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We tested the Pixelbook Go for you, Linux inside!

By Christian Vago

Made from high-end materials, Google's Pixelbook Go is a rather attractive computer. At first glance. Mind you, we dare say "computer". For a Chromebook, the term is not insignificant! That's because Google's new version of Chrome OS opens up (at last!?) a gateway to the world of Linux.

Original article on https://tellhandel.blog/chromebook-pixelbook-go-avec-linux/

The equipment

We'll like it. Or not.

First of all, the unpacking. You have to admit that Google has taken care of every detail. Opening a Pixelbook Go box is like unpacking a Mac. Same feeling.

Google is offering its newborn device in two colors. One is black, the other pink (it's called not pink). The chassis is made of magnesium (34% lighter than alluminium, a metal used mainly in the automotive and sports industries). Robust, it is (very) pleasant to the touch. The relief on the underside has been designed so that you can carry your Pixelbook with one hand, without (too) much fear of dropping it.

The screen provides a very good quality display, but nothing more. We're talking full HD, which means that the Pixelbook Go's definition is superior to that of pre-2019 Macbook Airs, whose resolution doesn't exceed 1,440 pixels (compared with 1,920 for full HD).

The Pixelbook Go's backlit keyboard is brilliant! Arguably superior to Apple keyboards. Of course, you have to like membrane keyboards. The touch is ultra-smooth. It feels like working on silk.

The OS and its apps

Linux is deployed in the Pixelbook in 3 mouse clicks (on the clock, then on the settings icon, before activating the "Linux (beta)" switch / no need to try when in guest mode, the option is not there, you need to be connected to an account). Deployment takes around 15 minutes. In the end, it consists of a Terminal icon that lets us run our computer using command lines.

For testing purposes, we experimented with the installation of several applications, including Stellarium (the free planetarium software, licensed under the GNU General Public License, available for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. It uses OpenGL to display the sky photo-realistically in real time).

To add Stellarium, the command lines were familiar: a simple sudo apt-get update then sudo apt-get install stellarium and you're done.

The Gnome package set also installs without a hitch sudo apt-get install gnome-software gnome-packagekit but don't dream of a Gnome desktop, it would be too pretty!

Indeed, when you use Linux on a Pixelbook, you quickly realize that the manufacturer's objective was not to allow Chrome OS to be replaced by another Linux distribution. Everything is too framed and confined, so that Linux and applications installed from the terminal are kept in a compartmentalized space.

Shortcuts can be created and added to the launch bar, making their use almost seamless. Nevertheless, the user has no choice but to deal with 2 different file management systems, separated from each other. For example, Gnome's Explorer does not communicate with Chrome OS's Explorer.

Put another way, the Linux (beta) function of Chrome OS is to Linux what Parallels is to Windows on a Mac.

Chambre à part... right down to the pilots!

Installing a driver on a Chromebook couldn't be simpler: just install the manufacturer's app from the Play Store (as you would on an Android tablet or cell phone). Then, since Google separates its Chrome OS (Linux) from free Linux, drivers must be installed in the latter, otherwise you won't be able to print from free applications!

A visit to the manufacturers' websites was in order. EPSON is the most convincing, followed by BROTHER. Both develop Linux drivers - including for their latest models - which they make available on their pages in the same way as drivers for OS X and Windows. HP, on the other hand, doesn't make the effort and relies entirely on external driver designers - with no link to HP - leaving their customers to fend for themselves as best they can. CANON is no better.

Dollars and configurations

Judging by the high price tag, Google seems confident in the build quality of its protégé. When you think about it, a Pixelbook retails for the price of a Mac, or not far off, i.e. above the psychological $1000 (one thousand) Canadian dollars / €680 Euros, for a basic configuration (i5 processor, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD, full HD touch screen).

Is it worth the price? From the point of view of affect, aesthetics and build quality, I'd say "Maybe, yes". But on closer inspection, this Chromebook is rather expensive. Let's not forget that Apple equips its computers with some of the best software on the market, without us having to delve too deeply into the world of Open Source to upgrade.

Besides, 128 GB of storage isn't much. Both Apple and Google should get with the times. 256 GB would be a minimum.

Scott Stein of CNET sums it up pretty well "Great battery life, and such a nice keyboard. But for this price, that's not enough." (Great battery life, and such a nice keyboard. But for this price, it's not enough.)