Wednesday, July 11, 2012

When Will we See Linux For Tablets?

By Paul Barber


Now is the time to accept it the tablet PC comparison wars isn't all that kind to late entry contenders. Right now, iOS is the complete king of tablet operating systems, with Android and others trailing behind. If you're hot for open-source though, then you may be one of the people who're still expecting to see Linux for tablets sometime. Lets assume that everything go according to plan, we will see a Linux tablet in the form of the Vivaldi Tablet.



True open-source

If you remember when netbooks were only starting out, Linux was a preferred choice. The operating software was perfect fit because of its customizability and low cost. Linux at last lost plenty of its chunk of the netbook market, and it hasn't done so well in the case of the tablet P.C market either. Will we see an open-source tablet and how will it compare against the other players in the market?



According to tablet PC news sites, there's light at the end of the tunnel for Linux for tablets. The Vivaldi Tablet was available for advance order for Bucks 265 (200 Euros) though sales goals have reportedly been met and the pre order period came to a completion. Vivaldi was formerly known as Spark Tablet, but was re-launched to avoid trademark problems



The Vivaldi will run on Mer Core Linux kernel and will use KDE's Plasma Active as its control panel. The prospects for Linux for tablets is generally optimistic, with other open-source projects actually working on their individual versions of a mobile OS. One of these projects is the Kubuntu Active; it hasn't been around for the period that Vivaldi, nevertheless it does look promising. 2 other prominent open-source UIs are might be worth trying for tablet Computers too: Gnome Shell and Unity.



What can we really expect from Vivaldi?

The basic concept of Linux for tablets isn't at all new, since back in 2008, a project called the CrunchPad (later renamed JooJoo) was launched. in the first instance it was provisionally planned to run on Ubuntu Linux and a custom Webkit-based browser. But unfortunately, the project failed to go live after a few years under development. The real dream is still alive and kicking in the Vivaldi Tablet, and many tablet PC reviews hope to see it ultimately.



We'll keep you posted about Linux for tablets, so stay tuned.






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