Posts
RDataGuy
02/20/2021
Making the Switch
About two years ago, I decided that I was going to ditch using my 10 year old Macbook and try out a 5 year old Chromebook that I purchased from a local elementary school for $50.
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My reasons for ditching the MacBook were various. Among the main reasons for ditching the Mac were that there was no longer any OS upgrade support and it’s battery (the second one I had purchased) was no longer holding a charge. I didn’t know what to expect switching over to a Chromebook, but I decided that I was up for the experiment. I had used Chrome OS previously, but had never relied on one as my ‘daily driver’.
My Chromebook Experience
I remember that during my first week of using the Chromebook, I realized that my computer experience was going to be very different. While I appreciated the near-instantaneous start-ups, week-long battery life, and seamless Google product integration using Chrome OS, there was still something missing. Coding. I code for my job and I code for fun. My preferred Integrated Development Environments (IDE) are RStudio for R and Spyder for Python. The ol’ MacBook was less than ideal but it still allowed me to install older versions of R and Python, which meant that I could still code. But after switching, I no longer had that capability (built-in) with a Chromebook unless I went through the hassle to put the Chromebook in Developer Mode and install a light-weight Linux distribution. Putting a Chromebook into Develeoper Mode is simple and installing Linux is somewhat simple if you’re familiar with Linux, but it still doesn’t allow me to get the latest version of R and RStudio.
Determined to figure out a way to code on my $50 Chromebook, I decided that I was going to see if there were any websites that provided a way code in the Cloud, and specifically, I was looking for R and Python as I knew there were options available for Python. After my first Google search, I discovered that RStudio was already working on such a solution called RStudio Cloud!
I could NOT sign-up for a FREE RStudio account fast enough! Suddenly, I was now able to code with the latest versions of R and RStudio Server Pro IDE using my… new, 5 year old Chromebook! ;) To say I was happy, is an understatement!
Chromebook Coding!
After I got logged into RStudio, what I immediately noticed was that it felt very familiar to me, like walking in the front door of your house after a long trip. I intuitively knew how to proceed to get a project started, create my script file, and start coding because other than the Workspace, it’s the exact same interface that I use in my job everyday.
Here’s what the Workspace looks like. You create a project and then gointo that project to build your code.
Create a new file of R, Python, C++, etc. and start coding!
Among the many available perks of signing-up for RStudio Cloud is gaining easy access to Cheat Sheets…
… and Primers.
I also discovered that sharing projects is as simple as clicking “Share Project Link”. If you use Git Hub, integrating your account with Git Hub is also very easy to setup and will then allow your account access to both private and public repositories!
What have I learned?
Using RStudio on a Chromebook has been such a really great experience!
While finding a way to code in R on a Chromebook (in my preferred IDE) was pretty amazing, finding out that I could also code in Python and C/C++ in that same IDE on a Chromebook took this experience over the top! I can say that my experience with coding in Python using RStudio has been just as enjoyable! After running reticulate::repl_python() in the R terminal, miniconda will be installed in the project. After that, Python package installations using pip are as easy as pip install ... in the terminal and BAM, you’re ready to code!
While RStudio is not perfect, it’s pretty darn close. Here is a summary of the pros and cons of using RStudio.
Pros:- Login with Google or Github
- Portable (any internet-capable device)
- Very easy package installations for R and Python
- R Markdown & R Notebooks
- Python 3.6 <– YES!!
- C/C++
- Scalable (increase RAM & CPUs)
- Project Sharing
- RStudio Community Integration
- Access to RStudio Technical Support
- Works with Github Public & Private Repositories
- Works with Shinyapps.io
Cons:
- Signing-in (unless you stay logged in)
- Can’t use RSelenium or Selenium (Python)
- Increasing RAM & CPUs beyond defaults adds up quick!
- I’m really trying to find more cons…
Conclusion
This experience has really changed how I think about Chromebooks and how I think about Cloud computing in general. I not longer look at Chromebooks as only email-checking and document editing devices, rather I now look at them a peppy little coding machines! Really! All the benefits of near-instantaneous starts, week-long battery life, Google integration, and NOW RStudio!
If you (or your children) are interested in learning how to code, and you feel like it would be cost prohibitive to get a machine for them, really that isn’t the case any longer. For less than $300 dollars you can purchase a decent Chromebook, sign-up for a FREE RStudio account and start coding!
Have fun coding!