Through things like Crouton you are able to install Linux on a Chromebook, thus drastically expanding the capabilities of a Chromebook. I have a HP Chromebook with Ubuntu and I am able to install most software that I need (e.g. node, npm, gulp, node-sass, visual studio code). While it would not be possible or effective to install Photoshop or Illustrator, you are still able to install most development software. Having a Chromebook is also very handy as it is quite light and has a great battery life, allowing me to always have a development machine. I would highly recomend a Chromebook as a cost-effective and portable secondary development machine.