CloudReady OS Being Bought By Google

Handy Software To Turn An Old Computer Into A Chromebook

If you haven’t heard of CloudReady OS you are not alone, but it is something interesting to look into as it can turn an old PC or Apple computer into a Chromebook.  The requirements of CloudReady OS, apart from a memory hungry browser, are low enough that even an ancient machine should become at least a little more usable.  It was originally designed as a tool for schools and business, but there is, for the moment, a home version you can try as well.

The requirements are not onerous at all, at least 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of local storage.  They do warn that a CPU or GPU which predates 2007 will not perform well, and for those who use Intel’s GMA 500, 600, 3600, or 3650 for graphics will not be able to run ChromeOS, but other than that anything should be able to run.  The personal version us free, while the school and business versions have a yearly license fee.

It obviously works well, as Google have just slurped up Neverware Inc., the company which created this process and provide support for paying users.  This will have a big benefit for users, as Google’s Store was not available for devices transformed into Chromebooks and that is expected to change with this acquisition.  As well, for now Google is not changing any of the support agreements in place with existing customers and hopefully have no plans to.