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I want an iPad (Pro or whatever) with a full OS. I want to run the full browser I want, if needed, I want to be able to load up some code and review/run tests

I want an iPad (Pro or whatever) with a full OS. I want to run the full browser I want, if needed, I want to be able to load up some code and review/run tests and maybe start coding something simple and keep going. There are apps that kind of help, but they're not the same. I also can't say I'm always online. I went with a Surface Pro. I'm running windows which I don't particularly like, but it'll have to do for now. I would have preferred something that runs Linux over Windows, but I didn't see things with great support and I'm also not here to fight the hardware to make it work.

mark_l_watson 4y ago
Question: do you use Linux container support on Windows? I find Linux container support in ChromeOS to be sometimes useful.
- rovr138 4y ago
  Not sure if you mean WSL2 or Docker Desktop. I've tried both. Both are a pain IMO (but Mac doesn't really improve this). With WSL2 you end up with another abstraction layer that you have to figure how to get your programs to work nice with. With Docker Desktop, there's been some performance issues lately. Doesn't turn into a hoverboard like my mac, but the performance still lags. I mainly use it to script small things on python and that's worked out fine. Haven't had issues with paths which was the most annoying things last time I tried it on Windows.
dredmorbius 4y ago
Serious question: why not simply an ultra-light laptop? I've taken a hard look at what the strengths/weaknesses of tablets are (see my link-drop elsewhere in this subthread), and the one thing they're really good at seems to be reading ebooks. For which a dedicated e-ink ebook reader is far superior. Almost any productivity task is better done with a keyboard, ergo, laptop. Video and audio capture are more flexibly and usefully achieved with a dedicated camera or recorder, and both can be extremely inexpensive. (I've also reasons for wanting my audio/video capture tools to have minimal connectivity and not be part of a surveillance-capitalism platform.) Handwritten notetaking is another possible application, though having a keyboard available makes typed notes and note-management systems viable. Then there's drawing / sketching. Again, e-ink kworks well for B&W there. Video can be watched on a laptop. Audiobooks are pretty well suited to an e-ink tablet again.
- rovr138 4y ago
  Sometimes I just want to just browse and consume content and don't need a keyboard. Sometimes I want to annotate and handwrite on something and the ones with keyboards that fold back, become too thick. The iPad has a great size and depth for this. When I use my wife's the thickness is not bad. If I want to annotate a PDF, I can sit on the couch and it's super easy and not heavy or too thick. Videos, I can easily remove the keyboard, prop it against something and it doesn't take more space. However, I rarely do this for long periods. My main use to watch videos is to figure something out and take notes. I want to be able to take handwritten notes, highlight and annotate PDF's, and research using a full featured browser. So it's an in-between. I think the iPad is close. Hardware is there (same CPU/architecture). Just needs software support. We also have leaned towards mac's just for the UNIX tools but also it has a ton of nice things so that's why I think that the OS would be great. Copy from your computer, paste it on your ipad, keep going or open it through Files.
  - dredmorbius 4y ago
    E-ink tablet fits for pretty much all of this. I'm pretty happy with the Onyx BOOX Max Lumi. That's 13.3". There are 10.3" and 8" devices as well.
- hollandheese 4y ago
  > Handwritten notetaking is another possible application, though having a keyboard available makes typed notes and note-management systems viable. Then there's drawing / sketching. Again, e-ink kworks well for B&W there. Have you actually tried using an e-ink device for taking notes? Sluggish and not nearly good enough compared to Goodnotes (iPad), OneNote (Windows), Xournalpp (Linux). >Video and audio capture are more flexibly and usefully achieved with a dedicated camera or recorder, and both can be extremely inexpensive. Can not work as well for making instructional videos as a tablet with screen recording. >Audiobooks are pretty well suited to an e-ink tablet again. Phones or an mp3 player.

mark_l_watson 4y ago

Question: do you use Linux container support on Windows? I find Linux container support in ChromeOS to be sometimes useful.

rovr138 4y ago
Not sure if you mean WSL2 or Docker Desktop. I've tried both. Both are a pain IMO (but Mac doesn't really improve this). With WSL2 you end up with another abstraction layer that you have to figure how to get your programs to work nice with. With Docker Desktop, there's been some performance issues lately. Doesn't turn into a hoverboard like my mac, but the performance still lags. I mainly use it to script small things on python and that's worked out fine. Haven't had issues with paths which was the most annoying things last time I tried it on Windows.

dredmorbius 4y ago

Serious question: why not simply an ultra-light laptop? I've taken a hard look at what the strengths/weaknesses of tablets are (see my link-drop elsewhere in this subthread), and the one thing they're really good at seems to be reading ebooks. For which a dedicated e-ink ebook reader is far superior. Almost any productivity task is better done with a keyboard, ergo, laptop. Video and audio capture are more flexibly and usefully achieved with a dedicated camera or recorder, and both can be extremely inexpensive. (I've also reasons for wanting my audio/video capture tools to have minimal connectivity and not be part of a surveillance-capitalism platform.) Handwritten notetaking is another possible application, though having a keyboard available makes typed notes and note-management systems viable. Then there's drawing / sketching. Again, e-ink kworks well for B&W there. Video can be watched on a laptop. Audiobooks are pretty well suited to an e-ink tablet again.

rovr138 4y ago
Sometimes I just want to just browse and consume content and don't need a keyboard. Sometimes I want to annotate and handwrite on something and the ones with keyboards that fold back, become too thick. The iPad has a great size and depth for this. When I use my wife's the thickness is not bad. If I want to annotate a PDF, I can sit on the couch and it's super easy and not heavy or too thick. Videos, I can easily remove the keyboard, prop it against something and it doesn't take more space. However, I rarely do this for long periods. My main use to watch videos is to figure something out and take notes. I want to be able to take handwritten notes, highlight and annotate PDF's, and research using a full featured browser. So it's an in-between. I think the iPad is close. Hardware is there (same CPU/architecture). Just needs software support. We also have leaned towards mac's just for the UNIX tools but also it has a ton of nice things so that's why I think that the OS would be great. Copy from your computer, paste it on your ipad, keep going or open it through Files.
- dredmorbius 4y ago
  E-ink tablet fits for pretty much all of this. I'm pretty happy with the Onyx BOOX Max Lumi. That's 13.3". There are 10.3" and 8" devices as well.
hollandheese 4y ago
> Handwritten notetaking is another possible application, though having a keyboard available makes typed notes and note-management systems viable. Then there's drawing / sketching. Again, e-ink kworks well for B&W there. Have you actually tried using an e-ink device for taking notes? Sluggish and not nearly good enough compared to Goodnotes (iPad), OneNote (Windows), Xournalpp (Linux). >Video and audio capture are more flexibly and usefully achieved with a dedicated camera or recorder, and both can be extremely inexpensive. Can not work as well for making instructional videos as a tablet with screen recording. >Audiobooks are pretty well suited to an e-ink tablet again. Phones or an mp3 player.