Looking for a tablet-friendly Linux distro

[ajkula66]

Make a long story short, I've got a X60T on the way, and would like to find a distro that would work without major tweaking...since tablets are really not something I have a lot of experience with...

Recommendations, suggestions, "pros" and "cons" of any kind would be highly appreciated.

Thank you one and all, my fellow ThinkPadders...

[tarvoke]

got my tablet kinda sorta by accident, but kubuntu (ubuntu &c.) supports the pen as a mouse by default. not that I ever use it. I seem to recall that you prefer Mint -- that should be perfectly fine vs. anything else.

xournal is one of the few hwr apps that actually works fairly well in lunix; but aside from cellwriter, I don't think there's a super-great generic input panel like you can get in windows.

there is the hildon ui which works really well on things like my nokia tablet, but that's mainly a soft keyboard and adaptive text completion and not hwr. hrm, I should give that a shot on the thinkpad...

[voneschenbach]

Don't know about the X61 hardware, but Ubuntu 8.04 works on an old Toshiba M200 I have at the office. It takes some configuration to get the screen rotation button to work, but otherwise works well. There is a OneNote-like utility that works well as well as some character recognition programs. You can also gut Ubuntu quite nicely if you feel that it has too much bloat for your hardware. I have heard good things about Xfce from folks at work.

[Tasurinchi]

Sorry for re-activating an old thread, but I'm in a similar situation as the thread starter but with an X41T.

There is a OneNote-like utility that works well as well as some character recognition programs

Would someone share more details about these programs? Names and experiences?

Thanks a lot in advance!

[j-dawg]

There's a real dearth of tablet software out there for Linux. The only handwriting recognition program I know of is Cellwriter, and that was an abortive master's thesis project; it's a real mess and not worth the trouble, though I guess its OSK is decent. Xournal doesn't seem terrible as a note-taking program but Onenote is much better, and that's from one who's not a big fan of taking notes on a tablet.

You absolutely must have GIMP and Inkscape; those two programs work well with the tablet features. Unfortunately, though it's been a while since I used either at any length, the tablet drivers weren't up to spec as of about Ubuntu 9.04 - lines came out, but they were smoother and had higher pressure sensitivity resolution in Windows. Perhaps that's improved since then, I don't know.

Long story short, if you're really going to use the tablet as a tablet, you're better off sticking with Windows. The handwriting recognition is fabulous and there's plenty of software to use it. I prefer Ubuntu and never really used the tablet features much anyway, so I'm not too troubled by it, but if you're looking for the tablet experience Windows is the OS for you.

[Tasurinchi]

Xournal doesn't seem terrible as a note-taking program but Onenote is much better, and that's from one who's not a big fan of taking notes on a tablet.

You absolutely must have GIMP and Inkscape; those two programs work well with the tablet features

Thanks J-Dawg for the help! I will try them soon. Actually I use more the tablet mode for surfing, I don't think I will take notes on them.

I'm trying Win7 right now, it works fine but I find Ubuntu to be more responsive. I think soon I will re-install Ubuntu back.

Cheers!

[bwaldow]

Hi,

I don't have a Thinkpad tablet, but I do have a slate Fujitsu ST5112. With some tweaks, I've gotten Gentoo, Xubuntu 8.04, and currently Xubuntu 10.04 working well with it. I have no problem using it without any keyboard right from power-up. There appear to be good posts in the Ubuntu forums about setting yours up too.

I also have developed a method which provides me full cursive & printed handwriting entry. It's a few hacks strung together, not elegant, but it's quite reliable. I'm starting a project writing a 'OneNote' type app that uses it for Linux, but haven't gotten far (day job, you know).

Please note: I have this working with Windows XP to do the recognition. Other people have told me they have it working on Vista and Windows 7 as well, but no one has told me how to do this, and I'm not knowledgeable about it. I'm going to look into it, but if you can figure it out (IIS 7 vs. IIS 6) please tell me so I can tell everyone else!

The handwriting recognition server: http://msinkserver.sourceforge.net/
The handwriting input client: http://ship-project.sourceforge.net/

Please do not ask me questions about the handwriting system here! Ask them in the forums on sourceforge for each project, so everyone else can benefit from the answers too.

Cheers,
bcw

[bwaldow]

I have a new handwriting input solution:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=95766

This is much less hassle to set up.

Cheers,
bcw

[BruisedQuasar]

At this point, you best bet is to visit the excellent tablet forums. Here is a link to one of the best Android development and hacking
forums http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdi ... b773&f=564

Right now Android is the Tablet O/S other than highly proprietary Apple IPad O/S. Get into an Apple Tablet and you engage
a commercial culture even more greedy and proprietary than Microsoft!

Android is a Linux distro, albeit semi-proprietary. Beware that Android 2.1 & 2.2 are not Tablet O/S... Use 2.1 and you will need to
root it so you can use the big Google Android Marketplace where there are thousands of apps and utilities, both free and commercial. Also, Android 2.1 Tablets are loopy and unstable. A person should not get one unless they make sure it is
an exceptional Tablet like the inexpensive Coby Kyros 7014 (7") which is surprisingly good design and build and it is easily rooted
You can get step by step rooting instructions for Coby here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=858952

The reason you need to root Android powered Tablets to get Marketplace downloads is due not to loopy Tablet makers but due
to Google. Google controls\owns Android and the Marketplace. Because Android 2.1 isn't meant to be a tablet O/S and thus
frustrates owners with inconsistencies, Google doesn't approve Tablet use and thus doesn't allow Tablet makers to render
Marketplace available. Warning. It is not possible to root all Android Tablets so make sure you can root the model you are thinking of buying. Coby Tablets are easily rooted.

The very first and so far as I know only tablet that is powered by the new Android O/S version designed for Touch Screen Tablets is the new Motorola Xoom, which costs about the same as the Apple IPad version 2. The difference is when you buy the Xoom you get what you pay for, a true laptop replacement in a Tablet. Xoom also has a larger, better display than Apple.

Sales of the powerful Xoom have been dismal. Apple has the "cool" factor captured and thus continues to rake it in with its goofy Tablet. (90% of the first 2million buyers of IPad 2 had purchased IPad 1 just 7 to 10 months earlier and stood in line to buy version 2 to get features version 1 should have had to begin with) Xoom launched at $100 more than the IPad. Wait a few months and you'll be able to get one cheaper than an Apple.

I suppose a lot of people prefer flouting an inferior Apple and like overpaying for the software and the Accessories. Egoware (or "look at me ware") do cost money. I wouldn't buy an Apple but I do love repeatedly buying low and selling high AAPL (Apple) stock.
Now if Steve Jobs will just take sick leave and return a few more times, I can buy everyone in the family a new Xoom &
a Thinkpad and take the misses on a long cruise. I am working out a deal to sell theft insurance to parents who buy an Ipad or a pretty Powerbook Pro for their college students. Campus thieves hang out on Campus in the Fall to grab textbooks and Apple computers from new Students. One woman I know didn't tell me in time that she gave in to her daughter's demand for a Powerbook, so I didn't get to sell her a policy. Her very naive, spolied daughter managed to keep her Apple for a whole week before she asked what she thought was a female college student to watch her Apple and backpack while she visited the restroom. When she returned all three were gone. What a haul that theft team got! $400 in new textbooks to return to the bookstore and a $1600 egoware laptop! I told the friend "Apples have 'steal me' written all over them. They are so loud thieves can quickly spot an Apple in a crowded campus student union and they can have it sold for a few hundred before you can call
security"

Unfortunately, Android tablets are not made so you can flash change or update the O/S, or at least I do not know of one. Meanwhile, I await the new Coby Tablets to reach full production. The new ones use Android 2.2, better, faster processors, & much better displays. Suggested retail for the new 7" is $165

The new 10" Coby is fully touchscreen (compacitive and not resistive)

--Bruised