Actually my post references two different websites that are linked. And yes, that is one of the sources.
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The StarLite 5 Linux tablet might have just killed the iPad for me
- Thread starter eicca
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To be fair, the majority of those sound like issues accumulated from not shutting off your device or at least restarting it regular. I know you're not supposed to have to but it's a computing device. You need to, bare minimum, restart it regularly. If I don't restart my work pc every evening, then I can expect to have app crashes the next day, guaranteed. Same with the wife's '17 MBA. If she doesn't regularly restart it she gets weird app and window behavior similar to what you described. Shutting them down also helps with battery drain.
Why on earth are you comparing a very basic entry-level two-in-one to the top-of-the-line iPad Pro? You should compare it to the entry-level iPad if that's the hardware you want...
OP appears to be suspended for some reason but I hope some of the other people here will get one of these and give us a review. I am generally a fan of these small Linux-focused computing companies even though often they are just reselling designs. Star Labs I think has a pretty good reputation and they even give sales proceeds back to some of the distros they preinstall.
I still have a few netbooks and they were always awful to work on AND consume media due to the terrible displays on most of them. Linux wasn't ready for primetime so while many of the 1st gen netbooks were trying to push linux it was clear that the windows tax was unavoidable. Windows XP was the best lightweight option for the mainstream, but was on it's way out at that point. Vista wasn't well received and Windows 7 was far too demanding on machines that maxed out at 2GB RAM. Even SSDs didn't help much.I used to have the original netbook in 2008 (Asus eeePC 701) and also the original iPad has been given to me as a Christmas gift in 2010.
The eeePC came 2 years earlier, also roughly at half the price, and this is the first fact.
Jobs presented the first iPad as "better than smartphones and notebooks in some key areas" like web browsing and social media.
Then proceeded to ship the first gen with 256MB RAM and no cameras, pratically setting it to become e-waste long before its potential life, unless the "key areas" he had in mind were being recycled as a digital picture frame, pretty much the only thing it could do after ~2 years.
The second gen in 2011 was hugely improved but they made a point to always keep the software behind, so they wouldn't cannibalize other devices.
The eeePC was not as cool to flaunt in public, but it has never let me down.
If you were a desktop kind of guy, you could purchase one, put it into the pocket of your coat, and get complete interoperability, without losing a fortune if it got stolen or damaged in some way.
Netbooks were not killed by the iPad, but rather from the manufacturers themselves, they didn't generate enough profit while being "good enough" for light use, so they proceeded to put them to sleep and then copy the Apple split between tablets and ultrabooks. (iPad / Macbook Air).
That's the whole problem for manufacturers, if you had a netbook and smartphone you were the worst kind of customer.
A desktop at home lasts for pretty much an eternity if expanded, the netbooks were being sold at break even, and so the market stagnates.
Not so much if you buy iPads with planned obsolescence, then a notebook because you couldn't even plug a flash drive into the iPad for years, then a smartphone because you still need it.
The iPad was pretty much a dead end after 2011 (the second gen).
They added retina display, then went with the Mini, Jobs wanted desperately to keep it alive so he kept the iPhone stuck with a 3.5" screen, because you had to get an iPad if you wanted bigger, and nearly lost the war against Androids for doing so.
We may hate Tim Cook as much as we like, but he didn't have such stupid obsessions, in being the shrewd CEO he is, he single-handedly saved the iPad by introducing Apple Pencil and really making it the best device for a key area, because you can bet that the iPad would've been dead without the Pencil apps for students and artists, it's really the only thing keeping it afloat.
I know I'll get a lot of disapproval for this post on this thread. I'm ready
IMO Steve Jobs nailed that presentation and yes the first iPad felt like a half-baked product out the gate similar to the iPhone 2G. They quickly rebounded with the release of the iPad 2.
I think the iPad has a solid space in the consumer market in that $300-$600 price range, but for the longest time the software side of things were pathetic. It's no secret that Apple wanted to tread lightly to not cannibalize macbook sales given the fact that Federighi confirmed a few years ago that they tried everything to make a great touchscreen macbook and failed. A super powerful monster iPad with a proper desktop class operating system could spell trouble. Instead we are still stuck with these questions if a 12.9" tablet is just a blown up iPhone without calling capabilities. We should have been past this stage with the iPad at least 5 years ago.
Also, I don't understand the Tim Apple hate. The guy has turned apple into the behemoth is today and shows no signs of slowing down.
edit: strange that eicca appears to be suspended.
Apple has always struggled with adding functionality and complexity to a platform that was fundamentally supposed to be a simpler and easy to use computer. I don’t envy what they are trying to do, and they have definitely struggled at times. In my mind, if the iPad is just going to turn into a Mac, what’s the point of the product? The Mac already exists. I bought an iPad because I wanted something different.
I spent a lot of time optimizing XP for my 701 (with nLite) but yeah you could argue that the average customer couldn't be bothered to do that.
I marveled to how much you could do with a Celeron 630mhz (overclockable to 900 via system tray), 512MB RAM, 4GB SSD, 7" 800x480, the bargain basement really.
Never tried one with Atom or HDD to say if the snappiness was better or worse.
Also let's remember that web browsing was considered a light activity back then.
Chrome was 1.0 back then and far from the memory guzzling beast it is today.
Anyway the netbooks were killed by smartphones way more than they were by tablets.
Then phablets became a thing and so smartphones stopped tablets from gaining too much market share as well.
iPad matured in 2011, same year the Macbook Air went to Sandy Bridge CPUs with a major power boost and the cost wasn't that much far off, on the other side you had the first Galaxy Note, that combo pretty much killed tablets for me.
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2023, The Year of Tablet Linux
2024, The Year of Desktop Linux (really this time!)
Desktop Linux has come a long way and I have used it as a windows alternative in the past until my former employer allowed us to choose a macbook for our laptop upgrade.
The big hangup that always gets me is when I launch Chrome or Safari on macOS and then launch on Linux (running on a MacBook) the touch pad scrolling is still worlds apart. Linux never gets the inertial scrolling right. It is always so hard for me to do a basic thing like precise scrolling on a web page.
If you are using a mouse with a scroll wheel then you would never notice. But it makes me weary of touch scrolling on a Linux tablet.
The big hangup that always gets me is when I launch Chrome or Safari on macOS and then launch on Linux (running on a MacBook) the touch pad scrolling is still worlds apart. Linux never gets the inertial scrolling right. It is always so hard for me to do a basic thing like precise scrolling on a web page.
If you are using a mouse with a scroll wheel then you would never notice. But it makes me weary of touch scrolling on a Linux tablet.
Yeah, well, there are plenty of professional and semi professional software for GNU/Linux. The problem starts when you have to cowork with others and depend of a unavailable software workflow. E.g there is Krita a wonderful App for Painting, or Blender, but think this Tablet lacks a Pencil. Autodesk, The Foundry, Houdini, Realflow Fluid Simulator, UnrealEngine, CATIA, etc. but most of these topnotch professional Apps won’t run on this Tablet.
Linux can be used very professional and also outperform Windows, MacOS, but for sure not on this Tablet. Linux on a general purpose Tablet is not ready yet, but can works well for a few special Apps if it suits the needs. Apps and use cases research upfront is a must.
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If we get to count Android as Linux, we should also get to count iPads towards Apple’s computer market share
I think you might be misunderstanding what the goal of product management is. It’s not to make a product that ”is the most everything for everyone” or necassarily even to make it the best value.
As a product manager I’m pretty jealous for what they have achieved.
I’m not an iPad guy (but we have had 4 over the years), and I would not be surprised if the satisfaction rate for them is lower then some other Apple devices. Still I assume most users are actually very satisfied (my mum loves her’s), likely more then competitors.
So please explain the logic of product management 101 where generating hundreds of billions of revenue by selling a product at double the cost of competitors to quite satisfied customers is a failure.
As a product manager I’m pretty jealous for what they have achieved.
I’m not an iPad guy (but we have had 4 over the years), and I would not be surprised if the satisfaction rate for them is lower then some other Apple devices. Still I assume most users are actually very satisfied (my mum loves her’s), likely more then competitors.
So please explain the logic of product management 101 where generating hundreds of billions of revenue by selling a product at double the cost of competitors to quite satisfied customers is a failure.
Really depends on category, as you said, but it’s vastly more than just webservers. The only real reason windows is so prevalent in numbers is active directory/gpo servers. Almost every other use of servers is completely dominated by Linux
So is the os kindles run and tons of other consumer devices. Folks really dont realize how many devices running Linux they interact with, directly and indirectly, every day
Super intrigued by this…I bought my iPad Pro to be my mobile simple computer: casual web browsing, light document editing, maybe some clerical tasks, blah blah blah. I previously had a MacBook Air M1 to do these things on but laptops aggravate my carpal tunnel so it had to go.
As a result I had to pay more than the MBA cost to get an iPad Pro with an OS that is vastly inferior to the less-expensive laptop. Even though it largely works for what I'm asking it to do, it still frustrates me that the file management, multitasking, audio source management, compatibility, etc are basically just iPhone-grade. On such a large screen, those nerfed functions are painfully apparent and clunky.
Besides. It's just bad product management so sell a device with laptop-grade hardware, that costs more than a laptop, and is less versatile than a laptop. I will die on this hill, so flame away. Basic product management 101 and Apple has failed.
Star Labs just dropped their StarLite 5 tablet: 12.5" screen, CoreBoot, and runs Linux Mint (which I really really like) or a bunch of other Linux distros OR WINDOWS if you want for HALF THE PRICE OF THE IPAD PRO. It's $500! AND IT HAS A HEADPHONE JACK. AND TWO USB-C PORTS AND MINI HDMI. The more I read the more I'm drooling. This has value potential written all freaking over it.
I'm waiting for reviews to happen, but I'm having a very difficult time not pre-ordering it. It seems to be everything I'm waiting in vain for the iPad to be and has all the value that Apple refuses to provide.
StarLite 12.5-inch
Its fanless design ensures your StarLite will never make more than a whisper - unless you want it to. The Mk V supports coreboot open source firmware which you can effortlessly configure to your preferences via our coreboot configurator.us.starlabs.systems
IMO Linux is best for servers and old laptops/pcs that can’t run Windows anymore. The flexibility is nice but you will always run into instability and have to tweak the **** out of it to get it to run decently.
I empathize with the the OP: a while ago I had a choice to go with an iPad Pro or a Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360.
My ideal mobile computing device would allow me to use a pen to draw (part of work), use productivity software, write code and work on 2d games, read PDFs that include magazines, comics, and image-heavy books, enjoy movies, treat it as a tablet, but still have the advantages of having a full keyboard (including a numeric keypad), and even do a spot of light 3d modeling work.
Years ago I thought I had found the perfect solution with the Asus Eee Slate. I made the purchase, but soon found out that the battery wouldn't last longer than 90 minutes and the built-in Intel graphics as well as the 4GB RAM limit rendered a seemingly wonderful solution into a useless mobile device that I hardly used at all.
Which explains why I had some doubts whether the Galaxy Book 2 would be a repeat of the same experience.
My uncle has an iPad Pro, and after playing with it I came to the conclusion that, while it is excellent hardware and a perfect media consuming device, the actual experience for serious work is severely hampered by iOS. It is indeed an oversized "phone", and a mismatch for what I wanted out of it.
So with some trepidation I got the Book2, and it turned out to be the perfect mobile computing device for me! Its battery lasts for ages and gets me through two days of work on the road effortlessly. It converts easily from a traditional notebook (with full keyboard including a numpad!!!) to a tablet for reading or drawing, and I can also fold it half-way so that it stands on a table for small presentations, reading or drawing.
It sports a finely crafted durable super-thin metal casing and (dare I say it) feels as well constructed as the best of Apple's mobile products (well, it is Samsung after all). I prefer the design over the iPad myself.
What I really like about it is the screen, which has, unlike the iPad Pro, a wide screen ratio and still doesn't feel too large. Great for reading and watching films/series. It may not have the same retina resolution as the iPad Pro, but the other advantages of the device outweigh this aspect for me. Colour fidelity and range of its Super AMOLED is very good. Drawing on this thing is like having a portable Cintiq: it works that well. ClipStudio runs great. And in notebook mode the screen still works as a touch/pen screen, which is great.
All those small connectivity boons are there: a micro SD slot, phone jack, bunch of mini USB connectors, the pen is included for free. It has Dolby Surround sound which sounds surprisingly good. Tradeoff is the missing camera for taking pictures, which I have no use for. But it may deter others.
Important for me was the freedom to run whichever software I need: something an iPad Pro would never allow me to do. Although I totally agree that my requirements are relatively unique to most users.
Drawback of course is Windows 11 with its phone home telemetry: I use W10Privacy to deactivate all that junk. And I have Linux Mint running as a boot option to run Blender faster and work with other Linux software if and when I need it.
I have never had such a useful mobile work experience. It's everything I hoped the Eee Slate to be at that time and more. Personally I am of the opinion that an iPad Pro is not meant for a flexible day-to-day productivity workflow, and that's completely fine.
If Apple would ever design a 2-in-1 convertible Mac Book Pro, I'd certainly get it. I do realize that these are too niche for most people, though.
All in all, I am very happy with my choice; it works well for me.
My ideal mobile computing device would allow me to use a pen to draw (part of work), use productivity software, write code and work on 2d games, read PDFs that include magazines, comics, and image-heavy books, enjoy movies, treat it as a tablet, but still have the advantages of having a full keyboard (including a numeric keypad), and even do a spot of light 3d modeling work.
Years ago I thought I had found the perfect solution with the Asus Eee Slate. I made the purchase, but soon found out that the battery wouldn't last longer than 90 minutes and the built-in Intel graphics as well as the 4GB RAM limit rendered a seemingly wonderful solution into a useless mobile device that I hardly used at all.
Which explains why I had some doubts whether the Galaxy Book 2 would be a repeat of the same experience.
My uncle has an iPad Pro, and after playing with it I came to the conclusion that, while it is excellent hardware and a perfect media consuming device, the actual experience for serious work is severely hampered by iOS. It is indeed an oversized "phone", and a mismatch for what I wanted out of it.
So with some trepidation I got the Book2, and it turned out to be the perfect mobile computing device for me! Its battery lasts for ages and gets me through two days of work on the road effortlessly. It converts easily from a traditional notebook (with full keyboard including a numpad!!!) to a tablet for reading or drawing, and I can also fold it half-way so that it stands on a table for small presentations, reading or drawing.
It sports a finely crafted durable super-thin metal casing and (dare I say it) feels as well constructed as the best of Apple's mobile products (well, it is Samsung after all). I prefer the design over the iPad myself.
What I really like about it is the screen, which has, unlike the iPad Pro, a wide screen ratio and still doesn't feel too large. Great for reading and watching films/series. It may not have the same retina resolution as the iPad Pro, but the other advantages of the device outweigh this aspect for me. Colour fidelity and range of its Super AMOLED is very good. Drawing on this thing is like having a portable Cintiq: it works that well. ClipStudio runs great. And in notebook mode the screen still works as a touch/pen screen, which is great.
All those small connectivity boons are there: a micro SD slot, phone jack, bunch of mini USB connectors, the pen is included for free. It has Dolby Surround sound which sounds surprisingly good. Tradeoff is the missing camera for taking pictures, which I have no use for. But it may deter others.
Important for me was the freedom to run whichever software I need: something an iPad Pro would never allow me to do. Although I totally agree that my requirements are relatively unique to most users.
Drawback of course is Windows 11 with its phone home telemetry: I use W10Privacy to deactivate all that junk. And I have Linux Mint running as a boot option to run Blender faster and work with other Linux software if and when I need it.
I have never had such a useful mobile work experience. It's everything I hoped the Eee Slate to be at that time and more. Personally I am of the opinion that an iPad Pro is not meant for a flexible day-to-day productivity workflow, and that's completely fine.
If Apple would ever design a 2-in-1 convertible Mac Book Pro, I'd certainly get it. I do realize that these are too niche for most people, though.
All in all, I am very happy with my choice; it works well for me.
A more accurate statement would be "Only 3.6% of all computer users use Linux because it's not good for doing anything casual with."
Linux is great for the serious backend server work. It's not great as an everyday platform. Third party app options are few and far between. Most of the Linux apps I've seen/used were sorely lacking in features. In my opinion, the only people who use Linux as a desktop platform are hardcore techies for whom tech is a passion.
I get it. Many years ago when I was much more enamored of tech, I traded my Mac in for a NeXT computer and stuck with NeXTSTEP for many years. It was such a better OS than either the Classic MacOS or Windows of the time. I still miss a number of NeXTSTEP features to this day. I remember trying to convince myself that there were third party software options as good as software on MacOS or Windows, just not as many options. Of course that was delusional (with a handful of notable exceptions).
I did a clean install of Mint this summer for a look-see, then went to OpenCore Legacy Patch…on my 2013 10,1 MacBook Pro and it indeed was very nice. Everything worked from the gitgo. I kinda was shocked 🥳
Not always so simple...
How to solve this Dependencies apt --fix-broken install
When I use the command apt --fix-broken install I get the following errors: Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done Correcting dependenc...superuser.com
Oh . . . 'apt'
My history with apt has been extremely solid (as has it been with Debian, in general)
There were some raw days in the latter 90's, but it became much easier. It was a real chore installing Debian from scratch on dialup.
Still use a derivation on my RPi (muscle-memory really comes in handy).
I've been exclusively using Funtoo (neé Gentoo) for the past decade (at least outside of Mac OS (which is my daily), and Win64 (I seem to still have few licenses installed on a few machines)).
On the linux side of things, I don't want everything handed to me. I want to learn
Superior camera? I hate those, they make the ipads worse. Thay bloody bump forces you to make it heavier and thicker with a cover if you want to use one of it's main selling points, the pencil.
Surprised at the amount of Linux hate in here - as a scientist who has worked in and run labs based on Apple vs Linux systems, Linux has absolutely hands down been the better experience in the lab, and it is outside the lab where the Apple shines for me. I have had pretty frankly negative experiences with speed, stability, compatibility, and cost with high end Apple equipment in the research environment, whereas I think the attention to ergonomics and streamlined painless media and productivity user experience is what makes Apple stand out on the consumer side. People see the world too black and white - I’ve never felt any one platform or company hit every nail one the head every time, and that’s ok. Just my experience of course - the usual disclaimers
There are plummering sales for a while now, but some people blame it on anything but the product itself. Also something can be bad compared to its potential but still better than the alternatives. But testing the consumer base's patience is never a good omen, especially if one crack in the ecosystem can drag other products with itself.
Personally I have problems with ipads, macs and iphones too, but right now they kinda circularly support each other, and make me ceeate monthly income for Apple via icloud, music and apple pay. However, if I'll get fed up with the weakest link enough, the whole chain will go with it, services included.
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