Chromebook with Google Earth and Garmin Updates
I am contemplating a Chromebook. Has anyone experience with Chrome OS using Google Earth and updating a Garmin Nuvi GPS ?
Forum Discussion
kirbybear wrote:
Thanks for the replies. I tried the Google Earth App on my Samsung Tab 2 7 but the display did not function the same as on a Win 7, especially the lat/long display.
From my limited computer knowledge and internet searches, it appears Ubuntu can be loaded onto Chrome OS as an alternative operating system. If this is so, could the Garmin GPS updates and Google Earth be useable thru Ubuntu ? Bob
If you load Ubuntu, it is no longer a Chromebook. I'm not sure why I would choose a Chromebook, as an Ubuntu platform. Most models are similar to a midrange laptop of 2004-2005 vintage, except for not having as much storage. Chromebook low end prices are not that much below a modern low-end laptop PC, which will usually have more powerful CPU and graphics processor, and 200-600 GB of disk storage for your data and software. The Chromebook Pixel has more capability, but price is up into MacBook territory.
What can you do with Ubuntu? I had been using the 2010 release on an old (2004) Sony laptop that had been designed to Windows XP requirements, liked what I had, but did not have my MapSource or Google Earth on that platform.
When support for Ubuntu 10 ceased, I loaded the 2012 release of Ubuntu, but then stopped using that laptop because the new GUI performed poorly on the machine. I also didn't like the GUI paradigm change (think of where people are now at going from Windows XP or 7 to Windows 8). So I can't tell you whether there is a Google Earth installation package for Ubuntu 12, only that there is a Google Earth generic for Linux, from Google.
I don't think Ubuntu will be converting and packaging Garmin's app for supporting GPS software updates, but it is possible that an open source alternative tool might do what you need. GPS and mapping are fairly high interest in the open source community. You need to look at what is in the Ubuntu catalog, or more generally in the Linux community, if you think you can do Linux software installations without Ubuntu packaging.
