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What's next for Linux on tablets?

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From the «because I want one, that's why» department:
Title: What's next for tablets running Linux?
Author: zafiro17@pipedot.org
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 08:09:26 -0400
Link: http://pipedot.org/story/2014-09-16/whats-next-for-tablets-running-linux

Put aside the "Android is based on Linux" argument for a second, and let's look
at the state of tablet hardware running the Linux operating system instead of
Android. And it doesn't look good.Network World reports Ubuntu Touch might be
our last and best hope for tablets running Linux[1]:

Canonical says that they expect Ubuntu Touch-powered tablets to start
shipping in the second half of this year. When I took Ubuntu Touch for a spin
on my Nexus 7 last October, it definitely had promise (if it was a bit on the
buggy side). And it has certainly improved a great deal since then.
Unfortunately, the ability to run traditional Linux desktop software isn't
the focus of Ubuntu Touch. In theory, this will be possible, but I've yet to
see this actually happen. So I'm not holding my breath.

Not too long ago, Aaron Seigo and a group of KDE hackers was making a big
splash about the upcoming Vivaldi tablet[2], which was to be a Linux tablet
running a customized version of the KDE Plasma environment (KDE4 reconfigured
in ways that make sense for a tablet). I was looking forward to that device, as
KDE4 was rejiggered specifically to permit this kind of innovation in
interfaces and avoid the whole "if Gnome3 is good enough for a tablet it's good
enough for your desktop" attitude. Unfortunately, when the Vivaldi tablet
project met with a lack of supporters willing to put up cold hard cash, it bit
the dust:

Announcing the ‘wrap up’ in an e-mail sent to backers of the Improv ARM-based
development board the team suggests that the FOSS community is ‘not ready’ to
put its weight behind the ‘pressing issue of hardware freedom’, adding: “We
greatly appreciate everyone’s support, whether it was purchases, donations or
words of wisdom and encouragement. There was simply not enough support to
make the project work, despite having fully functional, production ready
devices and a strong commitment to succeed.”

Well, there's still the Pengpod[3], currently in crowd funding. But it's barely
there as a product, reliant on going from crowd-funding to crowd-funding to
push out new versions of their interesting product. What is there to do if you
want Linux apps on tablet hardware? For the moment, it seems the answer is "be
patient."

Links:
[1]: http://www.networkworld.com/article/2451520/opensource-subnet/ubuntu-touch-may-be-our-last-hope-for-a-linux-tablet.html (link)
[2]: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/07/kde-improv-tablet-projects-officially-axed (link)
[3]: http://pengpod.com/ (link)

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What's next for Linux on tablets? RS Wood  <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-09-17 19:58 +0000

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