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Old Chromebooks (which) don’t get updates

(Some) Chromebooks, tablets, and other devices…are subject to Google’s End of Life policy:

“When a device reaches End of Life (EOL), it means that the product model is considered obsolete and automatic software updates from Google are no longer guaranteed.

“Google will provide advanced notice of a model’s EOL Date on this page as soon as it is launched, giving our customers time to make purchase decisions.”

Some past their prime…

Asus Nexus 7 (2012) – Jul 2015, Android
Google Cr-48 – Dec 2015, Chrome
Samsung Chromebook Series 5 – Jun 2016, Chrome
Acer AC700 – Aug 2016, Chrome

 

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I need more speed! Maybe more swap file?…

 

This  post is written for those who may consider themselves moderately experienced, and are interested in advanced configurations and modifications.  I am intentionally not going to explain the information in this post to novice and normal users…because the truth is I am not qualified to (but don’t let Andy know).  A MUCH more knowledgeable person of Unix/Linux should. But, I do want to gloat a little.  (OK…that part you can tell Andy about.)

After having a browser application crash, and seeing a message informing me that…though 8 GB of RAM is installed, and a quad-core processor is in use…I didn’t have enough memory. To be fair: I use multiple browsers…multiple windows…multiple tabs…multiple applications…

My first thought was I need to get a computer that supports 16 GB RAM. And I believe I need to because I always seem to try to do more than I should with one computer, and they don’t seem to perform fast enough for my expectations and desires.  I like to use three computers at the same time.

I stumbled across some information about “swappiness”. And modified mine to 10.  Well…that was fine…for a while.  After watching my hard drive churn more than I was willing to tolerate, I changed it to  40…for now.  More reading…

I noticed the swap partition which was created during the installation of Ubuntu is 8 GB. I decided to (TRY TO) create a swap file. A 24 GB swap file.  I was successful!  Not on the first attempt.  Or the second.  Maybe it was the third.

I plan to update my status if anything occurs I think might be of interest. Whether here, on TechtalkRadio, and/or social networking services (SNS).

But wait! There’s more:  guess who got cocky?

I noticed some information about a swap file for the Chrome OS. My Chromebooks have 4 GB RAM, quad-core processors…and, because I tend to have greater expectations than I probably should…I have experienced some “sluggishness”. You know me: multiple windows, and tabs.  And I began to wonder…

I read about creating a swap partition. And in this case, decided to adhere to recommended limitations: a 2 GB portion (of a 32 GB SSD).

Ctrl + Alt + T
swap enable 2000

Again…I’ll try to remember to let you all know if anything bursts into flames…

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Upgrade overkill…

We discuss problems that can be encountered when upgrading a computer, and what should be considered BEFORE you begin to spend money on it:
motherboard considerations…
hardware and software compatibility issues…
do you know EVERYTHING you need to about the product(s) and procedures?

Our “Website of the Week” is http://NationalHearingTest.org

(And, also consider visiting http://Starkey.com/online-hearing-test …)

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January 2 show available…

 

(The show before the show:  CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas…)

During the “60-second Tech” segment, we are put through Keyboard Bootcamp.

We play “Name That Term: The File Extensions” edition.

And, Andy introduces us to a “creepy girl”…

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Notes from our November 28 show…

We discussed what can happen when you trust software and services more than you should have…

We also mentioned “UEFI”…which is the “Unified Extensible Firmware Interface”. Some information from UEFI.org might help to understand its function…

“…the BIOS refers to a specific implementation of the firmware that initializes the platform and loads an OS setup.”

“BIOS is typically used to refer to an Intel Architecture firmware implementation rooted in the IBM PC design. Based on older standards and methods, BIOS was originally coded in 16-bit real mode x86 assembly code…”

“…UEFI specifications define an interface in which the implementation of UEFI performs the equivalent of the BIOS, by initiating the platform and loading the operating system.”

“…UEFI is ‘processor architecture-agnostic,’ supporting x86, x64, ARM and Itanium.”

“…the Specification supports a more secure system, a faster boot time, improved performance…With regard to security, UEFI Secure Boot helps defend against malware attacks before the operating system loads.”

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And if you ever need to install Windows 10, the information on how to download and install it can be found at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10