Google ending ChromeOS support two years early(www.theregister.com)
40 pointsby rbanffyan hour ago8 comments
  • bryanlarsenan hour ago
    > it’s hard to imagine many Chromebooks currently in service or acquired in the next year or two will still be in service come 2034

    While there won't be many there definitely will be some; I know of an ~8 year old Chromebook currently in active use.

    • adrianmsmithan hour ago
      Exactly.

      I know plenty of people who use Apple products such as iPhones and Macs and have to stop using them and throw them into landfill basically because there are no further security updates, although the device works fine and is fast enough for their needs.

      Shortening security updates absolutely has an environmental impact.

    • shiandow8 minutes ago
      You can't just expect things to last years! Building stuff to last only benefits society and customers, it does nothing for shareholders!
    • broodbucketan hour ago
      Schools, sadly for the students.
      • bryanlarsenan hour ago
        Chromebooks don't last anywhere close to 10 years in school; they get far too much abuse.
    • lightedman12 minutes ago
      Yea my Thinkpad 11e is still going and running software. That's 12 years old, now.
  • someperson26 minutes ago
    I stopped buying Chromebooks and switched to MacBooks after my fantastic Samsung Chromebook Plus ARM units stopped getting updates after a few years, around the same time the 10 year from release support commitment for new devices was made.

    Unfortunately Samsung no longer make Chromebooks, they had some fantastic hardware.

  • techteach0021 minutes ago
    My students Chromebooks can't run python online. 1 tab. Ad riddled. IT won't install ad blocker. The misery so many of us deal with. I'm happy has to know. Depressing.

    I might just make my own html editor with GitHub

  • ChoosesBarbecue21 minutes ago
    Are they planning on replacing ChromeOS Flex? It has been a fantastic choice for me to put onto older computers that some relatives own.
  • Wowfunhappyan hour ago
    ...Unless I'm misunderstanding, I don't think any promises were broken here. Google said they would provide ten years of software updates. Now they're saying existing ChromeOS devices will be upgraded to the new "GoogleOS" within that ten year window, they will continue to receive said updates.

    This is annoying if you don't like GoogleOS, but also par for the course. You can't stay on iOS 26 and continue to receive security updates, you have to upgrade to iOS 27.

    • adrianmsmithan hour ago
      I would agree but Google's wording is

      > For qualifying devices purchased today whose 10-year support lifecycle extends beyond 2034, Google is committed to supporting your transition to Googlebook OS, with many devices offering direct migration paths

      The word "many" feels like it's pretty much explicitly saying it's not "all". If it's not "all" then I'd say the promises were broken.

      • thenewnewguy43 minutes ago
        It's possible those devices will offer indirect migration paths (e.g. you have to reinstall the OS). While annoying/inconvenient, that would probably still qualify as keeping the promise in my book.
    • 5G_activated43 minutes ago
      It's not just security updates, there's also whether all the device management tools and techniques, training and institutional knowledge, and customer acceptance will carry over to the new OS. Whether the devices that are within AUE and receive the update are going to run the new operating system well, or they're going to languish with poor performance or broken drivers that will never get another look from the manufacturer because they're 2 generations behind in a vast sea of models and individual configurations.

      I also can't find anything online to do with what they're going to do to Chrome OS Flex, so thank goodness I didn't set it up for my mum who was sick to death of Windows 11.

    • reaperducer10 minutes ago
      You can't stay on iOS 26 and continue to receive security updates, you have to upgrade to iOS 27.

      Not a great comparison, since iOS 16 (not 26) received a security update just a few months ago.

  • ltbarcly3an hour ago
    Intentionally misleading title.

    They are changing the support horizon for new sales only, not ending anything early.

    • seabrookmx18 minutes ago
      It also sounds like these devices _will be supported_ but not by updating ChromeOS, instead by upgrading to Googlebook OS.
  • dmitrygr9 minutes ago
    And this is why when Pixel phones started promising 7 years of support, everyone with a brain said “uh huh, suuuure” and kept buying iPhones which DO deliver that.
  • 5G_activatedan hour ago
    Yet another market that is never going to trust Google with long term support for a product again!