Comment by alerighi | Hacker News Reader

Comment by alerighi | Hacker News Reader

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> I've done computer security stuff for a while. Chromebooks are, by far, the best computer security model I've seen.

How can you talk about security if there is spyware on every Chromebook? I mean Google Chrome. Everything you do is recorded on Google servers, not only that but Chrome doesn't integrate any anti tracking protections like other browsers do (even Chromium based ones like Microsoft Edge), because it's the interest of Google to track the users. Not only that, but Google Chrome has a lot more security vulnerabilities than the competitors. I wouldn't say it's secure, and I would never do something on a Chromebook or in general in a Chrome browser, since it's like giving the access to Google itself.

Regarding the operating system, how can you trust more a system from Google than a system you build yourself? If you are paranoid you can buy a machine that supports Coreboot and even run your own trusted BIOS. If you don't want to take this seriously, you can setup your secure boot by creating your own keys, installing them in the firmware, and signing the kernel that you compile yourself. I don't know why you would have to be that paranoid but whatever, to me when I have an encrypted hard drive and my computer stays in my bag is more than enough.

> Almost everything can be done on the web today

You can't do programming in the browser, you can't do graphics, video editing, 3d modelling, you can't connect to a remote computer with RDP from a browser, you can't even have a full office suite in the browser (Office 365 in the browser, Google Docs, etc are limited), you can't play big games in the browser, you can't connect to a VPN from a browser, a webmail it's worse than using a desktop email client, you cannot have an advanced video/audio player in the browser (like VLC), etc.

Also, if internet doesn't work you are basically screwed, what do you do? Stare at the screen and play with the dinosaur game?

> How can you talk about security if there is spyware on every Chromebook? I mean Google Chrome.

I have the option, in Chrome, to decide what is synced up to "the Google cloud." Are you asserting that this doesn't work - that if I turn off history/bookmark/etc sync, that this is still pushed up? I've not SSL intercepted a Chromebook to determine it, but I believe if you tell it not to do something, it won't.

You've got a bit of a solid anti-Google screed here, but you've not bothered to actually provide any evidence in favor of it.

> * Regarding the operating system, how can you trust more a system from Google than a system you build yourself?*

Because they hire an awful lot more security conscious people than I am, who I believe know their stuff pretty darn well.

As for your list of "You can't XYZ in a browser," you can put Linux in a chroot on a Chromebook in developer mode, so most of what you claim is either false through extensions, or false through Linux dev environments.

> Also, if internet doesn't work you are basically screwed, what do you do?

Well, I keep a local Ubuntu repo at home, so...

> I have the option, in Chrome, to decide what is synced up to "the Google cloud." Are you asserting that this doesn't work - that if I turn off history/bookmark/etc sync, that this is still pushed up? I've not SSL intercepted a Chromebook to determine it, but I believe if you tell it not to do something, it won't.

How can you be sure? Chrome is a proprietary software. Even if you don't sync up with your Google account, Google collects some usage statistics and similar things. Of course you can use Chromium (and Chromium OS) that is open source and thus doesn't contain that kind of trackers, but we were talking about Chrome OS.

> Because they hire an awful lot more security conscious people than I am, who I believe know their stuff pretty darn well.

They hire them to make Google interest, not yours. Google interest is to track you and make profit with your personal data. Your interest is having a system that preserves your privacy rights.

> you can put Linux in a chroot on a Chromebook in developer mode

Yes, you can, with some limitations. But at that point, why not installing Linux as the main OS on the Chromebook with Firefox as the default browser and throw away all the Google crap?

> Well, I keep a local Ubuntu repo at home, so...

Because you reinstall your software everyday? I install all the software I need when I install the operating system and I'm done. I can work without internet fine, of course I cannot do anything that requires a connection (emails, for example), but I can do everything else.

With browser based software if you don't have a connection you can't do anything. We evolved from the idea of mainframes to the personal computer, and then we are going back to mainframes with all the disadvantages that they have.

> how can you trust more a system from Google than a system you build yourself?

You have never built a system yourself. Neither has Google, for that matter, but they've gotten closer than you. The amount of code that runs on the average modern computer is probably too much to be read in a lifetime.

> You can't do programming in the browser

But you can on a Chromebook because you can use the Linux underneath.

> Also, if internet doesn't work you are basically screwed, what do you do? Stare at the screen and play with the dinosaur game?

You use the apps you have installed. I don't actually have a chromebook, but try to argue in good faith

> You have never built a system yourself. Neither has Google, for that matter, but they've gotten closer than you. The amount of code that runs on the average modern computer is probably too much to be read in a lifetime.

When I say built a system obviously I don't mean writing the code. But deciding what programs install and how to configure them to build a system customized for your needs, secure and optimized. In fact Chrome OS is based on Gentoo Linux if I recall correctly, I installed Gentoo Linux a lot of times in the past.

> But you can on a Chromebook because you can use the Linux underneath.

But you aren't doing it in the browser. Running Linux inside Chrome OS has some limitations anyway.

> You use the apps you have installed.

On Chromebooks you cannot install applications locally. Unless you use a Linux Chroot, that is something advanced that most user don't do (and I would argue what is the point, just install Linux as the main operating system at this point). You are supposed to use only web applications, like Google Docs, that will not work without a connection available.

Also typically Chromebooks have little SSD space, because you are supposed to keep all your stuff in the cloud. Of course if you don't have internet the cloud doesn't work. I prefer having all my data locally on my computer, so I can access my files without needing a constant connection (and internet connections seems to know when you need them and decides to stop working exactly at that moment).

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