Chrome OS Stable Channel Gets Linux Apps

How to get started with Linux Apps for Chromebooks.

After months of user testing in developer and beta channels, the Crostiniproject at Google finally delivered the goods: Linux apps for most usersof Chromebooks in the stable channel—definitely worth the wait. Whilethis still is aimed primarily at developers using Chromebooks, I thinkthere's a good chance these Linux apps will be used and enjoyed by thegeneral public using Chromebooks as well. There's still a bit of a learningcurve to overcome before that possibility is realized, but if youalready are a user of any Linux distro, it will feel very familiar. Here'san overview of how to install it and what to expect afterward.

After getting the update to version 69, go to Settings and scrolldown a bit, and you'll see the option to turn on Linux apps. Figure 1shows this first step. Note that this isn't available on all Chromebooks; ifyou're using anolder one, you'll have to wait a while before this function is available. Ifyou don't see the option to turn on Linux apps, your Chromebookcurrently lacks that functionality. But, if you have a Chromebookproduced in the past two years, you probably will see the option.

Figure 1. Linux Apps Option

Figure 2. Installing Linux Apps

After it's done installing, you'll see the terminal appear. From here, youcan do as you would with any terminal. I chose tosudo apt-getinstall theGIMP, Open Shot, Handbrake, Firefox and the GNOME Software Center,which I used to download and install Audacity. The GNOME SoftwareCenter provides an easy-to-manage GUI method of finding the morepopular Linux apps, but if you prefer the terminal method of usingapt-getinstall, that works just as well and provides more app choices than the GNOMESoftware Center.

One more thing to note about the GNOME SoftwareCenter is that you likely will not see any apps in it after first installingit. You need to reboot first before the apps appear.

If you want to runFirefox on a Chromebook, there are actually two ways to do it. One wayis to download and install Firefox from the Google Play Store as an Androidapp. Now with Linux apps via Crostini, you also can download and installit from the terminal usingapt-get install, but it needs to be the extendedsupport release version, Firefox-ESR.

Figures 3–5 show some of my installed apps up and running.

Figure 3. OpenShot

Figure 4. The GIMP

Figure 5. GNOME Software Center

File management for Linux apps is available in the Files folder—on the bottomleft side below Play files, you'll see Linux files. This folder is whereall files created by a Linux app reside. Manually adding sub-foldersis necessary, since this is a blank canvas when you start. You can copy andpaste the Linuxfiles folder to and from Chrome OS folders, but thereverse is more difficult. Moving files from the Linux files folderback to Chrome OS folders involves copying to either your Google Driveor an external drive, then moving it back to the Chromebook's ChromeOS files folders. This is one function that shows Crostini is still ina beta state—hopefully it'll be corrected in future OS releases.

Figure 6. Linux File Folder

The rest of my experience using Linux apps on my Chromebook has beengreat, with the exception of Audacity; they all have functioned exactly as they do on my Ubuntu Linuxlaptop. The Linux apps further expand the Chromebook's functionality,which already had gotten a substantial boost last year with the additionof Android apps.

The Chromebook is rather quickly becoming a full-servicelaptop/tablet experience—one that actually involves three OS experiencesunder one hood, each one as easy to access as the other. For me, the oneLinux app to add a function I needed but didn't previouslyhave is Audacity. Unfortunately, there is currently no audio support inCrostini that allows Audacity to do what it is designed to do—anotherbeta hiccup that hopefully will be addressed sooner rather than later. Justto clarify, you will hear audio from a video or audio file stored in Linuxfiles, such as something transcoded in the Handbrake Linux app, since thatis actually being played by a media player in Chrome OS, you just can'tcurrently create audio in Crostini.The GIMP also adds a missing dimension forChromebooks, providing a full photo-editing suite of tools—who needs Photoshop when you have the GIMP? I believe theaddition of Linux apps will enhance the Chromebook's appeal to the generalpublic, not just for the developers for whom Crostini was first created.And, if you are a developer,you now have another option on which to create.

For developers considering a Chromebook for work, the bestoption is one of several high-end Chromebooks—like any of the GooglePixelbooks, the Asus Flip c302 or the HP X2. If you need to know whatCrostini can and can't do for developing before purchasing, seethe open-sourceChromiumproject page on containers and Crostini,which should answer all the questions you may have on this subject.

Chromebooks are now a viable option for those who wish to use open-sourceapps with an added layer of security that's hard to match. Plus, the addedexposure to open-source apps is also a good thing for the Open Sourcecommunity. Here's to hoping Crostini progresses from beta to stable andbecomes easy to use for everyone.

Philip Raymond is a Master Control Supervisor at WFLD-Fox Television in Chicago.He has used and enjoyed using Linux for 15 years and enjoys learning about new open-source projects. You can follow Phil on Twitter @tvphil or on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/tvphil.