Chrome OS 69 Brings New Look, Linux App Support
- Paul Thurrott
- Sep 18, 2018
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72
Chrome OS 69 is available publicly today for the first time, bringing the same Material Design Refresh that we saw in the Chrome web browser last month. This release also includes Linux app support on select Chromebooks and other new features.
“The Stable channel has been updated to 69.0.3497.95 (Platform version: 10895.56.0) for most Chrome OS devices,” Google’s Chrome Releases blog blandly announced today. “This build contains a number of bug fixes and security updates. Systems will be receiving updates over the next several days.”
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The most obvious new feature is the Material Design Refresh, which adds curved user interface elements through the system, including the browser tabs and address bar, the notification pane, the slide-up Apps pane, and more. But Chrome OS 69 also includes other improvements. A limited range of Chromebooks can now run Linux apps. Other new features include:
- Files app UI refresh with new support for accessing Play files
- Native support for Team Drives in Files app
- Save Play app files directly to Files app via the share sheet
- Dictation into any text field, a new feature in accessibility settings
- Power state alerts for Kiosk apps
- Global text-to-speech settings
- Night Light
- Fast Access to Emojis
- OOBE visual improvements
- Swipe to close apps in Overview
- Tablet mode behavior unification
- Video capture service
- Fixes for the L1TF and Foreshadow vulnerabilities
Conversation 72 comments
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skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#325093">In reply to JG1170:</a></em></blockquote><p>AYK, I don't believe that approaches like DeX will be successful, but I did see a TV commercial for it for the first time a few days ago.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#325258">In reply to ghostrider:</a></em></blockquote><p>Where did you get the idea that Chromebooks are cheaper than Windows laptops? Chromebooks can't beat on price because they are using the same standard set of components and devices that everybody uses. This was the fatal flaw that alternative platforms have suffered from since the days of Sun and Oracle's "network computers".</p>
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Bats
<blockquote><em><a href="#325166">In reply to VancouverNinja:</a></em></blockquote><p>1% market share? Chrome browser is used by practically everyone in the world and Chrome OS is nothing more than Chrome Browser on steroids. </p><p><br></p><p>You clearly have sour grapes.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#325231">In reply to Bats:</a></em></blockquote><p>No, Chrome is a browser and Chrome OS is an operating system that uses Chrome as its browser. They are two very different things.</p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><em><a href="#325257">In reply to jprestig:</a></em></blockquote><p>Actually you are wrong. If you go over to statcounter or w3schools, ChromeOS has actually lost market share in 2018. Both of those sites are tracking less than 1% (.2% and .6%). down from a max of 1.3%.</p><p><br></p><p>I have 3 kids and at their grade school they used Chromebooks/Google Apps. All of them are now out of grade school and their high schools use Windows 10 computer with Office 365/Onedrive etc. They are at private high schools so maybe it is simply the fact they have an IT budget and they want the best???</p><p><br></p><p>All of them HATED the chromebooks. Their friends that go to public high school in some cases use Chromebooks/Google apps and they too HATE chromebooks, with statements like "hardly anyone actually uses the chrome books" telling me they prefer to use their iPhones with Google docs, or wait to get home to their PC/Mac to use those devices to login into their school Google accounts.</p><p><br></p><p>One thing no one has mentioned so far is privacy. Google and Facebook are facing the most pressure ever from the EU and now in the US congress about the data they collect and how it is used. It is a rapidly rising issue in US politics on both sides of the political spectrum. If Google is impacted by possible future legislation it will impact their business and possibly in a big way. Will all of those Google products still be free to schools?? Will Google just shut them down…..you know like Inbox, reader or picasa???</p><p><br></p><p>ChomeOS is a resounding failure in the market place. Chromebooks are nothing but future landfill.</p>
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My Hell baby speaking
<blockquote><em><a href="#325350">In reply to Stooks:</a></em></blockquote><p>They will still be big, but they will be severely diminished within the next five years.</p><p><br></p><p>The antitrust case in the EU may bring some improvements from the consumers' privacy perspective and freedom in every day usage. Anyhow that's where my hope rests.</p><p><br></p><p>I'm interested to know what do you mean by diminish, though? Receding install base of Android in favor of iOs usage? Alphabet loosing revenue and cancelling future projects like Fuchsia or stalling development on Android? Google's Android division being jettisoned by GOOGL and dying a slow painful death by customer's reawoken with a then market entering OS by Microsoft?</p><p>I'd like to hear more.</p>
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dontbe evil
<blockquote><em><a href="#325113">In reply to Truffles:</a></em></blockquote><p>"this will be the year of Linux" (every year)</p>
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Bats
<p>I don't know what time, Thurrott posted this, but today at about 5:15pm I just bought an Acer 15" Spin Chromebook at Best Buy for my mom. I showed it to her, she smiled, and started using it right away. That would never….EVER…..happen with a Windows PC. If I had to buy her a Windows PC, as a dutiful son (lol), I would have to install an antivirus, ant-malware, Chrome browser…..*sigh*….. printer drivers, download Chrome browser…..*sigh*….. yada yada yada. However, being an AWESOME son, I bought her this large Chromebook (my mom has a hard time seeing things) and everything is …all set. Even the printer (Google Cloud Print) is all set. I didn't even have to do a thing to set that up. </p><p><br></p><p>Why can't effin Microsoft do the same effin thing? They should. Windows 10 PCs are clearly dying.</p><p><br></p>
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pargon
Premium Member<blockquote><em><a href="#325234">In reply to Bats:</a></em></blockquote><p>Sounds like you're describing windows 7. Print drivers take a couple minutes to install manually, windows usually finds the wifi printer automatically upon a fresh install and then uses windows update to download and install the printer. </p><p><br></p><p>Anti-virus usually causes more issues than it's worth now days, Windows defender works great. Chrome take all of 2 minutes from download to sign in with your account and sync all settings. These are all non issues….windows has never been so simple to setup and be off and running. </p><p><br></p><p>Sure, if you're one of those that hates on Microsoft's telemetry but freely gives all their data to Amazon, Google or apple, it would take another 10 minutes to change those settings and set a desktop background and color to finish up the look and feel of the OS.</p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><em><a href="#325241">In reply to Pargon:</a></em></blockquote><p>If you have a problem with the basic telemetry in Windows 10 and go to ChromeOS because of that issue, you are a special kind of stupid.</p><p><br></p><p>Yesterday I pulled a Samsung SSD out of a Ryzen 2700 system we have in our lab. I moved it over to a another system we built that has a 8700k in it. Same video card in each (1050ti). I booted it up and it sat at a "Detecting New Hardware" screen or whatever it said for about 4 min and then finished booting up perfectly fine into Windows 10 Enterprise. All hardware had been detected and drivers installed.</p><p><br></p><p>Windows 10 is not perfect but it is IMHO the best Windows to date.</p>
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My Hell baby speaking
<blockquote><em><a href="#325234">In reply to Bats:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Very true – the Win10 update process alone with hours wasted and the chain of reboots is a joke for an os in the 21st century. For someone like me who is familiar with Linux/*BSD and less with Windows this is a frightening thing to attend. Not to mention for $MOM.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#325234">In reply to Bats:</a></em></blockquote><p>Well, if you already own a Google Cloud Print printer than minimal configuration is required, but most home users don't own one. If you don't own such a printer, the path to printing on a Chromebook is far, far more complicated than it is on Windows assuming you can get it to work at all.</p><p><br></p><p>Downloading Chrome on Windows is certainly an option, but isn't a necessary step to successfully run Windows and use the Internet. Likewise third-party antivirus isn't a necessity to run Windows or stay secure. </p>
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My Hell baby speaking
<blockquote><em><a href="#325607">In reply to jrickel96:</a></em></blockquote><p>I have printed from Android with far better results and with less (means nil) technical hiccups – other than from Win10. Now I print with the same great results I had with Android from ChromeOS using the Android printer service and a vendor's printing app. Printing on Android and ChromeOS is awsome.</p>
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My Hell baby speaking
<blockquote><em><a href="#325693">In reply to jrickel96:</a></em></blockquote><blockquote><br></blockquote><p>Read again. Where did I mention Google cloud print.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#325722">In reply to My Hell baby speaking:</a></em></blockquote><p>While you didn't mention Google cloud print, it is the standard method that Chromebooks use to print. Android support isn't available on all Chromebooks and using it to print as an alternative to ChromeOS is a bit of a kludge.</p>
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My Hell baby speaking
<blockquote><a href="#325760"><em>In reply to skane2600:</em></a></blockquote><blockquote><br></blockquote><p>With so many vendors supporting Android/ChromeOS I wouldn't call Google cloud print an standard method. On Chromebooks Android supporting or not there is still "HP Print for Chrome" with excellent printing results. It lacks scanning support afaik.</p><p>Moreover, I just noticed there is also CUPS/IPP on Chrome. </p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#325773">In reply to My Hell baby speaking:</a></em></blockquote><p>You should look at the reviews of "HP Print for Chrome" on the Chrome web store. In any case, a third-party, vendor-specific method of printing can't be considered a standard. CUPS is pretty much hit or miss on every platform and often very complicated to set up.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#325445">In reply to jdmp10:</a></em></blockquote><p>IE was the dominant browser on the PC but its influence beyond that was fairly limited. Sure a few web sites didn't want to bother with niche browsers and so would say "best with Internet Explorer", but the fear that IE's dominance would lead to MS dominating the Internet was never credible and history proves it wasn't.</p><p><br></p><p>Google's influence to the web is a lot greater, but it's worth remembering that you don't need Chrome to use most of Google's web services.</p>
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jean
<blockquote><em><a href="#325508">In reply to sgbassett:</a></em></blockquote><p>may I kindly ask what it is you need to do to maintain a Windows Device ?</p><p>I do absolutely nothing at all – so how can anything be easier to maintain than having to do nothing at all ?</p>
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My Hell baby speaking
<blockquote><a href="#325395"><em>In reply to longhorn:</em></a></blockquote><blockquote><br></blockquote><p>Try for yourself. My Acer 15 although not a particular beast of a machine (Pentium N4200, 8GB) is running Linux programs just great. No difference with Gimp and LibreOffice compared to my i7 Thinkpad. Only complaint is, that file space for the Linux container is seperate from $HOME on my CB. This is a beta however and I expect this to be fixed with the coming releases.</p><p>Performance wise and stability wise this is a banger.</p>
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