[Robbie Dalziel]

I think it's a bit sad that people have gone to a great deal of trouble, setting up this amazing forum, yet so many Chromebook owners/users, fail to make good use of, or place regular contributions on: it's pages...

There's a great deal of information that we (as individuals) can share one with the other, that will help us all move forward in our understanding and use of ~ these great little machines...

Even posting a few thoughts and/or ideas about how we use our C books, can make interesting (or even thought provoking) reading...

No doubt there are scores of members who will read this ... How about (at least) a 10% participation following... Yah never know ~ such might even brighten someone's day...

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Pointer problems....

Perhaps I need to get the ball rolling... Ok...

I run a Microsoft wireless mouse on my Chrome Book (referred to hereafter as ~ CB) because I hate touch-pads with a passion: aligned to engendering a kill factor...
My hands, are big and clumsy, sending the CB off in all manner of directions, akin to a drunken 'Mad March Hare'...

The next thing that gets my goat, is the facility to enlarge the mouse pointer, which, in its normal mode, is not to far removed from the family of proverbial needles, that live in haystacks... It either shows up as a wandering pin-prick, or, if you tick its box in the settings section, it immediately blows up like a South China Sea 'Puffer Fish'... That in turn, makes it a practical impossibility to use the pointer efficiently, due to its oversized structure... There's nothing in between...

I'm kinda keeping my fingers crossed, that someone connected with/to the 'powers that be' panel, might get the drift if they read this and tweak the setting so that they work on a sliding scale, instead of a 'stepping stone' structure...

Not going to hold my breath about that though....

What do you think???

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Another feature...

I intend to try and keep this topic rolling for a while (at least) hoping on a regular basis, that others will join in...

Purely by chance, I found out about another feature, available on the CB touch pad... If you use one finger at a time, it moves the pointer this way and that as normal...

But if (let's say) you are on a long, wide web page, place a second finger next to the first and immediately, by moving those fingers together, you can auto-scroll up, down, left or right ~ to your hearts content... Lift the second finger at any time and the arrow immediately comes back into full function mode...

A handy tip for someone who's not come across that before...

It's also answered a problem that a friend supposedly encountered, when surfing the web... She complained that pages kept jumping all over the place... Little did she realise, that a second fingertip kept touching the pad...

Hey Ho... The problem solved...

 

[callin]

I find a mouse to be a bit erratic on my c720 and have re educated myself using the touchpad and now feel comfortable with it. I also found a need to space your fingers out when scrolling. Also, two fingers scrolling left or right moves back and forward pages. Three finger scrolling left or right changes tabs.

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Re Scrolling...

Hi Callin... Many thanks for joining in and sending some feedback...

I wasn't aware that there was a three-fingered option, so you've done your good deed for the day in letting us know... I'll be trying that out within the hour...

Yet again ~ many thanks....

Robbie D....

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

By the way Callin, that's a great signature... A twist in the tail ~ so to speak...

 

[callin]

Thanks Robbie, I love finding these witty one liners, but don't get much chance of using them.

 

[Ed62]

I've checked out other CB forums, and found none of them are very active. I don't get it.

Ed

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

That 's the problem Ed... So few people are interested in discussing issues... They want their own answers ~ nothing more or less...

Since joining this forum, I've attempted to bring things to life wherever I can, as is with one or two topics herein...

I think it needs a few dedicated users/followers, who will stick together, trying to help each other and those who have yet to become (what might be called) fully fledged members of the Chromebook fraternity...

Let's hope that we (this small group) can provide a springboard for something of that nature, encouraging other viewers to join in on a regular basis...

 

[callin]

Forums exist and thrive for a number of reasons. The most important reasons, in my opinion, are:

1. The forum is usually topic/subject based. I know if I go to a forum relating to the Chromebook that most of the people on there will have some expertise because other people just wouldn't be interested.

2. Technical help/advice/information from people that are experts in their field.

3. Forums are also an excellent place for business to listen to feedback from their users.

4. Anonymity: I think a lot of people still participate in the forums because unlike other social media they are able to express themselves without necessarily declaring who they are in real life.


Colin

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Some good points you've raised there Colin...

But it could be a bit more interesting, if more members were to join in, if only to say hello, or whether that being discussed is/was of help or interest to them... That way, those who do contribute on a regular basis, can get some idea as to how the flow needs to go...

Yet again: "It's good to talk"....

 

[John0Dean]

My view - for what it's worth

I've previously been a member of various Linux, netbook and tablet forums over the last few years. My observation would be that those forums only really got busy/active when owners had something to complain about. i.e. slow updates of software, new faults after an update (android), not being able to do that thing they could do on a previous Windoze machine (Linux).

A notable exception is Linux distros which attract genuine geeks / hobbyists, who want to tweak, tweak and tweak again (i.e. Crunchbang/Arch) maybe before moving on to the next distro to start all over again, here expertise in the forums can be really helpful. I've sort of fallen into that camp my self at times in that as soon as I have managed to get a distro running smoothing on a machine, I start to get itchy feet.

The difference with Chrome OS (and I've only been using using my new Acer C720 for a few days) is it is so easy to set up and use (as an existing Chrome and Chromium user getting set-up was an absolute dream). For such an inexpensive machine (£180 from John Lewis) it's responsive, great keyboard, good enough screen etc etc. There are plenty of walk-throughs on Youtube to fill in the gaps. So instead of desperately searching the interwebs for answers people can just get on with using the machine.

I wouldn't expect to see floods of visitors until something fundamentally breaks, and hopefully that won't be any time soon.

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Your Input...

Thanks for your input John...

I can agree with you completely... I too belong to several forums and groups, where the input from all members on a regular basis, is abysmal...

Never-the-less, I do try to keep things going here and there, with a little bit of helpful information thrown in for good luck... Sometimes that works, sometimes not... But it's good finger exercise: if nothing else...

Thanks again...

RD....

 

[tek_addict]

New to the Chromebook forum

I recently purchased the Acer C720 chromebook and set out to master the device. I came about this forum while doing a general search on "chromebook" topics. I wanted to send a reply and say hello and thanks for the site.

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Welcome to the Chromebook site tek_addict... Hope it serves you well: in all respects...

Robbie....

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Updating...


Realised today, that I'd not made a post on here for a week or more, so thought a few words might not go amiss...

Since I was last here, I've updated my computerised equipment by three or four items, all of which, pay some sort of homage to God Google ...

Managed to lay my hands on a very nice ~ near new ~ HP 17" screen laptop, complete with an Epson wireless printer... Plus another wireless printer, that's cloud ready in that it has it's own email address and will work from any location, without the need for a computer to be switched on... It'll also automatically sends 'arrival' and 'message printed' notices to a sender, so that they know their documentation has reached its destination 100%...

I've also been playing around with my Network set up... That's been very interesting, even the Chromebook coming into it's own ~ in some respects...

Not that it's of vital importance, but I've a friend who lives 120 or more miles away, who can now use any of my printers and likewise, (even using the Chromebook) I can use her printer, if I've the need to send her a quick, important message... It takes about ten seconds to travel the odd 120 miles and it seems to be more efficient than the mail systems are these days...

Cloud printing using the Chromebook, is a piece of cake with the wireless equipment too, being able to print documents from any locations in the country... Also, from my main computer, I can scan a document on the latest printer, save it to the main computer, whack it onto Google drive, then pick it up on the chromebook and mail it on to other locations with a simple share link... It's all becoming a little bit too easy... Need to make sure the interest doesn't start to wain...

That's all for now my good buddies... Drop by again ~ any time... Let's all go with the flow...

Robbie....

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Here's a wee bit of information, that might be of interest to users of both Chromebooks and standard computers...

I do a considerable amount of writing and to ensure (or at least try to do so) that all my spelling is 100 percent correct and that if I need to check out words or statements, I have the means on hand to do so...

Because I consider it's the best spell-check, dictionary and thesaurus produced by mankind, I tend to do all my word checks on a Google docs page... All well and good, except that as most are aware, each time a Google doc is opened, it's automatically save in the G doc system, as an un-named file + number.. Thus, at the end of the day I have a conglomeration of unwanted files stored on the drive, which can take a lot of my valuable time getting rid of...

What I've done now, is to have Internet explorer opening the same Google document every time, by making it that browsers' home page... The same can be done using any browser, but as my IE just sits waiting for attention, (not normally being used at all) this has given that browser a new purpose in life and It's given me, less work to do at the end of the day...

Just thought this might be of interest to some, although not all of those who are/might be following this thread...

Have a good day...

Robbie....

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Just the odd point that might be worth mentioning, is that if you've anything to add to what's been said, or there's an odd question that you'd like to ask: then do so by all means...

I'd be pleased for others to join in and make this an MAB, rather than something akin to a single-shot 'Blog Spot'...

Leave it to yah...

Robbie....

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

As can be seen from the last posting date, there's been no action on this thread for some considerable time... Now that speaks volumes in some ways... Either no one is interested in asking questions about their CB problems, or everyone but myself (who started this topic of conversation) is something of an expert...

OK ~ I don't know all the answers, but even after six months or more, I'm still finding out new methods of making adjustments to my CB, that make life a tiny bit more satisfactory than they have been...

One recent discovery, is that whereas the size of the font showing on web pages is normally quite small and has to be adjusted using the 'Ctrl and plus/minus' keys, such can be pre-set to some degree, within the basic settings...

Settings can be accessed via the black bar (bottom right) or by clicking on the 'Tools' app icon (if you've acquired it) placed on the shelf ~ such being where the task bar is situated on a normal computer...

Another point that might be worth a mention, is that to do with the touch pad, which, on the CB, appears to be over sensitive and prone to sending viewed pages off on a variety of journeys hither and thither...

Settings is the place to clear the tick-box, which switches off the 'Tap to Click' function...
At that, the touch pad can be used in the normal manner, one finger to left click and two fingers for a right...

Have a great day readers....

 

[Robbie Dalziel]

Shutting down....


When I first bought my CB, I religiously closed it down every time I'd finished using it... Naturally, I had to press the start button and sign in every time I used the machine again...

Not so any more... I simply close the lid, put the CB to one side and the next time I lift the screen, it's exactly where I left off at the end of the last session ~ even to the extent of the music that was playing, starting up on the next note to be played: as though the CB had never been switched off... Checking the battery resources, showed exactly the same readings as when the lid was previously closed...
Something might well have been gained following that procedure... Most certainly ~ there was nothing lost...

Just thought that might be of interest to someone, which would make the contribution worth-while...

Have a great day... I'm going to....