decent cheap ChromeOS tablet -- can run debian in a container
https://forums.redflagdeals.com/lenovo-canada-chromebook-10e-tablet-129-less... This is $129 tablet seems to be aimed at kids in schools. It's not particularly powerful, but it has a nice screen (1920x1200, 400nit), battery, and a solid build. This version of ChromeOS invites you to create a container with debian in it. The debian is from the debian repos: not customized. I've done so. I can run xterm, but it is awkward without a keyboard and mouse. I've loaded gnome desktop but I'm not sure how to start it. I wanted to use gnome's on-screen keyboard. Seems like a fun toy for this price. The weakest point is that it has only 32G of eMMC (disk) and no slot for an SD card. It has only one USB port and that is used for power. I was able to use a USB-C hub with "power delivery" to add more peripherals. The sale might end at any time. Perhaps the end of the day or the end of the weekend.
I thought Google is dropping Chromebook? On 12/31/21 5:46 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:
https://forums.redflagdeals.com/lenovo-canada-chromebook-10e-tablet-129-less...
This is $129 tablet seems to be aimed at kids in schools. It's not particularly powerful, but it has a nice screen (1920x1200, 400nit), battery, and a solid build.
This version of ChromeOS invites you to create a container with debian in it. The debian is from the debian repos: not customized.
I've done so. I can run xterm, but it is awkward without a keyboard and mouse. I've loaded gnome desktop but I'm not sure how to start it. I wanted to use gnome's on-screen keyboard.
Seems like a fun toy for this price. The weakest point is that it has only 32G of eMMC (disk) and no slot for an SD card.
It has only one USB port and that is used for power. I was able to use a USB-C hub with "power delivery" to add more peripherals.
The sale might end at any time. Perhaps the end of the day or the end of the weekend. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
| From: James Knott via talk <talk@gtalug.org> | | I borrowed one from the Mississauga Library and wasn't impressed. You pretty | much had to do everything in the "cloud", though having Linux built in would | improve on that. The idea of ChromeOS is "cloud first". But there is some provision for doing offline work. If you use Android apps on this tablet, you get and Android experience. But better because you device support is much longer. If you install Linux, you get a Linux experience. With the expected amount of cloudiness.
On Thu, Jan 6, 2022 at 11:06 AM D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
| From: James Knott via talk <talk@gtalug.org> | | I borrowed one from the Mississauga Library and wasn't impressed. You pretty | much had to do everything in the "cloud", though having Linux built in would | improve on that.
The idea of ChromeOS is "cloud first". But there is some provision for doing offline work.
If you use Android apps on this tablet, you get and Android experience. But better because you device support is much longer.
If you install Linux, you get a Linux experience. With the expected amount of cloudiness.
Chose to get one of these babies for trying a tablet. wondering -- - so a couple questions: Is dual boot better than blowing away the android system and installing an OS? I'm a long time debian user - - - trying to decide between debian or galliumOS - - - suggestions? TIA
| From: o1bigtenor via talk <talk@gtalug.org> | Is dual boot better than blowing away the android system and installing | an OS? I think that you mean blowing away the ChromeOS system. I don't know if that is possible. I know that this was possible on at least some x86-based CromeOS clamshells. The Arm world is less standardized so it's not a sure thing. Best to search for others who have done this. In my modest experience most x86 boxes sold with Windows can be easily switched to Linux. That's a better direction to go for Linux on bare metal. | I'm a long time debian user - - - trying to decide between debian or | galliumOS - - - suggestions? I have no experience will galliumOS.
Depending on what you want to achieve, IMHO you can get a used HP 10 inch tablet on eBay for $50 running Windows and flatten it with Debian. https://www.ebay.com/itm/324124770651 Windows on 7-10 inch tablets are all over ebay. On Fri, Jan 14, 2022 at 3:54 PM D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
| From: o1bigtenor via talk <talk@gtalug.org>
| Is dual boot better than blowing away the android system and installing | an OS?
I think that you mean blowing away the ChromeOS system.
I don't know if that is possible. I know that this was possible on at least some x86-based CromeOS clamshells. The Arm world is less standardized so it's not a sure thing. Best to search for others who have done this.
In my modest experience most x86 boxes sold with Windows can be easily switched to Linux. That's a better direction to go for Linux on bare metal.
| I'm a long time debian user - - - trying to decide between debian or | galliumOS - - - suggestions?
I have no experience will galliumOS. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
| From: Ansar Mohammed via talk <talk@gtalug.org> | Depending on what you want to achieve, Yes! | IMHO you can get a used HP 10 inch | tablet on eBay for $50 running Windows and flatten it with Debian. | https://www.ebay.com/itm/324124770651 | Windows on 7-10 inch tablets are all over ebay. Not a terrible idea, but there are problems with this particular example: - ebay.COM: US$50, not C$50 unknown (to me) problems and expense getting it across the border unlikely to have a useful warranty (used, across border) - specs: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04553375 - 1280x800 resolution - poor SoC https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/80274/intel-atom-proces... SoC launched 7 years ago intentionally crippled on launch Intel's goal: compete against ARM but don't cannibalize x86 Microsoft's goal: compete against Android/iOS but don't cannibalize existing Windows market. surely 32-bit UEFI even though CPU can do x86-64. - only one USB socket and that is only USB 2 Linux support is mixed for this kind of tablet (I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro of this generation). Typically the SoC has very odd bits. Like: audio is hooked up in a non-standard and non-obvious way. Like: UEFI cannot access SD card (so you cannot boot from it). I was defeated when I tried to put linux on it back in the day. I think that Linux mostly works these days (I tried booting the Venue 8 off a live Fedora stick a few months ago). There was a tremendous blossoming of Windows tablets then (Win 8.1 era). Evolution could have improved them but instead it killed them off (Intel and Microsoft threw in the towel). Windows tablets now are expensive and inferior. This is what currently passes as a good deal (yuck): https://forums.redflagdeals.com/best-buy-microsoft-surface-laptop-go-12-4-i5... Currently, there are often reasonable deals on reasonable laptops with touch. But they start at over $400 new. Ones that I've considered start at about $700 on sale. The Lenovo is not much more expensive than the HP (when you factor in cross-border friction and used versus new) and has usefully better capabilities. But the HP can probably run Linux natively rather than in a container. - USB 3.x with extras vs USB 2.0 (OTG?) - 4G RAM vs 2G - 64G eMMC vs 32G eMMC - 1920x1200 vs 1280x800 resolution - warranty support vs no support If you want a good tablet, and don't need Linux, it is hard to argue against iPads. Android tablets only seem to win when you consider price (which I do) or tinkerability. ChromeOS tablets are probably clunkier than Android tablets but they can run Android apps and they get support for many more years. Linux under ChromeOS is supported by Google but Linux under Android is not. Windows Subsystem for Linux is a potentially interesting thing on tablets. It will not run on 32-bit Windows, and so it won't run on this HP. Actually, the HP hardware is too limited to be officially supported by current Window 10, but I think it works. 32G of "disk" is a nightmare when running Windows Update.
I have the Dell Venue Pro also. In fact I have two of them and an HP Stream 7. There are lots of Windows tablets on ebay. The cheapest I have seen is the toshiba encore series ~30USD. But they are almost identical to the Venue Pro Debian runs very very well on them. But it was a pain to get the wifi recognized. The problem wasn't so much getting it to work, but more of "ok now what? what can I do with this?" On Mon, Jan 24, 2022 at 11:06 AM D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk < talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
| From: Ansar Mohammed via talk <talk@gtalug.org>
| Depending on what you want to achieve,
Yes!
| IMHO you can get a used HP 10 inch | tablet on eBay for $50 running Windows and flatten it with Debian. | https://www.ebay.com/itm/324124770651 | Windows on 7-10 inch tablets are all over ebay.
Not a terrible idea, but there are problems with this particular example:
- ebay.COM: US$50, not C$50 unknown (to me) problems and expense getting it across the border unlikely to have a useful warranty (used, across border)
- specs: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04553375
- 1280x800 resolution
- poor SoC
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/80274/intel-atom-proces... SoC launched 7 years ago intentionally crippled on launch Intel's goal: compete against ARM but don't cannibalize x86 Microsoft's goal: compete against Android/iOS but don't cannibalize existing Windows market. surely 32-bit UEFI even though CPU can do x86-64.
- only one USB socket and that is only USB 2
Linux support is mixed for this kind of tablet (I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro of this generation). Typically the SoC has very odd bits. Like: audio is hooked up in a non-standard and non-obvious way. Like: UEFI cannot access SD card (so you cannot boot from it). I was defeated when I tried to put linux on it back in the day. I think that Linux mostly works these days (I tried booting the Venue 8 off a live Fedora stick a few months ago).
There was a tremendous blossoming of Windows tablets then (Win 8.1 era). Evolution could have improved them but instead it killed them off (Intel and Microsoft threw in the towel). Windows tablets now are expensive and inferior. This is what currently passes as a good deal (yuck):
https://forums.redflagdeals.com/best-buy-microsoft-surface-laptop-go-12-4-i5...
Currently, there are often reasonable deals on reasonable laptops with touch. But they start at over $400 new. Ones that I've considered start at about $700 on sale.
The Lenovo is not much more expensive than the HP (when you factor in cross-border friction and used versus new) and has usefully better capabilities. But the HP can probably run Linux natively rather than in a container.
- USB 3.x with extras vs USB 2.0 (OTG?) - 4G RAM vs 2G - 64G eMMC vs 32G eMMC - 1920x1200 vs 1280x800 resolution - warranty support vs no support
If you want a good tablet, and don't need Linux, it is hard to argue against iPads. Android tablets only seem to win when you consider price (which I do) or tinkerability.
ChromeOS tablets are probably clunkier than Android tablets but they can run Android apps and they get support for many more years. Linux under ChromeOS is supported by Google but Linux under Android is not.
Windows Subsystem for Linux is a potentially interesting thing on tablets. It will not run on 32-bit Windows, and so it won't run on this HP. Actually, the HP hardware is too limited to be officially supported by current Window 10, but I think it works. 32G of "disk" is a nightmare when running Windows Update. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Nice review: <https://youtu.be/5d7jzNbgSOo> Includes discussion of Linux on the tablet.
participants (5)
-
Ansar Mohammed -
D. Hugh Redelmeier -
James Knott -
o1bigtenor -
William Park