When comparing Nanolinux vs ChromeOS Flex, the Slant community recommends ChromeOS Flex for most people. In the question“What are the best Linux distributions for an old machine?” ChromeOS Flex is ranked 39th while Nanolinux is ranked 40th. The most important reason people chose ChromeOS Flex is:
This is basically just Chrome OS which already runs on Cheap chrome books. It works well for web browsing and file storage on low end computers.
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Pros
Pro Lightweight and fast
This is basically just Chrome OS which already runs on Cheap chrome books. It works well for web browsing and file storage on low end computers.
Pro You can try it via bootable USB
Cons
Con Dormant
it has not updated in the past two years
Con Dormant
it has not updated in the past two years
Con Limited hardware support
There is a list online of about 100 or so computers that officially support Cloud Ready, but it can also work on a laptop not on that list, results may vary.
Con Only really meant for web browsing
To use the software, you need to have a Google account and log in. Because it's meant for web browsing and researching, you won't find software like Steam, Office, Adobe Photoshop, Aftereffects, etc; or even a 3rd party browser other than Google Chrome.
Although there are plenty of alternative web browser online, and in the Chrome Web Store, which is still supported by Chrome OS.