[kwlug-disc] Apple Rocks! No linux tablets?

[Raul Suarez]

I think that the cool factor of the iPad and utility is undeniable but you just need to look at the recent iPhone history for clues about the future.

Dystopian walled garden where as long as you do as the benevolent leader says and you worship him you'll be taken care off. No more hunger, pain or suffering.

Of course, we also know how those novels and movies end.

Yes, there will be tablets. a previous post suggested searching for android tablets, you can also search for MeeGo tablets or Linux tablets.

There will not be initially as good, they will not be as cool, but eventually the competition will push them to improve. 

When we talk about "Innovation" it hasn't been lack of innovation on the Linux side that caused the iPhone/iPad to release first. It was lack of vision and risk taking on the part of the companies with the $$$ necessary to make it happen.

Kudos to Apple for taking the risk but if Android phones were able to catch up so fast is because open source developers had already walked most of the road: e.g. AppStores look a lot like Linux repositories, don't they? QT/KDE have been creating the plumbing to create the mobile networked apps and who could forget the doomed OpenMoko project.

So, yes, you won't have to wait long to have Linux tablets.

Raul Suarez

Technology consultant
Software, Hardware and Practices
_________________
Twitter: rarsamx
http://rarsa.blogspot.com/ 
An eclectic collection of random thoughts


--- On Thu, 7/15/10, Insurance Squared Inc. <gcooke at insurancesquared.com> wrote:

> From: Insurance Squared Inc. <gcooke at insurancesquared.com>
> Subject: [kwlug-disc] Apple Rocks! No linux tablets?
> To: "KWLUG discussion" <kwlug-disc at kwlug.org>
> Received: Thursday, July 15, 2010, 8:52 PM
> I just bought an  Apple Ipad,
> and my son put the Apple sticker on the back bumper of his
> ATV.  So I guess I'm kicked out of this group now too
> (sigh.  kicked out of ANOTHER group).
> 
> The Ipad is seriously cool, and has some stuff I
> love.  There's a billion apps.  1980's Galaga and
> Pac Man.  I'd have bought it just for that. 
> Webmail that works way better than my blackberry. 
> Point it at the sky and it'll show you the star map directly
> in your line  of sight  behind the ipad (this is
> seriously cool).  And I've been trying to get the globe
> and mail delivered in New hamburg for 5 years to no avail -
> now I get it on my ipad every day with breakfast.  I'm
> buying apps by the bucket.  I was a sceptic (I'm not an
> early adopter) but now I'm a fan.
> 
> But now I owe my soul to the company store - Steve Job's
> corporate Itunes app store.  $1.99 here, $4.99
> there.  (though in their defence, they're doing a super
> job despite being entirely closed with no competition).
> 
> Is there nothing out yet at this level of tablet computers
> for linux?  I know I read somewhere that there's some
> sort of tablet based linux OS but nothing in common
> use?  This technology seems perfect for
> linux.   Opensource apps, possibilty of OSS
> developers making some money, private app stores competing
> for business, the fact that linux's front end is discrete
> from the backend, so it should be relatively easy to get a
> tablet version into production.  It's screaming for an
> open platform.  Really - who the heck provides a
> computer with 32gigs, charges $800 for it and won't even let
> you upgrade?
> 
> But nothing for linux?  Anything coming down the
> pipes?  Or is this still a fizzle like it is for MS so
> far? Am I going to be able to make my next tablet computer a
> linux machine that's as cool as my ipad?
> 
> 
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