You’ll always find the one that actually designs computers on a tech forum! 
3 Likes
Or go hard mode and get either clear or blank keys
2 Likes
Compuserve was around in the 80s. 300 baud modem, or the blazing fast 1200 baud one if you splurged…
Prodigy too, just remembered that one.
1 Like
I’m intrigued, I’ve never looked at a Chromebook with much more than “this looks like a nice cheap device for college students that don’t need a lot of performance/etc”. What would your parameters be that the FW13 (or FW16) CB stand out to you over other Chromebooks or even a normal FW13(/16)?
Also, welcome to the community!
Blank keys with silver sharpie lettering poorly drawn on will be sure to grab attention!
1 Like
I don’t recall when I bought my Sinclair ZX81, but my first “real” PC was received November 5, 1988. I remember paying extra to upgrade the hard drive from 20MB to 40MB! And yes, I used Compuserve (sparingly, since it was breathtakingly expensive).
My parameters include a 12-14" 3:2 display that can be used in the shade outdoors, at least an i3-class processor, an AUP date of at least 2030, weight of 3 pounds or less, a “set it and forget it” security model (hence a Chromebook), at least 6 hours of battery life, and a domestic (to the US) manufacturer. Upgradeability and repairability are nice-to-haves but not absolutely mandatory.
Edit: Oops, forgot one, full-size HDMI out.
3 Likes
I’m having a hard time looking into this and finding this to be really reflected well with Google’s and Chromium security issues that are typical to at least the browser. Could you do into detail on that? I know Linux would be pretty good as a “set it and forget it” but as it stands its not as optimized for battery performance (you’d likely get about 4 hours on the 12th gen with the 55Wh battery). I can see how if the CB model is fairly typical and you don’t need power-user level access to the OS for working, but I’ve always seen COS as a hinderance because of that for most, especially if you’re the type to want to tinker / repair your device, I’m curious why you wouldn’t be interested in another OS.
I guess it’s never really crossed my mind 
I guess if most of your workflow or daily use is just web browsing or simple document editing, the CB is really good. I guess I just like the overhead of an open OS myself, so it just seems foreign to me!
My primary use for this device is web browsing. I still want it to be powerful for the occasions when I will use Linux or Android apps, but most of the time I’ll be browsing. It will not be my primary computer.
I’ve owned Linux, Windows, and Chromebooks, but have spent most of my time on Windows. I’m exhausted by the constant updates, forced upgrades, and more … it’s endless. I’m less familiar with Linux, but with Mint it’s been a rocky road with upgrades and updates, and I haven’t enjoyed it one bit.
At one time I managed a bunch of Windows PCs with Deep Freeze installed, and it was wonderful being able to reboot a PC knowing that it would be instantly restored to its previous state. Got a virus? Reboot. It’s comforting that I can use a Chromebook in Guest mode and have a somewhat similar experience. It’s nice to know that I can give the Chromebook to a non-technical friend or relative and just show them Guest mode, and not have to worry that they’ll mess things up, and that the computer will keep getting updated even without their help. There’s a reason that schools have adopted Chromebooks.
Just because I tinker with hardware config doesn’t mean I want to tinker with software. I just want an easy-to-manage device, since I already have three not-so-easy-to-manage devices.
I probably didn’t answer all your questions, but hopefully this gives a better sense of why I’m opting for a Chromebook here.
2 Likes
This is understandable. Mint is doing really well but haven’t fully gotten the ease-of-updates overnight quite yet. Linux has a little ways to go but they’re getting there across all distros. Hopefully SteamOS 3 takes some massive cakes for easy updates, so far my experience on the Deck makes it seem very viable (though forcing it onto other devices seems less ideal atm).
Good point, different worlds totally.
You did, it helps out certainly. If I were in your position I’d likely choose the same thing since you already have multiple other devices and this won’t be your main daily driver. It’s good for your use case and it’s nice that FW offers their CB version.
Were you expecting an update to the CB version in this keynote? Usually CB agreements with Google take a little to get setup and its off-market release schedules, so not typically on the same times that Intel and AMD have their new hardware releasing. I expect them to eventually offer more, but especially for their target audience mainly and the size of the company, I’d give them a little but before a new one is announced. As it stands now, the current version is very very nice from what I’ve heard.
1 Like
This is probably one of the most convincing arguments for ChromeOS I have ever seen! I’m feeling convinced to switch over and try flex now .
Clearly in your 40 years of forum use you’ve also managed to learn the unobtainable skill of actually providing incredibly convincing arguments !!
4 Likes
I had no expectations going in, but after seeing all of the other updates I’ve decided to hold off until at least some improvements filter out to the Chromebook. What you said makes perfect sense, at least as far as the mainboard goes. I guess it wouldn’t be too surprising if Google’s Chromebook agreement encompasses everything about the device, even aspects that would seem independent from the OS, such as battery capacity and matte display.
Thank you. If only that same skill worked with family discussions! 
1 Like
Possibly, but I seriously hope Google doesn’t put stupid restrictions on. They’re pretty slow to change those kinds of things and it could hurt FW down the line being stuck with old “acceptable by Google” hardware. Hopefully they let FW do what is needed and just put the right necessary processor specs in, which in FW’s case, is usually really really good.
1 Like
Ain’t that the truth!
I live in norway so thats a problem for me.
I really want to wait for the framework 16 comes out. The laptop we got from our school sucks and I dont have a good pc either so I would want something that could game and work on.
1 Like
Or do what I did and install Kinoite. The secret is in immutable operating systems. They are the future. iOS does it, MacOS does it, Fedora SilverBlue and Kinoite do it. Android SHOULD do it but support is spotty by manufacturers and Google won’t force the issue. I switched to Rawhide and it completely broke my system. You know what I did? Did a rollback and everything was groovy. I was back on Fedora 37. Flatpaks pretty much do everything I need and I overlay what little software Flatpak doesn’t cover (like codecs or TLP). It adds an additional barrier to malware too since the OS files are read-only. And provides a solid base for updates since the base config is known by developers. So long as you can do everything you need to do in Flatpaks or Toolbox, updates should never break your config.
1 Like
Battery life very much is part of that agreement. NRP said that they had to find battery life improvements for that board for Google to allow them to sell it.
Hopefully they’ll be able to expand soon! The FW16 looks super promising for students as a main daily driver.
Also welcome to the community!
1 Like
Interesting. Anywhere I can go to learn more about the CB agreements?
Just FYI, while Framework is a US company, all of their laptops are manufactured in Taiwan. I didn’t see anyone bring up this point, but in case it’s a deal breaker for you I wanted to point it out.
3 Likes
This is a good point. Not only are the parts manufactured in Taiwan, but packaged and shipped form there as well (which is why you see people complaining about their laptops being stuck in customs in Alaska here and there sometimes). They are a US company but the product is physically outsourced atm.