14 DAY TRIAL // While most Chromebooks out there are already capable of running Android apps, it would appear that Google wants to add support for running Linux apps on a container or virtual machine to its Chrome OS operating system.
Google is apparently working on Project Crostini for Chrome OS to allow Linux VMs on Chrome OS, according to a Reddit thread, which points to a recent Chromium commit explaining a new device policy designed will allow Linux virtual machines to run on Chrome OS if it's set to true.
"If the policy is unset or set to true, running Linux VMs on Chrome OS is allowed. The unset is allowed means non-managed devices are allowed. At this time, in order for Linux VMs to run, the Finch experiment also needs to be enabled. After this feature is fully launched, the Finch control logic will be removed," reads the commit.
Running Linux apps on Chrome OS is a dream come true for many
This can only mean that the dream of running Linux apps on your Chromebook is finally becoming a reality. It won't be long until the new policy feature described above will hit the Dev, Beta, and then Stable channel of Chrome OS so you can taste Linux software yourself on Chrome OS.
According to ChromeUnboxed, this might happen in early May, when Google will launch Chrome OS 66. Apparently, this is the first version to bring support for containerized Linux apps on Chrome OS and we can't be more happy and grateful to Google for this feature, which will make more people adopt Chromebooks soon.
The current stable version of the Chromebook operating system is Chrome OS 64, which Google released last month with support for running parallel Android apps, another essential feature. Also, the update patched Chromebooks against the Meltdown and Spectre security vulnerabilities that affect billions of devices.