FAQ

Compatibility and Installation

Will GalliumOS work on my Chromebook/Chromebox?

Yes, for most devices. See Hardware Compatibility.

Haswell, Broadwell, and Bay Trail devices are best-tested. Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge devices are also tested.

ARM devices are not supported, and Atom/Pineview devices are not supported.

There are a couple of significant open issues on Google Pixel models. Check the Issue Tracker for updates.

How do I install GalliumOS? And why would I want to?

Installing GalliumOS

Why GalliumOS?

Keyboard mappings? How do I ...

Media keys and default keybindings

Touchscreen support?

GalliumOS uses Xfce, but presently has no additional touchscreen capabilities. Got a loaner device? Let us know! :)

Security Updates

GalliumOS 1.0 is based on Ubuntu 15.04, which is no longer receiving security updates. Will there be security updates?

Yes, we are porting security updates from newer Ubuntu releases to GalliumOS 1.0. We will continue this until GalliumOS 2.0 is released, which will be based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS.

Software

How do I update the OS and apps?

We are in the process of selecting a package manager/Software Center style app for GUI updates.

You can update from the command line with sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade.

Beta releases will update to newer betas and to the 1.0 release as they become available.

Does Minecraft work? Does Steam work?

Yes and yes. Remember that in most cases, this is not powerful hardware. Minecraft is playable at 30fps on an Acer C720 (2GB Celeron 2955U 1.4GHz), and many Steam titles are playable on the same hardware. A faster processor and additional RAM will improve the experience, as usual.

See Games and Additional Software for more info and installation recommendations.

How can I run Flash apps/videos (e.g. Twitch)?

Flash player is not installed by default. You have a few options, see Adobe Flash.

Can I watch Netflix under GalliumOS?

Absolutely. You'll need Google Chrome. See Additional Software.

How do I install software package X?

Some packages are available directly from Ubuntu repositories, and some require a few more steps. See Additional Software.

Performance

How does battery life compare between GalliumOS and ChromeOS?

TBD. Watch this space!

Initial tests show parity with other lightweight Linux distros, but the comparison against ChromeOS has not been performed yet.

How much disk space will GalliumOS use?

A clean new installation of GalliumOS will use somewhere around 3GB on your SSD or HDD. Obviously, it will expand as you install more software and store your personal data.

Wiki

How can I contribute?

Drop into #galliumos so we can create a wiki user account for you.