Using A Chromebook To Self-Publish

I've been primarily using the Linux operating system on my home systems for over seventeen years. I've not regularly run Microsoft Windows for more than a decade at home except for one gaming machine. I simply have no need for it.

When I decided that I was going to write a novel in 2010, I began where I was comfortable: Linux and OpenOffice. Sometime that year LibreOffice was forked off from the OpenOffice base and I switched to LibreOffice.

Never once did I consider using Microsoft Word. I've never owned it, barely use it for work, and absolutely detest it. Especially the "ribbon" - don't get me started. I hate it.

Anyway, I had a Chromebook and I was regularly using it. Also, I had been a Google Docs user since early 2007. After a month or so using LibreOffice I switched over to Google Docs and began using my Chromebook.

I admit, those early Chromebooks were underpowered. I could only open three to five documents at one time and forget about streaming music when doing that. But, I persisted in using it. I liked being able to jump onto my Google Drive, open a doc, and work on it from anywhere at any time. And that includes my Android smartphone.

I tell you all that to tell you this. I've been writing all the drafts of all my books on Google Docs, and primarily on a Chromebook since January in 2011. For me, the transition wasn't so much a transition as it was a natural move to the most portable and capable environment for productive draft writing. Using Google Docs on a Chromebook meant that I could go off to a fast food restaurant, jump on their WiFi, and write for three to four hours straight. When I would leave, I'd still have about six hours of battery time left. That's how efficient the Chromebooks are with power.

There were several advantages that Google Docs offered overdoing anything on a regular laptop. They are (in no particular order):

• Extreme portability both in the physical location and file formats.
• Infinite storage for docs created with Google Docs.
• Infinite file history with the ability to go back in time to specific points.
• Online collaboration with others - like editors and beta readers. It's extremely easy and works very well.
• You never have to press a save key, your file is always being saved.
• You have to try hard and do some odd things to actually lose work in Google Docs. You simply don't lose your files.
• Yes, folks, it is very secure. No one is getting to your files unless they hack your password. Always use two-factor authentication. It's the smart thing to do.
• You never have to worry about your hard drive failing and losing your book. There is nothing stored locally.. There is offline mode, but it is automatically synced to the cloud. Again, you don't lose data.

That was all well and good, but what about the Chromebooks? I'll tell you about the Chromebooks. I've had several over the years and I prefer the really portable ones with small screens and good keyboards. I don't need a huge screen or a huge keyboard. I've had a number of brands but I think I prefer the Asus Chromebooks at the present time. I am currently writing this post on a rather beefy (for Chromebooks) Acer touch screen Chromebook. To be specific:

ASUS C302CA-DHM4 Chromebook Flip 12.5-inch Touchscreen Convertible Chromebook, Intel Core m3, 4GB RAM, 64GB Flash Storage, All-Metal Body, USB Type C, Corning Gorilla Glass, Chrome OS

See link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5G5PG2

At nearly $500, this is not a toy. This is a serious laptop. It has been absolutely amazing and I love it. I spend more time on this laptop at home than any other computer. Its keyboard is backlit and nicer to use than most high-end machines. And for battery life, I literally got the full 10 hours of battery life out of it when editing multiple documents, doing research, and wasting time on Facebook. Granted, if you start streaming music or video, you may get as low as seven to eight hours on a full charge.

I must also admit that as an author, Google Docs is not sufficient for me to complete a book in its entirety. I still do my final assembly of chapter files from Google Docs into a full book using LibreOffice on my Linux laptop. That's also where I do my graphics work for covers. Still, that represents about three or four days of use out of a typical nine-month effort. It takes me a long time because writing is a hobby, not a day job.

With my experience and obvious bias, I was naturally interested in an article that popped up in my news feed. The author titled it "Here's how I turned a Chromebook into a powerful full-time work laptop". I thought to myself, "I've already done that." Still, I was intrigued. From that perspective, I am including the link to that article here as he has some very specific recommendations and other information that I have opted to not include myself. 

https://www.androidcentral.com/how-i-work-chromebook?amp

If you are in need of a seriously good, reliable, fast, economical, doesn't crash, runs for hours on a single charge, boots completely in seven seconds laptop, consider a Chromebook. In fact, if the majority of your time on a laptop is in a browser window or Word, don't even consider anything else. You will not regret it.

To be sure, there are limitations. If you absolutely need to run some Windows program, you need to get something else. Still, I would hesitate to drop down $300 or more for a buggy, bloated, crash-happy Windows laptop simply to run one program. For the same or less money, you could have a machine that you simply use and don't have to be a part-time system administrator to keep it running.

So, to sum up. What are the benefits of a Chromebook? I'm glad you asked.

• Fast boot. Chromebooks typically boot in seven seconds. All the way. Not like Windows fake booting to the login screen while still booting in the background. 
• 8+ hour battery life.
• Economical. You can get a very capable new Chromebook for less than $250 and be happy. Not feel like you settled.
• Self-maintaining. Updates are practically invisible. Every now and then you see a notice that you should restart to complete the update. If you want. It's not like Windows.
• Very easy to use. It's a browser. That's what it is. A browser. Everyone knows how to use a browser.
• Fanless, diskless, and super quiet. There are no moving parts to wear out other than the keyboard. I've changed one of those out of five Chromebooks used by the family.
• You get work done while others are staring at their Windows laptop waiting for updates or trying to figure out why it locked up again.

There it is. My reasons for owning a Chromebook. I use mine every day. My writing process would be so inefficient if I were to be stuck on a traditional laptop with traditional software. I couldn't imagine being so chained down to specific equipment and locations.

I hope you found this post informative and intriguing. I truly believe that anyone that gets a Chromebook, even as a second machine, will not be disappointed provided they understand what they are getting. Come to think of it, I think Mac lovers would be disappointed anyway. It doesn't operate like a Mac and that typically irritates Mac lovers.

Full disclosure, I used a Mac at work for three years. It was a great machine. It was not as nice as my current Chromebook.

On The Subject of Open Workspaces...

For several years now, misguided management has sought to usher in "open workspaces" into their businesses with the promise that such workspaces will improve collaboration and productivity. It doesn't. It ushers in distractions and countermeasures (like headphones) that do just the opposite.

From the constant ringing of phones, loud talkers, endless parades of people passing by, and in general, people doing their normal daily things in the office, the distractions are many and big. And when we don our headphones to get work done, we do not hear the conversations closest to us that may be related to what we are specifically working on.

Just to be clear, I'm an engineer and I work for engineering companies. While some other industries may have some benefit from open workspaces, we don't. I have never met a single engineer that wanted an open workspace. I have never met a single engineer who had the misfortune of being in one and actually liked it. Quite the contrary. They hated the open workspace and some even changed companies because of it.

I think I found one of the reasons why the idea of open workspaces gets floated up to management. I have observed over the years that those in management and administration often have private offices, semi-private offices, high-wall cubes, or otherwise feel somewhat isolated from their colleagues. I have at times observed these individuals trying to communicate by shouting from one office to the other.

They see their own situation, feel the isolation, and come to the erroneous conclusion that everyone must have the same issue. We don't.

I honestly don't envy their more private confines. While I would like more privacy at my desk, I'm content with "just enough". I sit in a tiny cube with mid-height walls that shield me from most major interruptions, though not all. I can put on my headphones and ignore everything around me to get work done when I need to. I can also take them off and not hear people thirty feet away from me talking on the phone. I like that.

The point in this ... whatever it is (rant?) ... is that just because YOU may feel isolated and want to be out in the open, collaborating, sharing, moving, shaking, etc., that does not mean the rest of us would want to. In fact, engineers will tell you to your face that we HATE  open workspaces and will do all we can to reject them and keep them away from us.

Now what is ironic about this is what actually happens with open workspaces. The very same managers, HR staff, and admin staff require some modicum of seclusion to protect the private data and conversations of employees. And to that end, they remain in offices and more private confines like high-walled cubes that sometimes have cube doors. That makes sense.

But that's where I get really disgusted. The very people who clamor for open workspaces and interrupt my day with their noise and bad idea are the very people who will not be sitting in an open workspace.

So, no thank you. I never want an open workspace. Practically no engineer in the industry does. If people so desperately want open workspaces, do your open workspaces in some other industry but stay out of the technology industry. All you will do is irritate tens of thousands of engineers who would otherwise be doing what they do but instead spend time being interrupted, distracted, and griping about sitting in an open workspace.

I have sat in open workspaces in the past. With all sincerity, I tell you this. It feels like sitting in the middle of a shopping mall food court during the lunch rush. I utterly detest it. So do most engineers and technologists.

So keep this in mind, managers, admins, HR, and others: engineering, IT, tech repair, and similar job functions are for the most part solo activities. You can't force us together and expect improvement. You will get problems, lower productivity, and far lower employee morale.

This has been a public service announcement from your friendly, leave-me-alone-I-have-code-to-write, engineer.

The Little Things

Today I thought a lot about the little things that are some of the best parts of an intimate relationship with someone. It's not just one thing and it's not everything. It's just a lot of little things. They don't usually seem like much to most people but once they're gone, you really miss them. They're also not something to be toyed with in relationships that aren't intimate. They have power and can do great damage as well as great good.

What are these things? Too many to list. Yet, here is a sample.

Things like the hug that presses in until you feel her body pressed against yours from your stomach to your chest. You turn your head slightly to go past hers, sometimes awkwardly. Even then, it's still nice. The hug lingers until you feel her warmth. The heat of her cheek pressed against your own. Her breath against your skin. These things tell you she is there. Really there.

Things like sitting on the couch snuggled up together, your faces inches apart. She speaks and you watch her lips intently as they form words. The soft lips forming sounds meant only for you. You notice each curve as she moves them and you're drawn to them to give her a soft kiss.

Things like the gentle hand on your shoulder, softly rubbing down to your back. The brush of fingers over your arm producing goosebumps. Those same fingers on the back of your neck, rubbing up into your hair where they gently tug at the hair and fingertips lightly stroke your scalp.

Things like napping together with her in the crook of your arm. You wake up with your arm aching but you don't want to move it. You don't want to wake her. Or you may be spooned up behind with your arm over her and pulling her close.

Things like waking up to sleepy eyes and a small smile. A contagious yawn starts and you stretch slightly before pulling her close again, unwilling to give up the moment even when you have to.

Things like the little kiss here and the little kiss there. Gentle kisses that say, "I just want you to know I still love you." They are soft and brief, but numerous. They reinforce that feeling of wanting more and bring you smiles.

Things like how she comes up behind you and slides her arms around your sides. She rests her head on your shoulder and presses in close. She wants nothing more than to be close and you want the same. You turn around and pull her close, back into a lingering hug.

There are so many little things that it would be impossible for me to enumerate them all. This is but a brief glimpse into the little things. These are the things I miss the most.

Make no mistake, I don't pine for the ones who came before. I simply long to share that kind of intimacy again.

Who knows? Maybe one day.