can another os be used on a google chromebook?

Question

i have an acer google chromebook with the google os. while it is fine in some aspects like general surfing, t cannot use much needed programs like skype. it has a cam that can only take quick snapshots but no delay to give you time to get in position to take the pic and no video capability. while the google os works on a could, there is also i think, a 16gb solid state drive. can another os be installed and used on the solid state drive wich then i can use skype?and where is a device switch i am reading about? is the device switch there with intention to switch back and forth from one os to anther? could an external hard drive be used with antother os? as i am not technically gifted, i'd appreciate simplified answers. thank you

Answer 1

chromebooks run on chromium os which depends on cloud storage to run the apps

you can try to install another os such as windows but it may not work because consume much HD Space and require much resources which are not readily available in the Chromebooks. So Windows is not advisable.

as far as I know there isn't much alternative for that, you may try to boot some linux editions like Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, OpenSuse and CentOS from a flash drive or cd and install skype on them as those operating systems do support installation for Skype.



if not try Hangouts from Googls as an alternative for easy use.

Answer 2

You can install Ubuntu as a chroot environment within the ChromeOS environment. You can switch back and forth with a simple keypress.



It isn't perfect but it works for a lot of things. There is a bit of jiggery-pokery to get it working but it can be done.



http://www.everydaylinuxuser.com/2014/03/how-to-install-ubuntu-and-minecraft-on.html

Answer 3

You can not get Skype on your chromebook, but you can use GMAIL account video chat or Hangout app.