YHK - yet another hacker news clone

Google ending ChromeOS support two years early

30 points rbanffy 1 hour ago 13 comments

bryanlarsen 42 minutes ago | parent

> it’s hard to imagine many Chromebooks currently in service or acquired in the next year or two will still be in service come 2034

While there won't be many there definitely will be some; I know of an ~8 year old Chromebook currently in active use.

broodbucket 40 minutes ago | parent

Schools, sadly for the students.

bryanlarsen 35 minutes ago | parent

Chromebooks don't last anywhere close to 10 years in school; they get far too much abuse.

adrianmsmith 40 minutes ago | parent

Exactly.

I know plenty of people who use Apple products such as iPhones and Macs and have to stop using them and throw them into landfill basically because there are no further security updates, although the device works fine and is fast enough for their needs.

Shortening security updates absolutely has an environmental impact.

Wowfunhappy 38 minutes ago | parent

...Unless I'm misunderstanding, I don't think any promises were broken here. Google said they would provide ten years of software updates. Now they're saying existing ChromeOS devices will be upgraded to the new "GoogleOS" within that ten year window, they will continue to receive said updates.

This is annoying if you don't like GoogleOS, but also par for the course. You can't stay on iOS 26 and continue to receive security updates, you have to upgrade to iOS 27.

adrianmsmith 36 minutes ago | parent

I would agree but Google's wording is

> For qualifying devices purchased today whose 10-year support lifecycle extends beyond 2034, Google is committed to supporting your transition to Googlebook OS, with many devices offering direct migration paths

The word "many" feels like it's pretty much explicitly saying it's not "all". If it's not "all" then I'd say the promises were broken.

thenewnewguy 23 minutes ago | parent

It's possible those devices will offer indirect migration paths (e.g. you have to reinstall the OS). While annoying/inconvenient, that would probably still qualify as keeping the promise in my book.

5G_activated 23 minutes ago | parent

It's not just security updates, there's also whether all the device management tools and techniques, training and institutional knowledge, and customer acceptance will carry over to the new OS. Whether the devices that are within AUE and receive the update are going to run the new operating system well, or they're going to languish with poor performance or broken drivers that will never get another look from the manufacturer because they're 2 generations behind in a vast sea of models and individual configurations.

I also can't find anything online to do with what they're going to do to Chrome OS Flex, so thank goodness I didn't set it up for my mum who was sick to death of Windows 11.

5G_activated 32 minutes ago | parent

Yet another market that is never going to trust Google with long term support for a product again!

ltbarcly3 32 minutes ago | parent

Intentionally misleading title.

They are changing the support horizon for new sales only, not ending anything early.

someperson 6 minutes ago | parent

I stopped buying Chromebooks and switched to MacBooks after my fantastic Samsung Chromebook Plus ARM units stopped getting updates after a few years, around the same time the 10 year from release support commitment for new devices was made.

Unfortunately Samsung no longer make Chromebooks, they had some fantastic hardware.