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Add to SafariWhen comparing Windows 8.1 vs Gallium OS, the Slant community recommends Gallium OS for most people. In the question“What is the best laptop OS?” Gallium OS is ranked 38th while Windows 8.1 is ranked 61st. The most important reason people chose Gallium OS is:
Many things work out of the box that do not with other distros, such as touchscreens.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Hardware Compatibility
Windows has excellent x86-based compatibility, and has recently announced ARM compatibility as well.
Pro Familiar Windows Interface
As opposed to unfamiliar and purpose-built Linux distros, Windows still reigns supreme for sheer usability and ease of use.
Pro Customizable UI
There are many that can be used to customize the MetroTile screen and add custom tiles. Then, by adding custom tiles you can configure them to open any application or web page that you need. For example: Netflix, HBOGo or Steam.
Pro Chromebook hardware support baked in
Many things work out of the box that do not with other distros, such as touchscreens.
Pro Chromebook specific OS
Gallium OS is engineered with Chromebook hardware in mind to make the best use of Chromebook CPU's, limited RAM, and storage limitations.
Pro Easy to install
Using chrx on Chromebook there are only two or three straightforward steps to get Gallium OS running.
Pro Lightweight
Based on Xubuntu and requires a low hardware spec. Thus it supports almost all Chrome OS devices.
Pro Dual boot
Installation option to dual-boot GalliumOS alongside ChromeOS.
Pro Battery life
Efficient in using the battery.
Cons
Con Expensive
You will need to purchase a Windows license.
Con Resource Intensive
In contrast to many dedicated solutions which can run on nearly anything, running a full Windows install requires decent hardware. This is not a lightweight solution.
Con Not updated since 2019
Con Bad speaker support
Speaker support is often broken, either no sound or lots of noise/distortion.
Con Not the best looking UI
It's not the best in terms of UI but you can always install themes.
Con Too large
Too large to install on chromebook.
Con Uses Xfce
Not realy useful for touchscreen devices.
Con Firmware update
Required opening the back and removing the firmware write-protect screw and running a script.
