Hacker News Reader

Comment by seltzered_ | Hacker News Reader

For those who don't want to wait another year for 'further versatility', there's a decent number of tablet PCs that can run Linux and Gnome (along with Wayland, libadwaita, etc. which are improving the tablet experience along with gesture support). Some include:

- Lenovo X12 tablet

- Asus ROG flow Z13

- HP Elite X2 (G4 or G8) (what I use)

- Microsoft surface pro (touch support is finally coming for the 7+ and 8)

Will you get good battery life or a fault-free experience? No, it isn't for everyone. Tablet support might break with new releases. But it's been reasonable enough to use as a my only computer for a year after being a died in the wool Mac user, and inspired exploring more ergonomic forms of mobile computing: https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/s6k1qr...

View on HN

So you get “versatility” without the battery life, commercial app support, a “non fault free experience” and all of the joys of dealing with Linux.

Where do I sign up?

Like I said in my comment, it isn't for everyone - it's a tradeoff. We sign up for different pathways.

I made a collage about my frustrations with iPad a couple years ago ( https://imgur.com/a/CQwApt8 from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22627889 , 2020) and since then:

- One of the accessories I showed in there, gnarbox , a second computer for ipad photo workflows, went out of business and supposedly the app required to make it's main features work is no longer available: https://petapixel.com/2021/12/29/gnarbox-may-be-dead-so-buye...

- Ish still requires a hack to run in the background: https://github.com/ish-app/ish/wiki/Running-in-background (maybe things are changing now with today's announcements?)

- UTM has a number of ios-specific limitations: https://github.com/utmapp/UTM/wiki/Known%20Issues#ios-specif...

Or you could just get a $999 M1 MacBook Air that had great development tools, 20 hours of battery life, it’s fanless, and can run most popular commercial applications.

That's a laptop, not a tablet.

You’re going to code with an onscreen keyboard?

I've used the tablet form factor with a small detached keyboard to perform writing tasks (e.g. coding) in a variety of postures such as:

- On a couch: https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/tcwep0...

- In a car: https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/sb4cl5...

- Lying down: https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/sh36kr...

- Sitting at a desk: https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/s6k1qr...

In the above scenarios I no longer need to use my eyeglasses while doing this as the display is a bit closer to the face of myself as a nearsighted person. And it's enabled a number of reading tasks (books, papers) without carrying a second device.

Better than typing with an on-keyboard screen. Here's looking at you, MBP13".

I don't want a laptop. I want a tablet that I can use as a computer 2 times a year.

The limitation is artificial, because the hardware is already capable today. I get why Apple keep doing it this way, but I don't get why people keep defending Apple.

but you acctually do get versatility, not the bullshit where you juggle with multiple devices and their expensive dock/monitor like fucking nerd.

You're getting at an important point if you see the links of my setup.

My second monitor has been collecting dust for the past year since switching to a tablet PC, and if really needed consider upcycling a second small tablet to be a second display.

I have a Dell 5285 and use it with a monitor.

My comment is more about the fact that I can stay in the same device while switching mode, as opposed to switching between the Mac and iPad or whatever. My iPad is mostly unused, I only bought it because I thought sidecar was cool.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com