(Solved) I would like a small laptop to use to log medical data (Weight, Blood Pressure, etc) as I gather it. I need it to be small like 10’. it can be low power because I will probably use it only CLI, no GUI, but I need it to be inexpensive. ARM-based is ok, as long as I can SSH into my desktop machine.
An old Chromebook sounds perfect.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Chromebook+10+inch
Looks like most of those are 11.6". Double check before buying that it can be wiped and you can put Linux on it.
Came to second this. I have an old hp Chromebook that is indestructible, has insane battery life, and still has a few years of updates left. The built in Linux terminal is fine and just about anything you can get through apt-get, dpkg, or otherwise works fine as well (if there is an arm version), it’ll even add menu entries for GUI apps.
I do light reading or dev work on it, and use the built in terminal to keep track of and ssh into my remote boxes. I take it on the road to take notes or hop on a wifi.
When I first got it the interface was kinda crap for a laptop, but through the updates (dark mode, new menu, etc) it’s actually just fine now.
It’s slow, low ram and only usable for a few tabs at a time, but for what I use it for it does fine, and it was cheap enough I won’t cry if it dies.
Yep, that’s what I started with. I had a 2014 Toshiba Chromebook with 16 GB storage and 2 GB memory.
It was my lil ssh/vnc machine for the longest time until the battery stopped working. I replaced it with a proper Thinkpad recently.
Mine is a 2020 with 32gb storage and 3gb ram but same ballpark. I just replaced my PC earlier this year but the Chromebook is next. I’m looking at renewed HP elitebooks or renewed ThinkPads, but I’m not sure either come in a size OP would want.
I own old Chromebook.
Chromebook software updates are not forever.
It is my understanding that some Chromebooks might be locked in such a way that installation of Linux might NOT be an option or the might be a high chance of bricking the device.
At least that was the case with my Chromebook.
So, once OS updates are unavailable, the machine might become a weak link from security standpoint or stop running some software.
Chromebook is still a great option, but be careful with very old ones.
It’s always worth checking if MrChromebox supports your specific Chromebook. I got Debian running on an old Chromebook a few months back for fun, but I had to compile a custom kernel to get audio working because AMD Stoney Ridge is weird.
I got a $50 EOL Chromebook that I loaded CinnaMint (it’s right there… Why say "Mint Cinnamon "…) on.
I use it as my sketchy torrent getting machine, Because if something goes wrong, oh well.
What is sketchy about downloading a torrent that it could save you from? Wouldn’t it be executing whatever you downloaded on another machine that would be the risky part?