There is great news today for folks who use a Chromebook and like to run Linux on it. Google evangelist François Beaufort confirmed today that Chromebook owners will now be able to run Linux in a window on their notebooks by using a special extension. This means that users will no longer need to switch between two separate operating systems, which is certainly going to make life easier for them.
Its not like it was never possible to run Linux on a Chromebook. There have been several methods to get your favorite distribution up and running, and nevermind the fact that Chrome OS itself is based on the Linux kernel, so this extension doesn’t do anything “new” per se.
However it does go a long way in making the whole process a lot easier. By downloading the Crouton Chrome extension, Chromebook users can easily run Linux in a window within that operating system, its as simple as launching an app off the desktop.
Before you jump ahead to get your favorite Linux distribution up and running, there is just one thing that you have to keep in mind. The Chromebook has to be set in developer mode before the Crouton extension can be used to run Linux. That’s all there is to be done, there is no lengthy setup process here.
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