it was insufficient, so I had to purchase a new copy of Word.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

I suspect those sales people would have a different attitude if the Chromebook sold for $700. Commissions matter. Then it would be a serious alternative for the busy multi-tasker dealing with the fast pace of change today.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

LeeBee said:


> David, if you could get your proofreader to use Google Docs, there is a very good track changes add-on. All you would have to do is turn on track changes and highlight new changes, share the document (with edit permissions) with your proofreader, and he or she could then make all the corrections and comments. Then your proofreader shoots you an email when the editing is done, and you go in and look at all the corrections.


The Track Changes add-on isn't very good. My editor (not proofreader) and I tested it. The add-on couldn't handle a 35,000 word document with a reasonable number of edits on only two chapters. It bogged down, crashed my document several times, and gave a few error messages. This was tried on an i5 Mac with 16 GB of RAM and an HP 11 Chromebook. Good internet both times. I would hate to see it with all of a proofreader's marks over the course of a 100,000 word document.

This is why track changes needs to be built in to Google Docs. Honestly, I don't know why they haven't done this already. It's the number one thing I know of that keeps a lot of people who can switch from switching.


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## LeeBee (Feb 19, 2014)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> The Track Changes add-on isn't very good. My editor (not proofreader) and I tested it. The add-on couldn't handle a 35,000 word document with a reasonable number of edits on only two chapters. It bogged down, crashed my document several times, and gave a few error messages. This was tried on an i5 Mac with 16 GB of RAM and an HP 11 Chromebook. Good internet both times. I would hate to see it with all of a proofreader's marks over the course of a 100,000 word document.
> 
> This is why track changes needs to be built in to Google Docs. Honestly, I don't know why they haven't done this already. It's the number one thing I know of that keeps a lot of people who can switch from switching.


I see. I've only tested in on smaller documents so far (mostly chapters and scenes), so I hadn't uncovered that weakness, which is severe if you're trying to use it for editing a whole manuscript.

I agree, they need a built-in change tracking feature in Google Docs. I suspect it's in the works but requires a lot of coding and testing. It's a pretty involved feature.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

LeeBee said:


> I see. I've only tested in on smaller documents so far (mostly chapters and scenes), so I hadn't uncovered that weakness, which is severe if you're trying to use it for editing a whole manuscript.
> 
> I agree, they need a built-in change tracking feature in Google Docs. I suspect it's in the works but requires a lot of coding and testing. It's a pretty involved feature.


Yeah, I think you're right about that. The Track Changes add-on is a script that uses the Docs revision history that's already in place. Google probably needs to do a lot of work under the hood to make track changes fluid and stable for all reasonable document sizes. And who knows where it might be on their priority list.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

After this thread, I did some reading on Chrome Remote. My understanding is it will work on any machine that can host Chrome. One desktop could access another. So if I have two desktop PCs, one iMac, and a ChromeBook, then each desktop could access the other desktops, and the ChromeBook could access all three.

I'll probably find out how it works tonight.


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## LeeBee (Feb 19, 2014)

Terrence OBrien said:


> After this thread, I did some reading on Chrome Remote. My understanding is it will work on any machine that can host Chrome. One desktop could access another. So if I have two desktop PCs, one iMac, and a ChromeBook, then each desktop could access the other desktops, and the ChromeBook could access all three.
> 
> I'll probably find out how it works tonight.


Sounds like we could theoretically use Chrome Remote Desktop to (cue reverb) TAKE OVER THE WORLD!


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

Terrence OBrien said:


> After this thread, I did some reading on Chrome Remote. My understanding is it will work on any machine that can host Chrome. One desktop could access another. So if I have two desktop PCs, one iMac, and a ChromeBook, then each desktop could access the other desktops, and the ChromeBook could access all three.
> 
> I'll probably find out how it works tonight.


Chrome Remote Desktop has worked very well for me. I've had no problems. I could write through CRD if I wanted, using whatever on my Mac, but I prefer not to rely on anything like that. Google Docs is just fine. Or Writer by Big Huge Labs.


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## LeeBee (Feb 19, 2014)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> Chrome Remote Desktop has worked very well for me. I've had no problems. I could write through CRD if I wanted, using whatever on my Mac, but I prefer not to rely on anything like that. Google Docs is just fine. Or Writer by Big Huge Labs.


You'll never take over the world with that attitude.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Terrence OBrien said:


> I suspect those sales people would have a different attitude if the Chromebook sold for $700. Commissions matter. Then it would be a serious alternative for the busy multi-tasker dealing with the fast pace of change today.


That's what one might assume; but salespeople at Best Buy are salaried... they do not earn commissions.

I know, because as a one-time CompUSA employee, the same was true for us. I briefly contemplated jumping from CompUSA to Best Buy, but ultimately decided to get out of retail sales.


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## Daniel Dennis (Mar 3, 2014)

I wrote a 95k word novel in Evernote last year. I busted apart each chapter into separate notes. A Chromebook should have no problems doing that assuming you had internet access. Compiling the novel wasn't too bad. After it was in Word it was all formatting. Not sure how well Google Docs or MS OneDrive would handle that setup.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Daniel Dennis said:


> I wrote a 95k word novel in Evernote last year. I busted apart each chapter into separate notes. A Chromebook should have no problems doing that assuming you had internet access. Compiling the novel wasn't too bad. After it was in Word it was all formatting. Not sure how well Google Docs or MS OneDrive would handle that setup.


Evernote is fine, but why make things complicated?

Google Docs is actually the word processor of the Chromebook.
They are natively set up to work seamlessly together

You can download/export your Google Doc files in MS Doc, but I've read somewhere the translation of the formatting can be somewhat iffy. If you want to do the formatting from the ground up in Word, you could also export your files as Plain Text (.txt) and insert those in Word.


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## Daniel Dennis (Mar 3, 2014)

Ah. Didn't know that. That makes sense though.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


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## LeeBee (Feb 19, 2014)

And the huge bonus, to my mind, is the ability to work offline in Google Docs. That's really what sold me on the Chromebook, because it means I can write on it anywhere, with or without an internet connection.


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## 10105 (Feb 16, 2010)

I was just at Sams looking at the Chromebook. The only one there displayed a background and a window saying that the machine was offline and needed wifi to proceed. There were no buttons to click, no way to wake it up. I didn't have time to get help, but I walked away with the impression that unless you're in range of wifi, the thing is a doorstop. I hope that's not so.


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## LeeBee (Feb 19, 2014)

Al Stevens said:


> I was just at Sams looking at the Chromebook. The only one there displayed a background and a window saying that the machine was offline and needed wifi to proceed. There were no buttons to click, no way to wake it up. I didn't have time to get help, but I walked away with the impression that unless you're in range of wifi, the thing is a doorstop. I hope that's not so.


Not sure how you would get that impression when I've repeatedly said that I use my Chromebook offline all the time. 

However, since the OS is Chrome/Google and the way you can sign in is via your Google account, you do have to have wifi to get started initially. You have to be connected so that you can sign into your Google account, after which you need to set up to access your Google Drive files (and anything else) while offline. All of this must be done before you attempt to use it offline.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

Andrew Ashling said:


> Evernote is fine, but why make things complicated?
> 
> Google Docs is actually the word processor of the Chromebook.
> They are natively set up to work seamlessly together
> ...


Before sending to my proofreader, I download my Google Doc into rtf. I maintain strict styles in Docs and Word. I copy the text from the rtf and paste it into a personal Word template I use. This actually has worked better than straight to Word and adjusted or copied from a Word download. But really, unless your formatting is complex, Google Docs won't put out a Word docx that isn't at least close.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

Al Stevens said:


> I was just at Sams looking at the Chromebook. The only one there displayed a background and a window saying that the machine was offline and needed wifi to proceed. There were no buttons to click, no way to wake it up. I didn't have time to get help, but I walked away with the impression that unless you're in range of wifi, the thing is a doorstop. I hope that's not so.


I can't count the number of times I've gone into Best Buy to try out machines, and yet they're not connected to wifi, or need to be turned on, but then when I turn them on I don't have the password to log in, or the machines are just broken and yet still on display. It's astounding. Local Best Buy had the same problem with half the Chromebook models. No one had logged in while the wifi was on, or ever did, so the machines were kind of useless. In fact, I'm fairly certain they just plugged them up, hit the power button, and then thought about how much they detest anything that isn't a Windows gaming rig.


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## 10105 (Feb 16, 2010)

LeeBee said:


> Not sure how you would get that impression when I've repeatedly said that I use my Chromebook offline all the time.


Because I was standing in front of a gizmo that wouldn't do squat until it had a taste of wifi. Did I need to take it across the street to McDonald's to get a demo?


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## seela connor (Apr 11, 2011)

LeeBee said:


> I see. I've only tested in on smaller documents so far (mostly chapters and scenes), so I hadn't uncovered that weakness, which is severe if you're trying to use it for editing a whole manuscript.
> 
> I agree, they need a built-in change tracking feature in Google Docs. I suspect it's in the works but requires a lot of coding and testing. It's a pretty involved feature.





David Alastair Hayden said:


> The Track Changes add-on isn't very good. My editor (not proofreader) and I tested it. The add-on couldn't handle a 35,000 word document with a reasonable number of edits on only two chapters. It bogged down, crashed my document several times, and gave a few error messages. This was tried on an i5 Mac with 16 GB of RAM and an HP 11 Chromebook. Good internet both times. I would hate to see it with all of a proofreader's marks over the course of a 100,000 word document.
> 
> This is why track changes needs to be built in to Google Docs. Honestly, I don't know why they haven't done this already. It's the number one thing I know of that keeps a lot of people who can switch from switching.


I'm assuming that you've tried the built in "Revision History" in Google Docs and found it lacking. I realize that it's definitely not the same as the "Track Changes" functionality, but it's served me pretty well under most conditions that I've needed version history.

An alternative is to use Microsoft's free One Drive Word Online, which is pretty much Microsoft's answer to Google Docs. It's free and Chromebook compatible, offers desktop Word integration (2010 and above). Might be a smooth workflow for those who use Word. I try to avoid Word, so I'm not the best judge, but it's worth considering...


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

seela said:


> I'm assuming that you've tried the built in "Revision History" in Google Docs and found it lacking. I realize that it's definitely not the same as the "Track Changes" functionality, but it's served me pretty well under most conditions that I've needed version history.
> 
> An alternative is to use Microsoft's free One Drive Word Online, which is pretty much Microsoft's answer to Google Docs. It's free and Chromebook compatible, offers desktop Word integration (2010 and above). Might be a smooth workflow for those who use Word. I try to avoid Word, so I'm not the best judge, but it's worth considering...


My editor and proofreader are both brilliant, but I don't always agree with them. Or, I get where I'm wrong but I want a different right than the one they suggest, so to speak. So I need to be able to approve or reject every change. I can't handle just seeing everything that's been changed the way revision history works, not over the course of so many words. It might work on a short story, but then the Track Changes add-on might work on a short story.

Unfortuantely, MS Word online doesn't have track changes. Only the desktop and iOS versions.


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## LeeBee (Feb 19, 2014)

Al Stevens said:


> Because I was standing in front of a gizmo that wouldn't do squat until it had a taste of wifi. Did I need to take it across the street to McDonald's to get a demo?


Well, you should just come to Portland. We'll show you how they work.


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## 10105 (Feb 16, 2010)

LeeBee said:


> Well, you should just come to Portland. We'll show you how they work.


Been there several times. The indie publisher that got me launched in the late 1980s was based there. Then, in the early 90s I played several years at a jazz festival in a nearby small town named Sisters. Great times in Oregon.


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## LeeBee (Feb 19, 2014)

Al Stevens said:


> Been there several times. The indie publisher that got me launched in the late 1980s was based there. Then, in the early 90s I played several years at a jazz festival in a nearby small town named Sisters. Great times in Oregon.


Sounds like it's about time for another visit.


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## seela connor (Apr 11, 2011)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> Unfortuantely, MS Word online doesn't have track changes. Only the desktop and iOS versions.


Yes, my thought was that the tight integration between desktop Word and Word Online might make for a cleaner workflow... But you would still have to manage the track changes stuff on the desktop version.


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> Oh no! It's not causing LibreOffice/OpenOffice problems. Those two were a train wreck *for me*. Word isn't crashing. It's just misbehaving, primarily by switching from English as the default document language to a mix of Swedish/Dutch/Italian randomly. This is only a problem when spell checking. The other annoyance is the ribbon freezing onto the current selection after a lot of use. That gets fixed with a simple restart.


Ahh. Can't help you on the ribbon freezing, but Word does have... 4, I think... places that language is set. If any of those are set incorrectly, you'll see some odd behaviour (that said, with large documents you often see odd behaviour from Word, regardless). You can set the language in the Preferences, in the document (sometimes the document template), the paragraph style, and in the paragraph itself. Avoid that last, imo, but make sure they're set correctly in the other three places, and you SHOULD be right.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Daniel Dennis said:


> Ah. Didn't know that. That makes sense though.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


Just a suggestion. Since you are familiar with Evernote, why not use it for what it was designed: taking notes.

You can have a notebook for each novel.
You could keep notes about characters, places, major events and turning points.
Or notes about some specialized research you have done. You can include links.
You could keep a note to capture raw ideas as they occur to you. If you have a smartphone you can literally do this on the go, since there is an Android app for Evernote as well.

The tag function should be a great help in organizing everything.

Evernote supports bullet lists, which should make it good enough for simple outlining (if you're not a pantser).

IIRC Evernote provides a Chrome app that makes it possible to work offline as well.


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## Daniel Dennis (Mar 3, 2014)

Andrew Ashling said:


> Just a suggestion. Since you are familiar with Evernote, why not use it for what it was designed: taking notes.


Everything is in Evernote from notes, outlines, and character profiles to the rough draft. It was a solid choice at the time because of its wide-reaching cloud-based platform. It works surprisingly well and increased my output because the functionality is pretty basic compared to a word processor. I did a lot of writing and editing on tablet devices. I tried a few others: SkyDrive, Google Drive, even a Office-like Android app. None were as easy and seamless across every platform as Evernote. I've since moved to Scrivener. Working mobile is a bit of a chore now with all the export/importing. But I make it work.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Daniel Dennis said:


> Everything is in Evernote from notes, outlines, and character profiles to the rough draft. It was a solid choice at the time because of its wide-reaching cloud-based platform. It works surprisingly well and increased my output because the functionality is pretty basic compared to a word processor. I did a lot of writing and editing on tablet devices. I tried a few others: SkyDrive, Google Drive, even a Office-like Android app. None were as easy and seamless across every platform as Evernote. I've since moved to Scrivener. Working mobile is a bit of a chore now with all the export/importing. But I make it work.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk




Whatever you feel comfortable with.

There is a thread of accessing your main computer through Chromebook and working directly with Scrivener.
But I'm sure you discovered that one already.

ETA:

If not: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,182749.0.html


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