Google has launched ChromeOS Flex, a lightweight operating system that can be installed on old computers in order to extend their life, and reduce e-waste.

Much like the original ChromeOS, which runs on Chromebooks, Flex is a cloud-based platform that will run smoothly on older machines that cannot handle modern operating systems.

Michael Wendling, the product lead for Flex, says in many cases the older computers still run fine, but the outmoded software installed on the machines is causing them to perform sluggishly.

“The operating system accumulates extra baggage along the way and makes it harder to run on hardware 6 or 8 years old,” Wendling explains.

Google has been buying up older machines to test Flex; so far it has certified 295 devices.

Flex is free to download and can be installed via a USB drive. It’s particularly handy for underfunded schools, who are tasked with replacing scores of computers every few years.

“How do you afford to buy new hardware all the time?” says Thomas Riedl, ChromeOS’s director of product for enterprise and education.

“It would be great if everybody had the nicest and shiniest MacBook, but that’s just not life.”

ChannelNews will be tested an older device with ChromeOS Flex, and will report back with the results.