This is one author's attempt on one model. Treat it as attributed reporting, not a universal test.
Why the bargain-bin theory is tempting
Boddy's starting premise was simple. He says returned Googlebooks can already be found for hundreds of dollars off. He also says first-generation units have excellent hardware, held back by buggy, incomplete software. If the OS could be swapped, the laptop might be a steal.
Google's own announcement frames the platform as a combination of Android and ChromeOS... or rather, in Google's words, it brings together Android's app ecosystem and ChromeOS's browser. That announcement doesn't document the bootloader or any Linux support. It is background only, not proof of why the install failed.
Why the normal USB-install route fails
Boddy first tried the standard method: write a Linux or Windows 11 ISO to a USB drive and boot it. Unlocking the bootloader wasn't enough. These machines don't use conventional BIOS or UEFI firmware.
The Chromebook world gives useful context. Depthcharge's own tooling documentation says it uses a custom verified boot flow and usually can't boot other operating systems as is. People who want Debian on these boards have to replace the firmware or work their system into the format Depthcharge expects. A Hacker News commenter made the same point years ago about Chromebooks. The usual fix was flashing replacement firmware with a payload that can boot other OSes. Boddy says that firmware-replacement route doesn't work on Googlebooks right now.
He reads the unlockable bootloader as aimed at developers who want to flash custom builds of Googlebook OS. He compares that to GrapheneOS on Android phones. He says tools like Magisk may support Googlebooks eventually, but don't yet. He is also dismissive of the built-in Googlebook OS Linux Terminal as a substitute for a real replacement, but he doesn't test or document it.
The community workaround he tried
Boddy then found a community project with detailed documentation for installing Omarchy. His summary of how it works:
- It formats the "userdata" partition.
- It makes changes to the primary bootloader slot.
- Most of the effort goes into building a live USB. That USB wraps the Omarchy ISO in device-specific Depthcharge firmware, so it can run from RAM without a UEFI conversion.
He built the USB from Ubuntu inside Windows Subsystem for Linux. That meant troubleshooting packages and learning how to mount a USB drive into WSL using PowerShell. WSL did the job as a build host for a non-Windows project.
Where it stopped
The first boot attempt looked like a failure, then worked. Boddy reached a stripped-down Omarchy root console. Display and keyboard worked, Wi-Fi connected, and he could check the internal drive partitions and the live USB's integrity across several reboots.
The native install then failed at the first step because the device firmware was wrong. The reason is the board mismatch:
| Detail | Value reported |
|---|---|
| Model the method was built for | ASUS Googlebook 14, codename "Lapis" |
| Boddy's laptop | Lenovo Googlebook 15, codename "Ruby" |
| Problem | Each Googlebook has its own motherboard firmware inside Depthcharge |
Boddy says he lacked the skills to swap the distro or the multi-step Depthcharge payload for his own board. He also notes that the method is built around Omarchy. Plugging in Ubuntu or Linux Mint isn't simple.
A fork for installing CachyOS on the Lenovo Googlebook 15 appeared after he finished writing. He didn't test it. It isn't a verified fix, and it doesn't prove his attempt would have worked.
What other community projects show
Other public projects back up the model-specific picture, though none covers the Lenovo.
An Acer Googlebook 14 dual-boot toolkit on GitHub says its tooling was validated only on that device. The documentation warns that other Googlebook boards may use different partition numbering, display panels, or embedded-controller and audio setups. Its working setup puts Googlebook OS in Slot A and Linux in Slot B. The project lists some practical costs:
- A Googlebook OS system update overwrites Slot B, so Linux has to be restored afterward.
- The restore runs in the bootloader's Fastboot, which works only over wired Ethernet. It needs a USB-C Ethernet adapter, and USB Fastboot doesn't currently work.
- The README tells users to confirm partition labels and sector ranges on their own disk. It says not to infer where userdata lives from an example partition number.
Boddy mentions this slot-based dual-boot approach too. He notes the update caveat.
An Omarchy community discussion covers a Dell XPS Googlebook, codename "mica." A collaborator says Dell's and HP's Googlebooks don't start through UEFI. They use Depthcharge, which starts Android-format boot images, so Linux gets its hardware description from a device tree and not from ACPI tables. As of the 30 October update, Linux 7.2 with a custom device tree booted from the unlocked bootloader's external-drive menu. The GPU and panel came up, but the system didn't reach a desktop, and logs stopped when the audio DSP started. The device tree and image weren't public. Booting a kernel isn't the same as having a usable Linux install.
Practical guidance
Boddy's own advice is conservative, and the evidence supports it:
- Don't buy a Googlebook on the assumption that Linux is easy. Each board needs its own support.
- Look for an active project that names your exact model and board codename. The Lenovo here is "Ruby" and the ASUS is "Lapis." Another model's instructions may not apply.
- Back up your data and know how to recover Googlebook OS first. These methods modify partitions and bootloader slots.
- Expect maintenance. On slot-based dual-boot setups, OS updates can wipe the Linux slot.
- Weigh the security question. Boddy says these methods come with security concerns but doesn't name a specific vulnerability. The reporting doesn't establish what the risks are for any given method.
The takeaway
Boddy's conclusion is that multiple people have replaced Googlebook OS with Linux, but every method is experimental, risky, and restrictive. He says he'd wait, or just buy a Chromebook Plus. His expectation that support will broaden is a prediction, not a fact. Right now, a discounted Googlebook is a gamble for anyone who wants Linux, and an even bigger one for anyone hoping to put Windows 11 on it.