
GalliumOS – Lightweight Linux for Chromebooks - milankragujevic
https://galliumos.org/
======
adwhit
GalliumOS is a wonderful project. It has turned my $150 chromebook into a
fully-fledged dev machine that works perfectly including all the fiddly things
like sleep/wake, screen brightness, volume keys and secondary displays. And I
get around 9 hours battery.

The 11GB hard drive space I had left after installation was plenty big enough
for all the tools and libraries I need, and I added a 64GB SD card for
archiving and media.

Since the chromebook (a CB3-131) is so cheap and compact, I take it
everywhere, and I wouldn't really care if I lost it or dropped it down the
stairs. This confirms my belief that when it comes to buying laptops, one
should either go really cheap (<$250) or really expensive ($1000+). There is a
no-mans-land between the two where the quality is generally poor but the price
is still too high to be blase about your kit.

~~~
epylar
I see the CB3-131 is on the GalliumOS hardware compatibility list
([https://wiki.galliumos.org/Hardware_Compatibility](https://wiki.galliumos.org/Hardware_Compatibility))
now, under Intel Bay Trail, and supposedly works with ChromeOS as a dual boot
option. However, the installation guide
([https://wiki.galliumos.org/Installing](https://wiki.galliumos.org/Installing))
links to
[https://wiki.galliumos.org/Installing/Preparing](https://wiki.galliumos.org/Installing/Preparing)
as a first step, which says "On Bay Trail Chromebooks, you will have to flash
your firmware. Luckily, John Lewis' script makes it a very straight forward
process. Unfortuantely, you'll have to open up your Chromebook. Also note that
after completing this process, you will no longer be able to run Chrome OS on
your Chromebook, so no dualbooting for this one I'm afraid."

This contradicts the entry in the HCL. Is this true? Were you able to get your
CB3-131 to dual boot?

~~~
adwhit
I did not try to dual-boot, I just flashed the BIOS and nuked the hard drive
as per the instructions (which were clear and accurate).

From the links you provide, it seems there may be a way to use chrx to get
dual boot working. Perhaps ask on the reddit? [0]

Honestly though, the limited hard drive space is better given to Linux than
ChromeOs.

[0] [https://www.reddit.com/r/galliumos/](https://www.reddit.com/r/galliumos/)

~~~
rollinDyno
Please share the link to these instructions. Specifically for hard drive
nuking. I installed Arch Linux on my CB3-111 last night and am using an
external USB drive while I figure out how to wipe the internal disk clean.

~~~
anonbanker
once you've diabled write protection (often just a screw), fdisk/cfdisk/parted
will wipe the drive.

------
kiddico
For everyone wondering why this exists, it has fixes for things that aren't
included in the kernel regularly. Along with that it's just as lightweight as
possible. A boluddy of mine runs fedora on his Chromebook, with a weird combo
of a tiling window manager, and KDE, and doesn't have a capacity problem. So
if this is optimized for Chromebooks, I'm sure it's even better in that
regard.

~~~
wila
which is described in more details here:

[https://wiki.galliumos.org/About_GalliumOS](https://wiki.galliumos.org/About_GalliumOS)

------
riffraff
> Optimizations that eliminate system stalls and improve overall
> responsiveness.

what would those be, and why are they specific to this distro?

EDIT: found info at
[https://wiki.galliumos.org/About_GalliumOS](https://wiki.galliumos.org/About_GalliumOS)
, probably this should be linked in the homepage.

------
a1r
Why use Gallium over crouton?

I've used crouton/XUbuntu as my main laptop OS for a couple of years. I've
pushed it pretty far, running Steam with a removable SD card to play things
like DotA 2 - [http://www.aaronbell.com/how-to-run-dota-on-a-
chromebook/](http://www.aaronbell.com/how-to-run-dota-on-a-chromebook/)

Chromebooks are amazingly capable once you add a little storage and update the
video drivers.

~~~
riprowan
This is maybe an OT reply, but crouton / dualboot still brings up the scare-
screen on boot. Which is fine if you're a dev.

Not so good when you hand the computer to your brother-in-law to check out a
web page, he opens it up

OS VERIFICATION OFF PRESS SPACE TO RE-ENABLE

and of course presses space and wipes your whole environment :(

Yes this was me :(

~~~
witty_username
So, enabling OS verification wipes the data on the Chromebook or what?

~~~
msh
Yes, it detects that the OS have been tampered with when you have dual boot or
use crouton and nukes the disc with a clean install.

------
tkubacki
I hope linux will beat OSX on dev machines. We will see where Wayland/Mir will
bring us.

~~~
groovy2shoes
That was once the case, before circa 2007 or so.

------
citizensixteen
Do most people setting up a Chromebook to run on Linux wipe ChromeOS or use
crouton?

If anyone has had luck with a fully functioning non/ChromeOS let me know what
distribution you prefer. Currently I am also considering GalliumOS / NayuOS.

I've read some mixed reviews about using crouton and was curious if it's
better to use crouton or to install/flash Linux?

It seems as though crouton could break with ChromeOS updates.

~~~
Tiksi
I have mine dual booted with arch and it works pretty well. If I'm just
passively browsing I usually go to chromeos, anything else I reboot into arch
(I figured that'd be annoying at first, but with how quickly both OSes boot
its not at all an issue.) They have a pretty extensive guide on the arch wiki
as well as device specific guides which could be helpful with other distros
too:

[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Chrome_OS_devices](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Chrome_OS_devices)

[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Acer_C720_Chromebook](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Acer_C720_Chromebook)

------
anonbanker
Hugh Greenburg's git repositories (used for GalliumOS) were essential in
getting my C720P chromebook working linux. GalliumOS is the only distribution
that supports Elantech touchpads out of the box. GalliumOS is the only
distribution that has chromebook keyboards working correctly.

I personally owe Hugh a debt of gratitude for all the hard work he has done.

------
groundCode
I'm running Gallium an a Samsung Series 5 chromebook. It's a real pleasure to
be honest. I had crouton running before, but chrome os updates often trashed
the install and it was a pain to get running again.

Only thing I would like really is better battery life - I get somewhere in the
region of 3 hours, but my chromebook is pretty old so...

------
digi_owl
The whole thing reminds me of the netbook days, before Intel and Microsoft
basically choked off the concept.

~~~
mastax
Netbooks are seeing a bit of a revival now, $200-$350 laptops can run windows
pretty well now.

~~~
digi_owl
Meh. Netbooks to me will always be the early Asus and Acer products with
customized Linux launchers (and the various distro spins that came about to
improve on that).

Once Intel rolled out Atom with the limited hardware mix rules, and MS put XP
on life support under a restrictive license, the netbook was basically dead
(or at least a shell of its former self).

------
simula67
Wouldn't this be useless as a primary machine with their <64GB hard disks and
no Google Drive support ? Anyone care to share their experience with this as
their primary laptop ?

~~~
ff_
I had an Acer C720 for one year in 2014-2015, and ran elementaryOS on it. It
was my primary dev machine.

Resources were pretty limited (dual core Celeron, 2Gb RAM, 32Gb SSD) but it
ran fine for most of the things (like normal browsing, js and Python
development).

Things you CAN'T do on it:

    
    
      - Java. Just don't even think about it.
      - the former point implies all the Java IDEs (Eclipse, Intellij)
      - Android, because of disk space and everything else.
      - Games.
    

Why I loved it:

    
    
      - really small and light
      - AMAZING battery life
      - having so little disk space made me pay attention to my usage of it, make backups, and move on a server things I didn't really need.
    

However I upgraded to a Dell XPS 13 since then, life is much much better now
:)

~~~
AdmiralAsshat
Are you still running elementaryOS on the XPS? If so, how well does it work?

~~~
ff_
It works really well - I'm basically in love with Pantheon (which IMHO it's
much better than GNOME), and I can't recall encountering any bug in the last
year.

However, since it's based on Ubuntu 14.04 the kernel and the software versions
are a bit old.

In the next months I will switch to Arch or Nix or Void (to have more recent
versions) and I may try to port Pantheon on them.

------
nperez
Went to the website. Wanted to see how the install process works because I
won't try it if it's too complicated. There's a "download" link and a "donate"
link but no docs. I assume the wiki might have some info on this so I go
there. Everything above the fold is about community + downloading. Only after
scrolling down do I finally see some docs.

Not a huge UX fail, but something I hoped would be easier

------
bsharitt
I think I'm going to give this a shot on my daughters Chromebook. I tried
Ubuntu on in a couple of times, but it always seems that updates are a moving
target. I had to do a reinstall and had to try to find the right kernel
version where the sound worked, but couldn't go too new because then the
trackpad doesn't work.

------
shirro
Now I just need to find someone who will sell a 3:2 aspect ratio machine with
16GB ram to me.

If the computer industry hadn't dropped the ball so badly on laptops I don't
think developers would even bother looking at Chromebooks. Ironically written
by a part-time dev on a Chromebook.

~~~
greggyb
Google Pixel and Microsoft Surface line both fit the bill for aspect ratio and
RAM. One of those is even a Chromebook!

~~~
shirro
I am not sure Google are still making the Pixel 2 and if they were I don't
think they sell it in my country. There could be drama if I use a freight
forwarder then need warranty service. Otherwise an LS would probably do me.

The Surface Book looks very good. I have stopped laughing at the Surface line
of products. If I wasn't so attached to unixy tools and environment I might be
tempted. They are a bit pricey here and likely a big risk as far as linux
driver support. Apple and Android tablets have also avoided 16:9 though don't
enter consideration. Not sure what I could do with a Pixel C or iPad Pro apart
from playing Minecraft PE.

You have to wonder what all the laptop makers know that Google, Apple and
Microsoft don't. They still insist on putting shiny widescreen television
panels in laptops.

I mostly use my chromebook as intended - all chrome apps, even though I have
crouton installed. It is quite nice for what it is. I would prefer something
more powerful for a daily driver and I think the fact people are looking at
linux on chromebooks has a lot to do with the failures of manufacturers to
produce what many customers want.

------
zumu
I've been developing on a chromebook running Ubuntu.

Is this any better? Anyone have experience with both?

------
tedmiston
> ARM models are not supported: they do not ship with compatible firmware, and
> custom firmware is not presently available

Can someone this explain this more?

I was hoping to blow the dust off my original Samsung Chromebook.

~~~
dheera
I was hoping to have this on my Asus Chromebook Flip. A lot of the ARM
machines are wonderfully thin and light with very impressive battery life. It
would be great if they could get full-fledged OSes as well.

Crouton works perfectly, but it would be nice if I could give a Linux distro
the full 16GB of eMMC instead of X gigabytes of disk image within the 16GB.

Bonus points if I could dual-boot Android and GalliumOS on an ARM laptop. That
would be killer.

------
revanx_
I can't speak for other ARM chromebooks but I was able to install Debian on my
Asus C201 just fine, why would this be any different, or are the tweaks
incompatible?

------
riprowan
Anyone else just simply say "wo way" to flashing a custom firmware? That's a
lot of trust, no?

I know Google snoops on me, but Google was already snooping on me.

~~~
reynhout
The custom firmware options are open source, so you would be miles ahead of
where you started with the factory firmware.

~~~
pgeorgi
The factory firmware is just as open.

~~~
reynhout
Parts of the factory firmware are open, including coreboot and SeaBIOS (where
applicable) -- but not the whole ROM, and none of the build configurations are
published, as far as I know.

I'd love to be wrong though, so I'd appreciate pointers to any sources.

~~~
pgeorgi
Except for files that cannot be redistributed (because silicon vendor
silliness), everything is open: scripts, ebuilds, configurations, sources.
GalliumOS can't be more open than that (hence my "just as open" qualifier).

When it comes to coreboot and libpayload (same tree, really), everything on
ChromeOS' main development branches is pushed upstream. depthcharge is a
Chrome OS project, so it is its own upstream. Same for ChromeEC.

There are boards that never make it to the main branches - but that doesn't
mean that stuff is kept secret, it's just that for firmware, Chrome OS uses
separate branches (because things shouldn't change too much in firmware that's
in the field). So at some point when the reference design stabilized, a
firmware branch is created. Any support for spin-off devices happens in that
branch only (because who knows what happened to master in the meantime?).

In general, the branch naming scheme is
{firmware,factory}-$board_name-$some_version_number.

For coreboot on veyron (ARM, Rockchip RK3288, firmware all open source with
_no_ blobs), the configuration is in
[https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/third_party/cor...](https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/third_party/coreboot/+/firmware-
veyron-6588.B/configs/), for example. Compared to the master branch, they're
at a different location - but that's because things moved in master in the
meantime (third_party/coreboot/configs used to be the canonical location).

If stuff seems missing, a good place to ask for pointers is #chromium-os on
Freenode (but it's a low-volume channel, so please wait for an answer, and
maybe repeat the question after a couple of hours).

Disclosure: I work on upstream coreboot and Chrome OS firmware.

~~~
reynhout
Thank you for the info.

The work on third-party firmware is not directly a part of GalliumOS, but the
projects are symbiotic. You've probably encountered the folks who focus on
firmware in other venues as well.

I know booting arbitrary Linux distros is not a goal of factory firmware
builds, but often it's _almost_ there -- just not fully implemented, or not
fully tested. If you're in any way involved in keeping that functionality
alive, we appreciate it.

------
rcarmo
Neat, but I'm not sure how much better it is over my current solution (I run
Lubuntu on a C720 with an upgraded SSD, and use cros-haswell-modules.sh every
now and then to rebuild the touchpad kernel modules and such).

It would be interesting to have more information on what exactly it does
(regarding the touchpad, at least). Wiki's a bit light on details (or
screenshots, by that matter).

That said, it's nice to know this exists - I might try it before upgrading to
16.04 in a couple of months.

------
grigio
Plain Ubuntu / Unity / GNOME works.. out of the box the only problem is the
touchpad that need some mainstream love

------
orik
It's too bad they've (like many others) chosen to be a derivative work of
Ubuntu rather than Debian.

~~~
sonnyp
Why?

~~~
AdmiralAsshat
I'd assume he takes issue with Canonical's practices, like the Amazon search
tie-in, etc.

~~~
r3bl
As far as I know, Amazon search is only available on the default Ubuntu
install. No fork has ever adopted it what so ever.

~~~
AdmiralAsshat
I don't see how that is relevant. It's enough of a vile business decision to
some that it might deter them from even using any Ubuntu-based distro out of
principle.

~~~
deelowe
They've admitted their mistake and are/have rolling/rolled it back. No need
act like they are the anti-christ.

~~~
AdmiralAsshat
I'm explaining the mentality of the Debian-only crowd, not my personal
beliefs. I've got several Ubuntu-based chroots on my Chromebook.

------
bachmeier
Is this specific to Chromebooks or would it work on an old netbook?

~~~
dsr_
The original CR48 was a netbook by most specs: Atom CPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB SSD.
While this distro should work on most netbooks, there's really no reason not
to install a lightweight release of a major distro such as Debian. If you
choose LXDE or XFCE instead of GNOME/KDE, things should go smoothly.

