Support for running multiple Linux containers at once is incoming
It took a long time for Linux to become officially supported on Chromebooks. In fact, it spent three years in beta until the release of Chrome OS 91. Now, anyone who wants to can install and run Linux on their Chromebook, with the caveat that they can only use one container at a time. A new update aims to remove this limitation.
On the latest version of Chrome OS, users can create multiple containers if they want to (though it’s a highly involved technical process). However, issues arise when there is a need to use separate containers for separate projects at the same time. As an example, even though a high-spec Chromebook could run one container for gaming while another container for development is also active, it can’t.
The fix comes in the form of an experimental settings UI for extra containers that’s currently in development. As explained in one active thread on the Chromium Gerrit, this new feature adds a Chrome OS settings section titled “Manage extra containers,” which shows the current containers as stored in prefs. It allows you to create a new container via a dialog and stop or delete containers via a popup menu.
The thread also states that this new section is behind a new “crostini-multi-container” flag which is still being worked on and is disabled by default. Apparently, each container will also have its own tab in terminal, presumably much like tab groups. All of this is still a work in progress at this point, and there could be more changes between now and the final release.
After adding native Linux support, this seems like the next logical step for Chromebooks. Let’s hope the company is also planning on making it easier for laypeople to create new containers while at it. Expect an update or an announcement about it through official Chrome OS channels, perhaps including the Chrome OS Beta Community which was just launched for the most dedicated users.
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