You wrote "Chromebooks are either secure and running Google's software, or insecure and running your software."
That's a sentence that could easily be taken out of context to imply something very different from what I think you meant. That is, given that sentence alone one might think you are suggesting that Google's software provides security while "your software" provides insecurity. And I think your intended meaning relies on an implicit assumption that's exactly opposite.
In fact, I think you are talking about two different kinds of security here, both of which are desirable. And you are pointing out that in Google's system both cannot be obtained simultaneously. The first security is that of a "validated boot", (firmware validates that system to be booted been signed with an installed key). The second is an "obeys my bidding" sort of security, (I've seen the code, I've modified it according to my desires, it doesn't contain any anti-features like spying, etc.).
The way I understood your original sentence is: "Chromebooks are either secure [with "validated boot"] and running Google's software [insecure—doesn't "obey your bidding"], or insecure [no "validated boot"] and running your software [secure—"obeys your bidding"].
A clarification to avoid misreading
That's a sentence that could easily be taken out of context to imply something very different from what I think you meant. That is, given that sentence alone one might think you are suggesting that Google's software provides security while "your software" provides insecurity. And I think your intended meaning relies on an implicit assumption that's exactly opposite.
In fact, I think you are talking about two different kinds of security here, both of which are desirable. And you are pointing out that in Google's system both cannot be obtained simultaneously. The first security is that of a "validated boot", (firmware validates that system to be booted been signed with an installed key). The second is an "obeys my bidding" sort of security, (I've seen the code, I've modified it according to my desires, it doesn't contain any anti-features like spying, etc.).
The way I understood your original sentence is: "Chromebooks are either secure [with "validated boot"] and running Google's software [insecure—doesn't "obey your bidding"], or insecure [no "validated boot"] and running your software [secure—"obeys your bidding"].
-Carl (cworth@cworth.org)