Category Archives: Chromium OS

Chromium OS, exton, Exton Linux distributions

ChromX (Chromium OS), Exton Build 201011, with Netflix, Spotify, Gimp, Steam and a lot of other apps working fast and responsive (after you have installed Flatpak – “An app store and build service for Linux”)

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About ChromX
This version (201011) doesn’t replace version 190824. Version 190824 of ChromX can still be downloaded (for free). In both versions you can use Flatpak to install Spotify and many other nice/necessary apps. Read about how to use Flatpak...

How do I run Chromium OS/ChromX?
Normally you run Chromium OS from a USB stick or SD card, but the system can also be installed to hard drive. Could be useful if you want to bring new life to an old computer. Be aware of the fact that Chromium OS can’t be installed together with other Linux systems (or any other OS). It will “take” the whole disk.

The difference between Chromium OS and Google Chrome OS
Chromium OS is the open source project, used primarily by developers, with code that is available for anyone to checkout, modify, and build.
Google Chrome OS is the Google product that OEMs ship on Chromebooks for general consumer use.

The difference between ChromX Build 201011 and Build 190824
When you enable Linux BETA in Build 201011 you will get Debian 10.6 Buster. In Build 190824 you will get Debian 9 Stretch.  For installing Steam (and thus be able to run many games made for Windows) you’ll need Debian Buster.

Why should I use ChromX?
They are many Chromium OS builds out there. Many more mature and ready to go than ChromX. For example CloudReady. ChromX Build 201011/190824 is nevertheless more fun to use in my opinion. Using Flatpak you can tailor the Chromium OS system according to your needs.

ChromX POPULARITY
ChromX Build 190824 have been downloaded about 1000 times each week since it was released, which makes it my most popular dist ever. Only to be compared with ExTiX.

SCREENSHOTS when ChromX is running
1. ChromX first boot screen
2. ChromX Linux BETA sources.list
3. ChromX install Linux BETA (Debian Buster)
4. ChromX installing Steam
5. ChromX installing Spotify using Flatpak

READ MORE…

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 10 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!
Chromium OS, exton, Exton Linux distributions

ChromX (Chromium OS), Exton Build 190824, with Netflix, Spotify, Gimp and a lot of other apps working fast and responsive (after you have installed Flatpak – “An app store and build service for Linux”)

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Run Netflix, Spotify and Steam in ChromX Build 190824
You can run Netflix and Spotify in ChromX when you have enabled Linux BETA (Debian) in ChromX and installed Flatpak. Read my instructions.

NOTES October 8, 2020
Since ChromX is quite old by now I have checked that everything described in my article at chromx.exton.se works today. And it does! So there is no need for me to upgrade ChromX right now. You can however upgrade Linux BETA (Debian) from Stretch to Buster (Debian 10.6) if you want to. In order to install Steam (from Flathub.org) you’ll have to upgrade Debian.

ABOUT Steam
With Steam Play Linux users can play games that are available on Windows only. Watch a screenshot when I’m running Steam in ChromX today.
NOTE: The “screenshot” is taken with my mobile camera. You can’t use Prt Sc when running an application installed with Flatpak or with a terminal command.

ChromX POPULARITY
ChromX is downloaded about 1000 times each week, which makes it my most popular dist ever. Only to be compared with ExTiX.

READ MORE…

Chromium OS, exton, Exton Linux distributions, LINUX

ChromX (Chromium OS), Exton Build 190824, with Spotify, Gimp and a lot of other apps working fast and responsive (after you have installed Flatpak – “An app store and build service for Linux”)

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About ChromX
I have compiled Chromium OS from source for the fourth time. Chromium OS is an open-source project that aims to build an operating system that provides a fast, simple, and more secure computing experience for people who spend most of their time on the web. My Chromium OS Build 190824 is for all 64 bit “normal” Desktop computers and laptops. If you have unusual hardware you could check out ArnoldTheBat’s special Chromium OS builds.

Most important changes
This version (190824) replaces version 181218. You can now use Flatpak to install Spotify and many other nice/necessary apps. Read at my INFO site about how to use Flatpak.

The difference between Chromium OS and Google Chrome OS
Chromium OS is the open source project, used primarily by developers, with code that is available for anyone to checkout, modify, and build. Google Chrome OS is the Google product that OEMs ship on Chromebooks for general consumer use.

Why should I use ChromX?
They are many Chromium OS builds out there. Many more mature and ready to go than ChromX. For example CloudReady. ChromX Build 190824 is nevertheless more fun to use in my opinion. Using Flatpak you can tailor the Chromium OS system according to your needs.

SCREENSHOTS when ChromX is running
1. Installing Flatpak
2. Installing Linux BETA (a Debian system)
3. Installing Spotify
4. Installing Gimp
5. ChromX Desktop (you can use any picture you have on your computer as wallpaper)

READ MORE…

Chromium OS, exton, Exton Linux distributions, LINUX

ChromX (Chromium OS) – Exton Build 181218 – with YouTube working fast and responsive

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About ChromX
I have compiled Chromium OS from source for the third time.  Chromium OS is an open-source project that aims to build an operating system that provides a fast, simple, and more secure computing experience for people who spend most of their time on the web. My Chromium OS Build 181218 is for all 64 bit “normal” Desktop computers and laptops. If you have unusual hardware you could check out ArnoldTheBat’s special Chromium OS builds.

How do I run Chromium OS?
Normally you run Chromium OS from a USB stick, but the system can also be installed to hard drive. Could be useful if you want to bring new life to an old computer. Be aware of the fact that Chromium OS can’t be installed together with other Linux systems (or any other OS). It will “take” the whole disk.

The difference between Chromium OS and Google Chrome OS
Chromium OS is the open source project, used primarily by developers, with code that is available for anyone to checkout, modify, and build. Google Chrome OS is the Google product that OEMs ship on Chromebooks for general consumer use.

SCREENSHOTS
The new Desktop – first screen
ChromX running YouTube
Adding new languages
Accessibility possibilities

READ MORE…

Chromium OS, Exton Linux distributions, LINUX

Chromium OS – Exton Build 170212 – with YouTube and Spotify working fast and responsive

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About ChromX
I have compiled Chromium OS from source for the second time. My first compiled version of Chromium OS is from 160525. Chromium OS is an open-source project that aims to build an operating system that provides a fast, simple, and more secure computing experience for people who spend most of their time on the web. My Chromium OS Build 170212 is for all 64 bit “normal” Desktop computers and laptops.

How do I run Chromium OS?
Normally you run Chromium OS from a USB stick, but the system can also be installed to hard drive. Could be useful if you want to bring new life to an old computer. Be aware of the fact that Chromium OS can’t be installed together with other Linux systems (or any other OS). It will “take” the whole disk.

The difference between Chromium OS and Google Chrome OS
Chromium OS is the open source project, used primarily by developers, with code that is available for anyone to checkout, modify, and build. Google Chrome OS is the Google product that OEMs ship on Chromebooks for general consumer use.

MANY APPS are pre-installed when ChromX is up and running
Showing installed apps – screenshot. As you can see it shows a lot of Android apps installed by me on my Android mobile phone using the same Gmail address as the one I’ve used to log in to Chromium in Chromium OS (ChromX). Even Google Play Store is there. All apps (for example Google Maps) work, but you can’t install new apps using Google Play Store. You can use the Chrome Web Store though.

Spotify is running – screenshot

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Chromium OS, Exton Linux distributions, LINUX

Chromium OS – Exton Build 160525 – with YouTube and Spotify working fast and responsive

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chromium-osAbout ChromX
I have compiled Chromium OS from source. Just for fun. Chromium OS is an open-source project that aims to build an operating system that provides a fast, simple, and more secure computing experience for people who spend most of their time on the web. My Chromium OS Build 160525 is for all 64 bit “normal” Desktop computers and laptops. If you have unusual hardware you could check out ArnoldTheBat’s special Chromium OS builds.

How do I run Chromium OS?
Normally you run Chromium OS from a USB stick, but the system can also be installed to hard drive. Could be useful if you want to bring new life to an old computer. Be aware of the fact that Chromium OS can’t be installed together with other Linux systems (or any other OS). It will “take” the whole disk.

The difference between Chromium OS and Google Chrome OS
Chromium OS is the open source project, used primarily by developers, with code that is available for anyone to checkout, modify, and build.
Google Chrome OS is the Google product that OEMs ship on Chromebooks for general consumer use.

Used kernel
4.4.4

Install my Build 160525 to a USB stick of at least 6 GB
A. In Windows you can use Win32DiskImager. It will look like this. (Unzip chromiumos-amd64-base-exton-454mb-160525.zip first).

chromiumos-win32diskimager

B. In Windows you can also use an app (Chromebook Recovery Utility) in Google Chrome. Do it like this.
1. Start by downloading your Chromium OS (chromiumos-amd64-base-exton-454mb-160525.zip) installation file. Do not unzip the file, this may cause issues with the USB creation process.
2. Open the Chrome web browser and install the Chromebook Recovery Utility plug-in from the Google Chrome Web Store. To install it, visit the link and click “Add to Chrome.”
3. After the plug-in has installed, click “Launch” from the Web Store page to open the Chromebook Recovery Utility.
4. In the Recovery Utility, click the gear icon on the upper right-hand side and select “Use Local Image”.
5. Find and select the chromiumos-amd64-base-exton-454mb-160525.zip file that you located in Step 1.
6. When prompted, insert an 8 or 16 GB USB device that you want to turn into a Chromium OS installer. Make sure it has no important files on it, as it will be completely erased. Select your USB drive from the drop-down menu and click “Continue” and then “Create Now.”
7. The process of creating your Chromium OS USB installer will take around 20 minutes. Some Windows installations may display a security prompt, click “allow” to let the process proceed. Note: The progress bar in the Chrome Recovery Utility may go over 100% and show incorrect time estimates. This is not a problem.
8. When the process has completed you will see a green check box – you can now remove your Chromium OS USB installer and use it! You can create as many additional USB installers as you want using the process above.

USB installation in Linux
In Linux you shall open up a terminal and run this command: sudo dd if=chromiumos-amd64-base-exton-3600mb-160525.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M
(You shall of course replace /dev/sdX with for example /dev/sdb or /dev/sdc. Check it carefully before you run the above command).

Notes about USB sticks
 It appears that not all USB sticks are suitable for topical purposes. I.e. they can not be made bootable. I myself have experience of brands Kingston DataTraveler, SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0, SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 and Sony Micro Vault. The first three works (for me). You shall not use USB sticks of older model. They may work, but mostly bad. If you – after the installation of Chromium OS to the USB stick –  get different error messages when you try to run the system from the stick it is often because the stick is not “good enough”.

Install to hard drive
If you want to install the system to your hard drive, follow the instructions here and here. Beware of the warnings noted in the links! When prompted for a password for the chronos user, use “exton” (without the quotes!).

USB persistence
All your system changes will (of course) be automatically saved directly on the USB stick.

Updates/upgrades
You do not have to take any action in order to keep your system up to date. Chromium OS will itself check for updates each time it is launched and automatically install them.

Enable Spotify
Flash has to be installed. Do it like this. Leave the Chromium OS Desktop by pressing the keys Ctrl Alt F2 simultaneously. Log in as user chronos with password exton. Become root with sudo su (password exton). The run the following (magic) command: curl -L http://www.brash.ca/flash.sh | bash
It will look like this – screenshot 1 and this – screenshot 2.

Netflix
Unfortunately you can’t run Netflix in the Chromium Browser. Silverlight/Widevine is impossible to install for many reasons.

Screenshots when Chromium OS is running
Showing installed apps – screenshot 3. As you can see it shows a lot of Android apps installed by me on my Android mobile phone using the same Gmail address as the one I’ve used to log in to Chromium in Chromium OS (ChromX). Even Google Play Store is there. All apps (for example Google Maps) work, but you can’t install new apps using Google Play Store.

Spotify is running – screenshot 4

Chromium OS GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

DOWNLOAD
This build of ChromX has been replaced by Build 170212