All of these machines make for decent Linux laptops. I picked up an EOL Chromebook for $35 last year and installed Debian on it. Decent little machine. Not terribly fast but very useable.
Most modern ones it's just commands you have to run. You can usually find an easy walk-though on the MrChromebox website. I haven't seen one that required a jumper or anything in a LONG time.
Mine was really easy (dell chromebook 11), just followed the instructions and I had no problems. I have another chromebook with an amd chipset that I can't change the firmware on though (last time I checked), so if you're planning to buy one to convert make sure you actually can do it first.