What is the best source to learn more about replacing ChromeOS with Linux? When I was briefly considering this, I found most of the Chromebooks came with non-replaceable eMMC (<64GB), soldered ram (~4GB), or 720p resolution.
I am willing to adjust my performance expectations considerably, but the non-expandable storage has made me think I am in for a world of annoyance if I want to use anything other than a web browser.
The trick isn't to shop for /most/ Chromebooks. The trick is to shop for /decent, expired/ Chromebooks. Chromebooks are designed around planned obsolescence, and all come with a use-by date, after which they stop updating:
Chromebooks near or past the planned obsolescence date can be had for a song, including decent models. The market is close to non-existent, so there's a glut of them.
My Chromebook has a 3200x1800 display, 16GB RAM, and takes an SD card (for expandable, albeit slow, storage). That's plenty for most of the types of work I'd like to do on a boat. It was under $200, almost expired. New, it would have been close to a grand.
The most popular way to install Ubuntu is with crouton:
The key annoyance (really the only difference from a "real" laptop) is you have to hit a special key sequence on every boot.
I definitely don't think of it as a "world of pain." I wouldn't use it as my primary laptop, but it's great as a device I can use in places I'd never take my primary laptop.
I am willing to adjust my performance expectations considerably, but the non-expandable storage has made me think I am in for a world of annoyance if I want to use anything other than a web browser.