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Re: Using Samsung tablets for Debian

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On Tue, Mar 21, 2017 at 03:58:15AM +0000, Don Littlefield wrote:
>Hello,
>
>  I want to buy a Samsung tablet and want to load Debian on it. My question is
>do I need to get a tablet that is unlocked to do this? Does this have anything
>to do with the Linux program operation on the device? I do not want to use it
>as a phone, Just to use it as a computer. Thank you for the responding.

"Locked" may mean a number of things. Firstly, a GSM or CDMA device may 
be locked to only accept SIM cards with certain IMSIs - in other words, 
it will only work with SIM cards for the network that sold the device.  
This kind of lock is illegal in certain restrictions, but it can usually 
be removed legally (source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lock). If you're 
buying a tablet device, though, this usually doesn't apply (in my 
opinion, a "tablet" is similar to a "PDA" in that it's a portable 
computer. A "phablet", on the other hand, is an over-sized phone. Many 
"tablets", for example, don't provide any facility for making or 
receiving calls).

If the tablet you buy is SIM locked, then this doesn't affect you at 
all. You may put Debian on the device without hindrance.  The radio 
firmware of the device should be responsible for enforcing the SIM lock, 
but you say you're not going to make calls, so this is moot, anyway.

Secondly, the bootloader of the device might be locked. The bootloader 
is specific to the device and, I believe, occupies a position similar to 
UEFI on a PC - it initialises devices and locates and begins execution 
of the OS kernel. For many devices these days, the bootloader comes 
locked in order to protect the security of the OS (and also to protect 
the business of the manufacturer by providing a barrier to switching 
OS).

If the tablet you buy is bootloader locked, then this WILL affect you as 
you will be unable to flash a different OS without unlocking the 
bootloader (or, in theory, replacing the bootloader, but that depends on 
how generic the tablet is).

>
>donlittlefield@yahoo.com
>
>Don
>

-- 
For more information, please reread.

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Thread

Using Samsung tablets for Debian Don Littlefield <donlittlefield@yahoo.com> - 2017-03-21 05:00 +0100
  Re: Using Samsung tablets for Debian Darac Marjal <mailinglist@darac.org.uk> - 2017-03-21 11:30 +0100
    Re: Using Samsung tablets for Debian <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2017-03-21 11:40 +0100
      Re: Using Samsung tablets for Debian Darac Marjal <mailinglist@darac.org.uk> - 2017-03-21 11:50 +0100
        Re: Using Samsung tablets for Debian <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2017-03-21 12:40 +0100
    Re: Using Samsung tablets for Debian Miles Fidelman <mfidelman@meetinghouse.net> - 2017-03-21 20:10 +0100

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