A report published by the American Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) condemns Google’s practices regarding Chromebooks harm schools and the environmentbecause they force customers to have to throw them away after a while in order to buy new ones.

Chromebooks have a life programmed by Google that leaves no easy way for consumers to continue using them with proper maintenance after they expire due to a lack of software updates. However, the American PIRG argues that the search engine giant has set an artificial limit that forces both consumers and schools Dispose of Chromebooks after a certain period of time, after which they begin to show hardware or other malfunctions.

At this point, and seeing the atrocity that is happening with mobile devices (especially Android), there is no need for the lynx to conclude that based on PIRG’s findings, Chromebooks are contributing to the creation of e-waste and forcing more money to be spent. by applying planned obsolescence policies.

PIRG wants Google to extend the lifespan of Chromebooks to ten yearsafter which the device could be recycled, which currently does not normally happen as only a third of devices are broken down and recycled, while the rest end up in landfills as e-waste.

Another PIRG request on Google works with hardware and device manufacturers to design more interchangeable and compatible hardware. for longer life and easier repair. PIRG clearly states in its report:

“We have a huge problem with things. We don’t need most of them and too many of them are designed for single use. We shouldn’t allow planned obsolescence to force us to keep buying more. The least we can do if we give every student in the U.S. a laptop is to make sure these devices are durable and repairable, not part of a constant rotation.”

“We cannot afford to produce disposable technologies at this rate. E-waste makes up less than two percent of the world’s waste stream by volume, but causes more than 70 percent of the harmful and toxic effects on the environment.

from his side, Google has decided to set the support period for Chromebook devices at eight years, which is more than enough time for an average PC. But while eight years of ChromeOS support is more than enough on paper, PCs that come preinstalled with it stand out as closed devices much like smartphones and tablets, making it difficult to migrate to another operating system.

ChromeOS, the heretic that breaks the spirit of GNU/Linux

ChromeOS is a Linux operating system and what’s more, it even takes as its basis the technology of what many know as GNU/Linux, which in turn is the basis of all popular distributions (Ubuntu, openSUSE, Fedora, Arch, Debian, Gentoo…). However, Google introduced certain things that violate the spirit of the original project.

To start, much of ChromeOS is proprietary. This is due to the fact that ChromiumOS, the original project, is released under a permissive license that allows closed source in all derivative software. The open source nature of ChromiumOS allows the creation of other derivatives, to which Google responded by purchasing direct competitors.

Another point to note is that GNU/Linux has as one of its hallmarks the fight against planned obsolescence and keep the computers alive as long as possible. While it’s true that this principle has diluted a bit with the emergence of heavy systems with Fedora at the fore, there are still many projects today that do their job of keeping old gear alive (which is pretty much the norm).

Even as Google extends support, the closedness of ChromeOS and Chromebooks directly conflicts with some of the principles promoted through GNU/Linux.