Thinkpads Forum

Hi,

I am planning on getting a Lenovo tablet (probably the X41t, although I might consider the X60t when its price goes down). At the same time I'm experimenting with Linux and wondering about the merits of using Linux on such a machine. In particular, these are my concerns:

1. What are my options and chances as far as getting a fully-functioning tablet working under Linux?
2. Is handwriting recognition as good as XP? Alternatively, is it mediocre but trainable?
3. What distros support tablet functionality?
4. I really like the looks of the open-source programs I see online; however, for security (firewall, antivirus, antispyware, etc), I have to wonder if it is as good as the developers claim or if I'm really "getting what I pay for". And that's an area you don't want to mess up in.
5. Is there note-taking, binder, etc., software for a Linux tablet at the same or higher quality as that for Windows?
6. Finally and to sum up all of the above, do tablets have enough support in the Linux environment to merit switching from Windows?

Emperor Linux has an X41t pre-loaded with Linux and all the wrinkles supposedly ironed out. Does anybody have experience with one of these? Advice?

Thanks, Trent

Trent:

I'm happily running Kubuntu Edgy (6.10) on my X41 Tablet. Almost everything works out of the box with this distribution, and the machine runs very well on Linux.

You will have to install Wacom-tools and fiddle with the xorg.conf file a little in order to get the pen working, but it does work. But that's where the tablet functionality stops. There is very little software available for the tablet. I use Jarnal, which is a Java-based open-source replacement for Windows Journal. There are also a couple of others; Gournal, for example, but you'll have to compile it from source. These are imitators of Windows Journal and aren't half bad. But as far as I know there are not any handwriting recognition capabilities in any Linux apps (I hope I'm wrong here but I haven't found any). Also, there is nothing to replace the Tablet Input Panel (TIP). Also, nothing to compete with GoBinder or OneNote on Windows.

I'd highly recommend trying this yourself. When you get your tablet just download a LiveCD version of Ubuntu or Kubuntu and try it, risk-free. The LiveCD versions do not install anything to your hard drive; they run exclusively from RAM and the CD. You can then make up your own mind whether or not to install it on your tablet.

k0lo wrote:But as far as I know there are not any handwriting recognition capabilities in any Linux apps (I hope I'm wrong here but I haven't found any). Also, there is nothing to replace the Tablet Input Panel (TIP). Also, nothing to compete with GoBinder or OneNote on Windows.

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_tablet) led me to believe that there was recognition software available, but no more helpful info

Thanks! Will take your advice when I order my tablet.

Trent: You might also consider running Onenote using wine on the linux platform. I tried ubuntu edgy on my original hard drive, and had great first impressions out of the box... unfortunately, I had to return the drive back to lenovo before they charged me (i was getting a replacement drive when I complained about the clicking noises in the original).

Anyways, I didn't go back to linux on my fresh drive, because I tried a clean install of windows xp tablet (following K0lo's directions on gottabemobile site). So far, I'm thoroughly satisfied with the responsiveness to not wipe Windows out yet.

If you're in the market for a second hand tablet + dock (excellent condition), PM me -- I'm mulling over the thought of moving onto a Panasonic toughbook for my heavy travels, and stick to my x31 or t43 for the everyday stuff. If you want me to, I can even preload Ubuntu and work out the bugs I know of.

Will handwriting recognition work on OneNote under Wine? There are notetaking apps for Linux, but HR doesn't work because the only real HR engine I could find comes only with XP Tablet PC Edition.

This isn't the main issue for me -- I don't plan to completely switch over and do all my work in Linux with a pen, at least not for the moment -- but I would be interested to know.