I started this thread in hope to congeal some concensus about "tablet" oriented workstation features. Some are obvious. Some may be esoteric or fall into someone's problem-domain feature silo. Regardless, here is a first cut: (The numbers exist for reference purposes.)

Hardware Features

1. no physical keyboard or way to flip, rotate, detach any physical keyboard.
2. key-data-entry by way of an on-screen display that one taps or touches or mouse-clicks
3. stylus or finger as primary pointing device
4. (optional) multiple-finger and gesture pointing
5. really good battery life
6. really solid suspend-to-ram (aka, "sleep")
7. really solid suspend-to-disk (aka, "hibernate")
8. reasonably small and light weight yet rugged
9. really solid wireless networking
10. reasonably good bluetooth for headsets
11. (optional) reasonably good bluetooth for print and file services
12. reasonably solid file exchange with other workstations regardless of platform -- example: win-dose, MAC, etc.
13. ... more ...

Basic Applications

1. electronic "legal pad" -- example, xournal
2. electronic "sketch book"
3. document markup -- example, xournal and PDF files
4. gesture-based character data entry -- example CellWriter
5. stylus tap-based on screen keyboard -- example onboard
6. PDF and "office suite" document reader
7. PDF and e-book reader
8. stylus and touch friendly web browser
9. stylus and touch friendly email client
10. ... more ...

Other Applications can be configured to work in "tablet mode" but may not be considered tablet specific:

• GIMP
• InkScape
• PDFedit
• ... more ...

I hope that other LQ readers will add their tuppence or ha'penny or whatever to this thread so that we have a good solid description. Armed with a solid description, I plan to make one or more meta-packages so that someone who wants the table parts can gather them in much the same way that folks who want media creation have meta packages.

I hope, too, that the moderators consider making this thread "sticky" if it gets some traction.

Cheers,
~~~ 0;-Dan

bump

Does anyone else care about this? If tablet is of so little interest, perhaps that niche belongs in a separate category at the upper levels of these forums. Moderators?

~~~ 0;-Dan

I'm subscribed to the thread, but I'm not in a position to comment specifically on the topic. Yet I am very interested, as a consumer of the information.

For years we've had some older "PC's" that had been called tablet PC's. They we're quite positioned as those that are called "tablets" today. Often the older "tablets" didn't even have WiFi, let alone "cell modem" capabilities.

But I would have thought that the way "tablets" are positioned in the market today, the topic might be more typical, and/or topical, in the "Mobile" forum...

I'm not clear what you hope to achieve with these meta-packages. Are you trying to enable a tablet experience on a non-tablet device? Are you trying to simplify installing tablet app suites on a generic Linux installation on a tablet?

And I'm not clear where you are going with the list of hardware features. Obviously those can't be packaged.

One uses a meta-package as an aide to gathering a complete collection of related software. In the case of a "tablet PC," the distro install might gather all of the modules (drivers) for the hardware parts. As a "tablet PC" the end-user will want various applications and tools and toys for a complete tablet experience. We see similar use of meta-packages with the package named build-essentials. There, someone interested in software development gets a reasonably complete set of parts with one install request.

So far, I perceive a value in three meta-packages:

• tablet-documents -- packages that support creation and manipulation of documents using a stylus and gestures. For example, xournal
• tablet-drawing -- packages that support creation and manipulation of line art using a stylus and gestures. I don't have a good example here. My preference would be something smarter than xournal and not as smart as inkscape.
• tablet-toys -- packages that make the use of stylus and gestures fun and eye-catching.This might be games like "Simon" where the game presents a ever more complicated pattern of colors and the player tries to match the pattern. This is a perfect stylus or touch experience. Another might be a "fingerpainting" game.

Actually, there is a fourth package, tablet-everything, which would install all three of the above packages for those who want it all.

I have a favorite trade show button that reads, "Software makes hardware happen." In order to be a "tablet PC" there must be certain hardware present. I'm simply wanting some consensus about what that hardware description might include.

Cheers,
~~~ 0;-Dan

I'm simply wanting some consensus about what that hardware description might include. Our company always provides you the WOW Gold for you. Just place an order and to buy wow gold and Maplestory Mesos
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