February 22, 2026
When Chromebooks make kids rage…
Ask HN: Chromebook leads for K-8 school in need?
Kids vs. Slow School Laptops: Hacker Nerds Rush In With Hacks, Hope and Dark Humor
TLDR: A New York K–8 teacher begged online for a way out of painfully slow school laptops, and tech commenters responded with hacks, charities, and a cynical tip to blame state tests to unlock funding. The thread exposes how kids’ basic tech needs often rely on internet strangers and loopholes, not planning.
A tired tech teacher from a New York City elementary and middle school wandered onto Hacker News (the nerdy Reddit of programmers) to confess a heartbreaking truth: the school’s Chromebooks are so painfully slow they’re literally making kids angry. Forget math homework, the real test is waiting for a page to load. The teacher was hoping for a miracle shortcut to better computers, and the internet brain trust did not disappoint.
One commenter came in with a reality check, dropping a Fortune article hinting that laptops might not be the magic bullet for learning anyway – but quickly admitted, basically, “you play the hand you’re dealt.” Another user turned full mad scientist: dig up old Windows laptops, wipe them, slap on Google’s free ChromeOS Flex, and boom – “still ChromeOS, but like 3x faster” and good enough for grandparents and fifth graders. Others went the charity route, praising non-profits like PCs for People that refurbish old machines for schools.
The spiciest twist? One commenter openly said the quiet part out loud: in New York, schools only really move on tech when state tests are threatened. Their advice: tell admin the current laptops can’t handle the exams, and watch the budget suddenly appear. Between clever hacks, charity links, and dark jokes about testing culture, the comment section basically turned into a support group for underfunded classrooms.
Key Points
- •A K-8 technology teacher in New York City reports that students are using very slow Chromebooks.
- •The slow performance of the Chromebooks is causing students to become agitated during use.
- •The teacher says students are in desperate need of new hardware.
- •The teacher is already aware of various grant opportunities to obtain new equipment.
- •The teacher is seeking potentially faster solutions than grants for acquiring new hardware for the students.