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Linux container development continues to plow forward with each day that goes by. More feverish than the entire Android app initiative for Chrome OS ever was, the Crostini project seems to introduce new features into the fold on what seems like a daily basis.
If you haven’t kept up to date with all that is going on with Linux containers on Chromebooks, you can click here to read all we’ve written on the matter and get caught up with the latest info to date.
Now that we’re on the same page, there’s a wrinkle in this whole development cycle we’ve known was coming. Dating back years, Linux support has always been better and more-supported on Intel-based devices. As we are seeing more ARM devices in the works (especially one being made with the powerful Snapdragon 845), we can’t forget about the existing devices that are currently out in the market.
The most important one? The Samsung Chromebook Plus. Powered by the OP1 chip (RK3399 for those that care about such things), Samsung’s ARM-powered Chromebook with its great display and included Pen is a device that finds itself in many users’ bags. With devices like this, the ASUS Chromebook Flip C101, and the promise of upcoming Snapdragon Chromebooks, the future of ARM-powered Chromebooks looks rather bright.
If this entire Linux container project ends up being a major part of the overall Chromebook experience, many users are already beginning to wonder how all this will work for those on ARM Chromebooks. After all, Crouton – the existing, hacky way to get Linux apps on your Chromebook – has worked for ARM in the past with limited app support. There’s no reason why Crostini won’t support ARM devices, too.
Proof It Is Coming
All the reasons why this should work don’t really put anyone at ease, though, do they? What can?
Some commits and user posts over at the official Crostini Subreddit should help anyone with an ARM-powered Chromebook feel a bit more at ease. The latter link is pretty exciting as we only saw this method working on the Pixelbook about a week ago. It seems Crostini development for ARM boards is moving along quite nicely according to these latest findings.
I can’t stress enough that if this stuff is interesting to you, you’d do well to subscribe to the Crostini Subreddit right away. The community there is growing quickly and the more people that begin contributing, the more pieces of the puzzle will come together.
Either way, we’ll be here through the whole thing, so make sure and subscribe down at the bottom of this page to stay in the know as we continue down the path to Linux apps officially on Chrome OS.
