Your ChromeOS Source

Top 5 Chromebook Apps to start 2015

2015-01-02T22:38:00.004-08:00

With 2015 right around the corner. There were many of us who have gotten a Chromebook for the first time. Chrome, and Chrome Apps have come a long way since the early days of ChromeOS. I've owned a few Chromebooks myself since they have came out, I still love my little Samsung Chromebook the most. That being said, most of the Chromebook information that is still floating around is wrong. Many of the issues have been worked out, such as offline apps, and an actual clean looking desktop. Today's Chromebooks are in my opinion well working machines, that have little to no operating issues. Finding quality software on the other hand is still a bit murky through the Chrome Web-store. Many of theses are not app's designed for Chromebooks, but rather links to a company website. I've weeded through many of these apps, and cherry picked the best ones I love to work with.

Google-Docs: This document editor no longer just lives on the web, with offline editing, and creating of documents rivals any. Works online, and offline.

Gliffy: This UML type editor was one of the best examples of how to correctly create a Chromebook App. Works offline, feels native, works flawlessly. Works online, and offline.

Google Keep: This is the best Note keeper all around.

Caret, Caret-T: The most robust text editors for the web. Online, and Offline

Google Sheets: Clean look, great functionality and features. Online, and offline editing.

Google Apps for Work, with Chromebooks equals Minimal IT

2015-01-02T22:07:00.001-08:00

What is Google Apps?
Google Apps is a cloud-based productivity suite that helps teams communicate, collaborate and get things done from anywhere and on any device. It's simple to set up, use and manage, so your business can focus on what really matters.
Millions of organizations around the world count on Google Apps for professional email, file storage, video meetings, online calendars, document editing and more.
Watch a video or find out more here.
Here are some highlights:
Business email for your domain
Looking professional matters, and that means communicating as you@yourcompany.com. Gmail’s simple, powerful features help you build your brand while getting more done.
Access from any location or device
Check email, share files, edit documents, hold video meetings and more whether you’re at work, at home or in transit. You can pick up where you left off from a computer, tablet or phone.
Enterprise-level management tools
Robust admin settings give you total command over users, devices, security and more. Your data always belongs to you, and it goes with you if you switch solutions.
Start free trial

Chrome Dev Editor (google I/O 2014 release)

2014-06-25T13:47:00.001-07:00

A Sneak Preview of a Chrome IDE?

If you were browsing around Google I/O and followed it to the Code Labs section. You might have stumbled across this little jewel. A link to try out Chrome Dev Editor. For those of us who use our Chromebook as our primary computer, and also happen to work as a Developer, this is great news. For some time it has been an obscure rumor that Google was pushing forward with the creation of a CloudIDE called Spark. For those who have tried to follow the project outside of Google, news has been pretty obscure. Until now. Chrome Dev Editor comes with great little features. Such as git support, and project frameworks. I for one am really looking forward to Google's completed product, but I certainly don't mind putting a Developer Preview version to great use either.

Native Android Apps Coming to Chromebooks

2014-06-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Native Android Applications Coming to Chromebooks

At Google I/O 2014 during the keynote presentation we got some exciting news for Chromebooks. For the last couple of years people have been inquiring the direction of both Android, and Chromebooks. Many rumors have floated around about a Android powered laptop. Google's Chromebooks seemed to be a different direction than a unified device which seemed to always float around the rumor mill. In hindsight Chromebooks were a good move for Google. They offer both simplified UI for those just wanting a computer for the internet. Yet it still retains it's Linux heart for those who wish to use the device for development. Chromebooks themselves have come a long way, from it's initial concept of just a computer that boots to a browser window, to the introduction of the Azure desktop which gave the Chromebook an actual OS feel. With the announcement of Android Applications being able to run on Chromebooks it fills the gap for those wanting a unified device as well as moving Chromebooks forward in the market as being your primary computer. Not just a secondary device for those coffee-shop writers.

Learning to Program on a ChromeBook

2014-05-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

Learning to Program on a Chromebook

The Language, and Setting Up

Many have views the Chromebook to be a poor choice for Developers. Though this may be true if your language of choice is C, C++, Java, or Python. One language you can easily tackle using a Chromebook, or any system for that matter is Javascript. Javascript is the language of the browser, and is always in high demand because of this. The language itself is more of a C based language rather than a Java based language, so by learning Javascript you are actually laying the foundation of being able to tackle C, C++, Python. You can actually tackle learning any one of these languages using a chromebook, but beyond the basics of the language itself, you have to jump through hoops in order to set up an actual development environment, which can lead to it's own frustration and issues. With Javascript we will actually be using Google Apps Script. Google Apps Script is a google drive scripting language. It's design is to allow a user to script on Google Drive, with the same power as someone scripting on their own native machine. Google Apps Script also has a native IDE which I find straight forward to use.

In order to use Google Apps Scripts simply click "CREATE" and select Scripts.

This will open a new page, and prompt you with a screen asking about what type of project you would like to start. Select "Blank Project" and this will now place you in the editor. The editor will have a starter function called myFunction, and the projects name will be "Untitled Project". By clicking the title name we can rename the project. Lets give our project name something we can remember that relates to it's contents. Lets call it "Basics 1". Great, now lets jump into learning some Javascript

The Basics Part 1 - Variables

Learning how a language uses Variables, and different ways to store variables is a corner stone in any language. Once you lay this foundation it helps everything else fall into place. Lets go ahead and declare some variables so we can discuss each type, and how they are used.

function myFunction() {
var one = 1;
var name = "Tim";
var my_array = [1,2,3,"John",4];
var my_object = {"president" : "Obama", "state": "Washington"};
Logger.log(one);
Logger.log(name);
Logger.log(my_array[3]);
Logger.log(my_object.president);
Logger.log(my_object.state);
}

Variables

Variables are declared by placing a "var" before a name of your variable and then using a equal sign to declare what the variable is. Lets think of a variable as a box of things. You can place a number, a name of a city, your first pets name. What we are saying when we declare a variable in programing is "remember this stuff".

Arrays

So lets take a look at the variable "my_array". As you guessed it, in programming this is called an Array. This allows us to have more than one value tied to the variable named "my_array" in a numbered list. So we may call upon it by it's placement in this list. To call a variable within an Array, simply use the name and at the end place a number in braces of the position you would like to call like this "my_array[1]". You may notice using the number 1, actually called the second variable in the Array. This is because the first position in the Array is actually 0. So to call the first variable you would need "my_array[0]".

Objects

Last lets take a look at Javascript Objects. Objects allow you to contain variables in pairs known as "key" and "value" respectively. The object is a clever Variable type that allows you to think of your variable much in the same way you would think of a dictionary term. The key can then be referenced by the name of the key after a period, and the name of the variable itself. If you take a look at lines 9, and line 10 you can see we are printing to the log function the value of president, and the value of state. Objects deserve a subject all of their own in the many ways you can use an objects key and value pair.

The Basics Part 2 - Control the Flow

With only variables you can not do much with programming. When you learn how to control the flow of your program it opens doors to what you can actually do. It's a way of making decisions based on the information at hand. Lets make some decisions based on the program we wrote earlier.

function myFunction() {
var one = 1;
if (one == 1){
Logger.log("one does equal 1");
}
var name = "Tim";
if (name != "Tim"){
Logger.log("This will not be written because name does equal Tim");
} else if (name.length > 5) {
Logger.log("This as well will not be written because the name Tim is less than 5 characters");
} else {
Logger.log("This will be written because it didn't pass any of the other if, or if else");
}
var my_array = [1,2,3,"John",4];
for (var i = 0; i < my_array.length){
Logger.log(my_array[i]);
Logger.log("This will write the value of the array in the" + i + "position.");
}
var my_object = {"president" : "Obama", "state": "Washington"};
for (var key in my_object){
Logger.log(key);
}
}

IF

If statements are pretty straightforward. You are simply testing for a condition, if this condition is met, the code contained within "{ }" is executed. If not it simply is ignored.

Else If

This is a way of testing more than one condition. In short it's like saying if this doesn't happen, test to see if this is true.

Else

A simple way of saying, if none of this is true. Do this.

For

This is a controlled loop of function. This is a way to do something a certain amount of times.

Wrapping things up...

This is the tip of the iceberg in regards to programming. Almost all the basics and beyond can be found online. Like any skill it only takes persistence and practice to become good at it. Keep in mind in programming you are most likely not the first person to run across the same issue. A developer is also part of a world-wide community that is very eagerly share's solutions to one another.

Javascript Resources

http://www.w3schools.com

http://developers.google.com/apps-script/overview

http://http://stackoverflow.com

Top ChromeOS Text Editors 2014

2014-05-14T10:27:00.002-07:00

Top ChromeOS Tools for 2014

Text Editors

Your favorite text editors vary depending on what you are actually writing. Writers simply need different text editing tools than lets say programmers. So we have split this category into two groups, text editors for writers, and text editing for programmers.

Some writers prefer a quite space with limited tools, others enjoy having lots of tools with functionality. So we will start with comparing the beefier text editors.

Google Document

Google Document has constantly improved since it's introduction. Though it started as a document writer that you would expect from any WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor. It is now a center piece in a full blown office suite fully backed by google. Like any well tooled office suite it houses tools like image insertion, scripting. Because google made the jump early on for cloud applications, and has consistently improved it's toolset. Google Documents is now a very mature text editor that is easy to use, but also has a tool-set you would expect from a professional office suite.

As well as some sharing tools that are unique for cloud applications. Such as multiple user editing, where you can edit a shared document and not have to worry about saving over the other persons work like you would sharing a document in lets say DropBox, or a shared drive. For these reasons I definitely choose Google Documents as my online editor of choice.

Other Editors of notoriety here are Zoho Docs, Office 365, and Writer

Text Editors for Developers

Here text editing is definitely a craft that requires certain tools. Also were a true online editor of value has yet to emerge. Though there are some good editors that are growing. Most just don't pack a tool-set that most of us have come to expect from a native IDE. Some functions that are on native tool-sets that you just can't live without such as onmi-complete, and function introspection. Just don't exist in the realm of online text editors. But the landscape is beginning to mature a little.

Caret

Caret has become my ChromeOS development text editor of choice. In a landscape where everything is about ease of editing text.

Caret has brought features that has made other editors such as Sublime Text a favorite amongst developers to the Chromebook world. Though it does lack certain features you most certainly miss from a native text editor for development. Other features such as multi-edit has made this a indispensable tool for a native ChromeOS developer.

Other Notable editors Text, and Sublime Text (though still buggy).

How to fix your Webcam in ChromeOS

2011-11-11T14:57:00.001-08:00

Webcam not working in ChromeOS??

Here are some quick fixes you can try.

Type in about:plugins in your browser, look for the Flash plugin, and disable the oldest Version.
Then reboot, and navigate to the website and right click the flash element, and enable permisions.

Review of the Samsung SS5, ChromeOS

2011-10-30T00:45:00.000-07:00

The Samsung SS5

I have owned a Samsung SS5 now for little over two months. I will just start off with saying that visually the machine is stunning. A very slim design, USB, VGA out, slim power adapter, 12.1 inch screen. The feel of the keyboard is comfortable with very little effort. The keyboard layout itself is comfortable. As far as power time I have never been happier with a laptop. The 8.5 hour battery life gives me the convenience of a device that I can use a full work day with out having to worry about connecting at anytime time except when I go to bed. This laptop screams freedom! ChromeOS is the home for those of us who live in the clouds. With a 3g connection I could not be happier. I live in a remote area of Oregon, I have wonderful connection. The laptop automatically updates when connected to Wifi so I never need to worry. ChromeOS itself is a secure operating system so I never need to worry about where I go on the web. I know I am secure. Clouds are the future, and ChromeOS is already there.

ChromeOS offline reading.

2011-10-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Reading offline with ChromeOS.

For most of us just picking up your ChromeOS notebook this is one of the first questions many of us had. This over-view is current for

Google Chrome 14.0.835.204

Platform 811.154 (Official Build) stable-channel x86-alex

Your Chromebook can read PDF files directly from your hard drive. You can easily find your hard drive using the "File Manager" App from your new tab page.

Then simply look for your downloaded PDF, and open. PDF's are currently the best way I know of to read offline on your Chromebook. Google has made converting files to PDF a breeze. Simply upload any .doc, or .pdf, or .odt formats. Then re-open and from the "File" on the top toolbar select "Download as" and select PDF. You can download multiple files by adding them to a collection and on your Google Doc's list page, click "My collections". Use the select box next to the Collection, then select the "More" button. You can then select, and download the collection. Make multiple collection to swap out current reading.

Choosing Chrome OS

2011-10-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

Is ChromeOS right for you?

When approaching the question of "If a Chromebook is right for me?", I generally ask a few questions. How often do you have access to internet? How many applications do you currently use under another Operating system that you cannot convert using a cloud alternative? How comfortable are you uploading files? If you are comfortable with these things then ChromeOS would be a great fit.
If your asking yourself what are the perks to transitioning to ChromeOS. Imagine a computer system that follows you around. Access to your E-Mails, Documents, Files. Plus the software to access this amazing suite is free and available as long as you have access to the Web. How a ChromeOS fits into this picture is that it aims to tie their suite to an Operating System that gives a computer user security, speed, and reliability. As a ChromeOS user since they released the CR48, I can say I'm very pleased with being a ChromeOS user.
Here are some common resolutions when transitioning to the Cloud!

File interaction and Hard drive space - Google Doc's (You can purchase additional storage through Google Doc's) even without purchasing you receive a certain amount of storage. You can up-load any type of document, and can interact with most types of documents in the cloud from, media, to .zip files.
Photo's - Picasa
Media - A native movie player for offline access, and if your on the web I'm sure you know what to do.
Documents - Google Doc's is a full, free Office software suite that is available online. Though you can not edit all Documents offline, and App is available called Scratchpad that does allow offline editing for Text documents.

If you are wondering about any loss in program functionality, see the Chrome App store and explore. If you are under another Operating system, install Chrome browser and go from there. We will see you in the clouds soon enough.

Overview of ChromeOS

2011-10-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

What is a ChromeOS notebook?

ChromeOS is Google's light, fast, secure operating system, that uses one window, instead of many. That one window is the Chrome browser, provided by Google. With this in mind, the computer functions a little different from your standard Operating system. Think of the Web as your Desktop, and Web applications as your programs, and Google Apps as your Office Suite. Though there are many aspects of this to consider as pro's and con's of this. First lets consider a matter of perspective. A ChromeOS computer vs's your standard Windows machine of comparable Microsoft Products, office suite, ect. Current prices for current Chromebook's are less than $700. If you add up any standard Windows's machine with comparable software suite, with Microsoft Office, and 3G, with the same comparable battery life, it doesn't exist. If it did, it would exceed the 1k mark easily. So in short, ChromeOS is a fast, secure, Operating System, that uses the internet as a platform for delivering software, and applications, powered by Google.

Welcome!

2011-10-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to ChromeOS!

I have been testing other than windows platforms for some time now. I was especially interested in Mobile platforms that could deliver the power of a full OS while still providing all the benefits being provided by only portable platforms at the time. I really enjoyed a few products during this time such as Ubuntu, and Jolicloud. During this same time period of 2009 Google announced Chromium OS. I followed this project for some time. I was very impressed with Google's cooperation with the public while keeping their core ethics on the type of Operating system they wanted to deliver. A fast, secure Chrome Browser based Operating system. Now those of us who have seen the "Nothing but Web" adds and cringed at the feeling of being limited in functionality, fear not! ChromeOS is a fully capable operating system. But the curve of "How to's" for ChromeOS are changing daily as Google add more, and more great functionality to ChromeOS. Here I plan to provide the most current, and up-to-date "How to's" for your most common questions regarding ChromeOS.