How to Test ChromeOS in Ubuntu

You've probably heard that Google has released its own operating system called ChromeOS, which is basically a Chrome browser with lots of web apps. The ChromeOS is already available for purchase and you can get it now for $249 (Samsung Chromebook). However, what if you want to try it out before you buy it? Or do you want to install ChromeOS on your PC without buying the netbook? If you are an Ubuntu user, here is how you can test it, or even use it with your Ubuntu.

Note :Before we start, it is important to note that the ChromiumOS package will only work on 64-bit Ubuntu.

Install the ChromeOS package

1. Download the lightdm-login-chromiumos_1.0_amd64.deb file. This is a modified version of ChromeOS that allows you to connect directly from LightDM.

2. Double click on the deb file to install on your Ubuntu machine.

Alternatively, if you install the command line way:

wget https://github.com/downloads/dz0ny/lightdm-login-chromeos/lightdm-login-chromiumos_1.0_amd64.debsudo dpkg -i lightdm-login-chromiumos_1.0_amd64.deb

Connecting to ChromeOS

After installing the ChromiumOS package, all you have to do is log out of your existing session. In the LightDM login session, you should now see a new entry – Chromium OS. Select it.

On next login, you just need to enter your Google password to enter.

After the setup is complete, the first page to appear is the “Getting Started Guide” where you can find instructions for performing various tasks, such as printing, working offline, saving and accessing files, the definition of wallpaper, etc. on Chromium OS.

After that, you can continue to use it like any other browser.

The control panel is mostly located in the lower left and right corners of the screen. The lower left corner is where you can open a new browser/tab and access the Chrome Webstore. The bottom right is the system tray where you can turn on/off your bluetooth, manage internet connection, volume, etc. (Note :Clicking the Stop button will not stop the machine. It will only log you out of LightDM again.)

What works and what doesn't

I haven't tested it fully to find out what doesn't work yet, but according to the developer:

What works:

• Connect directly from LightDM (on the login screen)
• Synchronization, apps, bookmarks
• Flash (install google-chrome-stable)
• Talk (install google-talkplugin)
• Java (icedtea-plugin)
• Simple development for ChromeOS specific plugins/extensions (~/chrome-os/user)
• HW Acceleration
• Tablet mode

What doesn't work:

• Importing images from a camera, other discs, etc. (missing dbus service, mtp daemon)
• System checks, data is ignored and replaced with fake alt text data
• Guest connection (cros subsystem missing)
• Special “KIOSK” mode (switch still exists)
• Automatic updates

As you can see, there are a lot of things that work and some that don't. Many of these "things that don't work" are still being worked on, so they'll probably work in a future release. For now, you might want to test it out and see if you like it. Depending on your needs, you might want to live with the flaws and continue using it, or just go back to Ubuntu and remove it from your system altogether.