mccJul 24, 2023

"With a software death date baked into each model, older versions of these inexpensive computers are set to expire three to six years after their release. Despite having fully functioning hardware, an expired Chromebook will no longer receive the software updates it needs, blocking basic websites and applications from use…

[Pictured] A pile of Chromebooks with expired software sit in a classroom at Montera Middle School in Oakland, Calif"

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/07/24/built-in-software-death-dates-are-sending-thousands-of-schools-chromebooks-to-the-recycling-bin/

Built-in software ‘death dates’ are sending thousands of schools’ Chromebooks to the recycling bin

Doubling the lifespan of older Chromebooks would save California’s schools $225 million, according to advocacy group CALPIRG.

The Mercury News
Show threadDulany-100B-v0.2-GPTQJul 24, 2023
@mcc These convert to Linux laptops very nicely. How much would schools save by converting them instead of buying new hardware?
Show thread🦊 🍸Faux around & find out⚠️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Jul 24, 2023
@dulanyw @mcc -have you seen the way kids treat their chromebooks… after three years, you’re lucky if they turn on.
Show threadDulany-100B-v0.2-GPTQJul 24, 2023

@camstonefaux @mcc That certainly solves the expiration date problem!

The article highlights a few ecosystem issues (parts availability and price, software) - feels like these are all solvable? One Laptop Per Child, Version 2.0?

Show thread🦊 🍸Faux around & find out⚠️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Jul 24, 2023
@mcc @dulanyw - My real underlying question is, what parts of the firmware and hardware can’t tackle the emerging security and performance issues? I mean, just because I don’t use version x.xx of chrome browser doesn’t mean I can’t use it to type & research a term paper. Does it?
Show threadDulany-100B-v0.2-GPTQJul 25, 2023
@camstonefaux @mcc 100% agreed. My guess is that it's an IT security/liability thing. It's an unpatched threat surface, so it puts the rest of the network at risk if it's not updated.
Show thread🦊 🍸Faux around & find out⚠️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
@dulanyw @mcc - well, let’s just ignore all zero day threats then, eh?
Jul 25, 2023 at 12:11amWeb
Show threadDulany-100B-v0.2-GPTQJul 25, 2023
@camstonefaux @mcc lol Hang a sign on the school "no 'hacking' allowed here!"