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My (new) Chromebook3 uses the Linux - Beta OS.

I'm trying to download a printer driver for my Brother MFC-7440N printer. At the Brother Downloads page, I selected Linux (Windows and Mac were the other 2 choices). I then get two Linux choices:

  • Linux (rpm)
  • Linux (deb)

Which one of these do I need to select in order to continue the driver download process?

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  • Unless the manufacturer or a third party have released a Chrome OS driver then using other platform drivers will inevitably not work. You may research into seeing if you can build, from source, the drivers for your platform, but this may be far more complicated than what it's worth. An additional solution might be to look at a print server (a separate computer, such as a Raspberry Pi) that runs CUPS (that will inevitably have the necessary rinter driver support you require) and then you can print to this, over your network, from your Chromebook.
    – Kinnectus
    Mar 21, 2019 at 14:49
  • it also appears that Brother have not released the driver source files... the website only has the specific versions you provide.
    – Kinnectus
    Mar 21, 2019 at 14:52

2 Answers 2

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Select the .deb option.

On most Debian-based Linux distributions, users can double-click on .deb packages to install them. This same functionality can now be found in Chrome OS. You can double-click on any .deb file in the Chrome OS Files app to start the installation process.

Even though it was already possible to install .deb packages through the command line with sudo dpkg -i package-name.deb, this makes using Linux apps on Chrome OS much easier for beginners.

enter image description here
Opening a .deb file on Chrome OS   Install app with Linux (Beta)

Source: revised from Chrome OS can now install Linux apps from .deb packages

Set up Linux (Beta) on your Chromebook

  1. At the bottom right, select the time.

  2. Select Settings .

  3. Under Linux (Beta), select Turn On.

  4. Follow the steps on the screen. Setup can take 10 minutes or more.

  5. A terminal window opens. You can run Linux commands, install more tools using the apt package manager, and customize your shell.

  6. To install a .deb file with apt change directories with cd to the directory containing the .deb file and run this command:

     sudo apt install ./package-name.deb

    This command will install the .deb file and automatically install missing dependency packages if they are available from your software sources.

Source: revised from Chromebook Help - Set up Linux (Beta) on your Chromebook

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I'd suggest getting it to work with ChromeOS. Many apps will let you print to a file such as a PDF. You could then open and print that file within ChromeOS via the Files app.

I believe this is an old printer and doesn't support Cloud Print but many printers can be added in Settings as CUPS printers either by USB or over your local network.

https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/7225252?hl=en&ref_topic=3399712

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