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Just because it has a full sized USB port does not make it a PC, it can't even run PC applications. Overall a good review, a lot better than expected. Seems lik

Just because it has a full sized USB port does not make it a PC, it can't even run PC applications. Overall a good review, a lot better than expected. Seems like TechCrunch are upping their writing standards to compete with TheVerge which have really shown just how bad other sites like TC are when it comes to reviews and reporting. I want one of these Surface tablets, they look nice and I really do like the appearance of Windows 8. Give it time, the surface will be cracked and you'll see people running variants of Linux on these things before you know it and then I'll be more inclined to buy.

tesseractive 14y ago
Does Linux run well on touchscreen type devices these days? I haven't really kept up with developments there lately.
- ok_craig 14y ago
  Android is Linux-based, so... yeah. It runs pretty well on touchscreen type devices.
  - tesseractive 14y ago
    Well yes, if I loaded up Android on there, I'd be running Linux from a OS design standpoint, but there are some pretty important practical differences in what apps run on Android and what apps run on Ubuntu or Debian for ARM. People have ported useful Linux tools to Android, but so far, it's not nearly as comprehensive as having a full-on Linux package management system. So I gues my question is whether there more Linuxy versions of Linux -- distros that run XWindows apps, and where you can pull full-blown versions of things like Octave, Emacs, gcc, and so on out of a package library -- with touchscreen support in the same class as Android?
    - lloeki 14y ago
      > People have ported useful Linux tools to Android I was genuinely surprised how the jailbroken iOS userland gives you a really good debian-like experience, whereas with Android you often get just busybox and the rest is more up to you like LFS.
    - pedrocr 14y ago
      Maemo/Meego or whatever they're naming it today is probably the closest thing to what you're referring to. It supposedly had a very standard Linux userland although it had some binary-only packages (IIRC for the radio parts). Canonical has also been pushing Ubuntu onto the space. They have Ubuntu for Android[1] where you keep using Android on phones/tablets but then are able to tether them to a screen/keyboard and have a full Ubuntu running out of the same device and accessing the same data. They've also just demo'd Ubuntu as a real tablet OS on a Nexus 7[2]. [1] http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android [2] http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/10/23/ubuntu-running-on-nexus-7-canonical-says-it-is-the-perfect-reference-device/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/10/23/ubuntu-running-on-nexus-...
  - socceroos 14y ago
    @tesseractive - Canonical has been working on multitouch in Ubuntu for a while now. Unity (the main Ubuntu desktop environment) was built for this very purpose. Canonical has been conceptualizing and building the environment for this very purpose - if you have a look at their current direction, they're trying to pull this same interface across desktops, TVs, phones and tablets. It still remains to be seen how well they do, but it has already made good progress.
- DigitalSea 14y ago
  The Android X86 project — http://www.android-x86.org/ http://www.android-x86.org/ is probably your best bet for a Linux distro that functions well on a tablet PC. It's a port of Android open source to an x86 platform, pretty damn awesome. Still pretty flaky on multitouch support for the moment though, but give it some time and it'll eventually support it. I love open source.
- hippich 14y ago
  KDE working actively on their Plasma for touch devices. Here is 8 month old demo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h41yVOS6fao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h41yVOS6fao Could not find anything newer and do not have spare table to install it. But work is definitely done.
  - pbhjpbhj 14y ago
    From one month ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulcizzAj-N4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulcizzAj-N4
konstruktor 14y ago
How is it not running PC applications? It doesn't run x86 applications, it doesn't run other desktop applications. I very much hope that metro will be an inspiration for "PC" applications everywhere: Plain, responsive and made for tiling. I have been using macs almost exclusively for about 8 years, but I'm getting more and more annoyed with all the cute skeumorphisms.
- DougBTX 14y ago
  Windows RT will only run 3rd party applications sold through the MS App Store. For me at least, one of the defining features of a PC is that you can run whatever software you like on it.

tesseractive 14y ago

Does Linux run well on touchscreen type devices these days? I haven't really kept up with developments there lately.

ok_craig 14y ago
Android is Linux-based, so... yeah. It runs pretty well on touchscreen type devices.
- tesseractive 14y ago
  Well yes, if I loaded up Android on there, I'd be running Linux from a OS design standpoint, but there are some pretty important practical differences in what apps run on Android and what apps run on Ubuntu or Debian for ARM. People have ported useful Linux tools to Android, but so far, it's not nearly as comprehensive as having a full-on Linux package management system. So I gues my question is whether there more Linuxy versions of Linux -- distros that run XWindows apps, and where you can pull full-blown versions of things like Octave, Emacs, gcc, and so on out of a package library -- with touchscreen support in the same class as Android?
  - lloeki 14y ago
    > People have ported useful Linux tools to Android I was genuinely surprised how the jailbroken iOS userland gives you a really good debian-like experience, whereas with Android you often get just busybox and the rest is more up to you like LFS.
  - pedrocr 14y ago
    Maemo/Meego or whatever they're naming it today is probably the closest thing to what you're referring to. It supposedly had a very standard Linux userland although it had some binary-only packages (IIRC for the radio parts). Canonical has also been pushing Ubuntu onto the space. They have Ubuntu for Android[1] where you keep using Android on phones/tablets but then are able to tether them to a screen/keyboard and have a full Ubuntu running out of the same device and accessing the same data. They've also just demo'd Ubuntu as a real tablet OS on a Nexus 7[2]. [1] http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android [2] http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/10/23/ubuntu-running-on-nexus-7-canonical-says-it-is-the-perfect-reference-device/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/10/23/ubuntu-running-on-nexus-...
- socceroos 14y ago
  @tesseractive - Canonical has been working on multitouch in Ubuntu for a while now. Unity (the main Ubuntu desktop environment) was built for this very purpose. Canonical has been conceptualizing and building the environment for this very purpose - if you have a look at their current direction, they're trying to pull this same interface across desktops, TVs, phones and tablets. It still remains to be seen how well they do, but it has already made good progress.
DigitalSea 14y ago
The Android X86 project — http://www.android-x86.org/ http://www.android-x86.org/ is probably your best bet for a Linux distro that functions well on a tablet PC. It's a port of Android open source to an x86 platform, pretty damn awesome. Still pretty flaky on multitouch support for the moment though, but give it some time and it'll eventually support it. I love open source.
hippich 14y ago
KDE working actively on their Plasma for touch devices. Here is 8 month old demo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h41yVOS6fao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h41yVOS6fao Could not find anything newer and do not have spare table to install it. But work is definitely done.
- pbhjpbhj 14y ago
  From one month ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulcizzAj-N4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulcizzAj-N4

konstruktor 14y ago

How is it not running PC applications? It doesn't run x86 applications, it doesn't run other desktop applications. I very much hope that metro will be an inspiration for "PC" applications everywhere: Plain, responsive and made for tiling. I have been using macs almost exclusively for about 8 years, but I'm getting more and more annoyed with all the cute skeumorphisms.

DougBTX 14y ago
Windows RT will only run 3rd party applications sold through the MS App Store. For me at least, one of the defining features of a PC is that you can run whatever software you like on it.