I was thinking about picking one up and running Linux in it, but I would mainly be using Google sheets and other google software on it. What are the risks of using an outdated Chromebook?
Standard risks, you are running an outdated version of chrome on an outdated operating system. It’s more susceptible to malware (although that is basically multiplying by zero) and websites will break eventually.
Some sites will not work fine.
If you are replacing ChromeOS with Linux it wouldn’t matter long as you keep Linux and your apps on it up to date.
The risk of using an unpatched OS (regardless of which one) is that if there is a vulnerability malware can exploit it and do things like melt your face right off your skull, make your iPod only play Jethro Tull, tell you knock-knock jokes while you’re trying to sleep, make you physically attracted to sheep, steal your identity and your credit card, buy you a warehouse full of pink leotards, and then cause a major rift in time and space, and leave a bunch of Twinkie wrappers all over the place. Okay, it won’t do all of that (although it could do one of them) but using an unpatched OS potentially gives malware a foothold into your system. It is basically how a lot of malware works. Hackers use social engineering to get people to click on something that installs malware that then looks for unpatched vulnerabilities that allow it to take over a system, steal information, and spread through a network.
That said while running an unsupported OS is riskier than one which receives regular security patches, for the most part that risk is largely mitigated long as you are following best practices for cybersecurity and Intenet hygeine.
As far as I know, there is no risk using an outdated Chromebook so long as you replace ChromeOS with an OS that is maintained.
If you continue to use a Chromebook after eol with ChromeOS which is not security patched, it is much less secure. However is is a lot more secure than a PC running an eol version of Windows.
You’ll be alright. I intentionally don’t update my Chromebook. Yes it’s certainly more insecure and websites will eventually start to give you minor problems here and there. You could download Linux and use a newer version of Chrome or some other newer browser if you’d like as well given that Linux supports it. That is of course if you have Linux installed.
At least for me I don’t like newer versions of ChromeOS they’re bloated and the interface looks horrendous IMO.
Arlen said:
I was thinking about picking one up and running Linux in it, but I would mainly be using Google sheets and other google software on it. What are the risks of using an outdated Chromebook?
Just throw ChromeOS flex on there.
Arlen said:
I was thinking about picking one up and running Linux in it, but I would mainly be using Google sheets and other google software on it. What are the risks of using an outdated Chromebook?
Just throw ChromeOS flex on there.
Is for regular intel desktops and laptops, but Chromebooks.
Arlen said:
I was thinking about picking one up and running Linux in it, but I would mainly be using Google sheets and other google software on it. What are the risks of using an outdated Chromebook?
No risks. It’s just that you won’t be able to update your programs with new releases. And overtime, they won’t work as intended.
I have an old Chromebook that doesn’t display some modern websites or webapps correctly. And I cannot update YouTube, for example.
I cannot use any AI chat-bot either.
I only use it for simple tasks. Gmail and surfing the web. Complex forms on websites don’t work.