Programming on samsung chromebook

Question

I would like to use my samsung chromebook to develop for app engine using python, unfortunately now it is not possible as I only have browser there.

There are online IDE's like codule but they are not good enough yet.

So in this regards I have 3 questions:

1. Is there a way to hack into chrome os and pull its native linux out
2. Is there a way to install second OS on the chromebook (I have a new Samsung chromebook not the first one)
3. Is there any chrome OS extension which can help programming in python for app engine

Answer 1

Just enable Developer Mode, and you will get the access to the shell.

Answer 2

You can also use crouton to install a chroot jail and then you are free to apt-get install any library that's compiles to armv7.

I have a Samsung Chromebook and I have installed the GAE python sdk , emacs and clozure common lisp for development.

Its super easy to set this up:

• Enter developer mode, for Samsung Chromebook follow this procedure.
• Download Crouton
• Ctrl-Alt-T to open terminal , type shell to open a bash shell and run $ sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton
• after crouton finishes, to enter your new chroot $ /usr/local/bin/enter-chroot

I have blogged about my experience here

Answer 3

Let me try and answer each of your 3 questions:

1. In dev mode you can hit ctrl+alt+T and get the shell. However, it's a trim/secure shell that won't let you do what you wish...
2. You can load any type of OS from usb and install it. I have few friends that did it with ubuntu but each and everyone of them - moved back to chromeOS... may be, in your case it will be different :)
3. Cloud9 is a cloud IDE that give you ability to develop in Python.

You can read a blog post I wrote in the past about 'developers and chromebook' - http://greenido.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/web-developers-and-the-new-chromebook/

Good luck!

Answer 4

Here is a guide for the new Samsung Chromebook that was introduced in October 2012 with flash memory. It will detail how to install Ubuntu onto an SSD drive to allow for dual boot without needing to modify the internal ChromeOS. To boot into Ubuntu after install you type Ctrl-U.

link: http://techfoobar.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-samsungs-new.html

Answer 5

These days, you can easily set up IPython Notebook on a VM with any of a number of cloud service providers. EC2 has been done a bunch of times and is well documented, but pretty much any service that you can run a full Linux VM on should work.

It works like a regular webapp. Your code runs on the server, so you can't program your Chomebook, just the VM, but that's better in a lot of circumstances.

It's one popular option, even with people who have IPython installed locally, just because Cloud, but on Chrome OS, it makes even more sense to look at trying to get something like that set up, even if you use one of the other options to code offline.

Answer 6

There are some new information for the new Samsung Chromebook that was introduced in March 2014 with flash memory. It will detail how to install Ubuntu onto an SSD drive to allow for dual boot without needing to modify the internal ChromeOS. To boot into Ubuntu after install you type Ctrl-U. I will post some more info to my blog here

Answer 7

Nitrous just launched a new chrome application with native keyboard shortcuts and a bunch of popular starter templates including python, and a google cloud template. You can get the chrome application for free here:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nitrous-pro/efdcneeepllhjlbejkfnaolelbpdacai

Here are some of the features of the app -- the native keyboard shortcuts are hugely helpful since normally the keybindings are overwritten by the browser (for things like new file, close file, find in project, etc...):

Answer 8

There are two ways to use Linux on Chromebook.

1. You can use developer mode¹. Once in developer mode, hit Ctrl + Alt + t to open chrome's chrosh shell. You can then type shell to open a Linux terminal.
   
   
2. You can use Chromebook's Linux container. Go to the settings app and search Linux (Beta). Click turn on and follow it's instructions to set up Linux. This opens a separate container with your Linux files. If you do it this way, it helps to know it uses Debian 9.
   
   
   ¹How to turn on developer mode:
   
   1. Read all instruction before trying out.
      
   2. BACK UP YOUR FILES! They will be deleted in the process.
      
   3. Turn off your Chromebook.
      
   4. Hold the Esc + Refresh(F3) buttons and press the power button.
      
   5. You will be shown the recovery screen. Instead of following the instructions, press Ctrl + d.
      
   6. Press enter to confirm.
   7. Your device will reboot. When it is finished, you will see a screen saying "OS Verification is Off". Press Ctrl + d to bypass and go to your Chromebook with developer mode now on.
      
   8. Whenever you turn on your Chromebook, you will see the "OS Verification" screen. You always just press Ctrl + d to bypass. But be careful. if you press space, your Chromebook will go back out of developer mode (and delete your files).
      
      Hope this helps!