虽然它在桌面市场的份额可能仍然相对较小，但Linux每天都在日益流行。桌面市场本身可能不再是曾经的圣杯。相反，移动操作系统市场才是真正的竞争所在。
如今，市场由苹果的 iOS 和谷歌的Android主导。其他人试图放松这种双头垄断的控制，但无济于事。Linux(Could Linux)会是一个可行的替代方案吗？您可能会惊讶地发现，使用 Linux 驱动的平板电脑并没有听起来那么不寻常。
为什么要在平板电脑上安装 Linux？
使用Linux(Linux)而不是其他操作系统的原因有很多。对于移动设备，主要优势在于其开源(Open Source)性质。
现在，正如一些读者无疑指出的那样，现在Android也是开源(Source)的。但是，当您购买典型的Android手机时，它上面装有高度修改的操作系统版本。毫无疑问，它还将挤满专有软件、英国媒体报道软件和各种损害您隐私的应用程序。
另一方面，运行Linux(Linux)的手机或平板电脑只会运行开源(Open Source)代码。这意味着任何人都可以仔细检查代码中是否存在恶意或有问题的元素。
iOS 和Android实际上都与Linux有关。Android基于Linux内核的修改版本。iOS 并非源自Linux，但可以将其祖先追溯到Unix作为共同祖先，与Linux相同。
Ubuntu Touch 引领潮流
如果你有一台可以加载Linux的平板电脑，你应该选择哪个版本的Linux ？这最终取决于您，但明显的领导者是一个称为Ubuntu Touch的特殊版本。此版本的Ubuntu Linux专为在智能手机和平板电脑屏幕上工作而设计。
这是一项艰巨的任务，因为几乎所有以前出现的Linux shell 都是为键盘和鼠标界面设计的。(Linux)Ubuntu Touch还拥有最多的受支持设备和活跃的支持社区。
Ubuntu Touch不仅仅是桌面操作系统的重新设计。它进行了重大修改，移植到在ARM处理器上运行，并删除了与移动设备使用无关的组件。它还具有桌面模式，类似于三星 Dex(Samsung Dex)和即将推出的Android桌面模式。虽然基于平板电脑的Linux(Linux)发行版有多种选择，但Ubuntu Touch是最好的起点。
现在还为时尚早
平板电脑或智能手机上的Linux(Linux)远不如Android或 iOS 成熟，所以不要指望完全顺利。如果您购买一台稀有的随Linux提供的平板电脑，您当然会获得最好的体验。
制造商将确保软件与平板电脑的硬件正常工作。如果您自己在符合条件的平板电脑上安装Linux，则无法保证您的所有硬件都能正常工作或正常工作。
硬件(Hardware)兼容性最终掌握在Linux社区的手中，而且有这么多不同的平板电脑型号和不同的硬件，不可能涵盖所有这些。一个很好的起点是Ubuntu Touch 兼容设备列表(Ubuntu Touch compatible devices list)。
您可能(May)仅限于旧硬件(Hardware)
继上一点之后，您可能会发现Linux最适合使用的设备往往较旧。这主要是因为有更多的时间来解包和了解旧硬件。所以不要指望高性能、尖端的平板电脑在发布后就能完美地运行Linux 。
现在，抛开所有的注意事项，让我们看一些可以运行Linux的平板电脑的实际示例。
松塔(PineTab)
PineTab不会(PineTab)因性能或规格而赢得任何奖项。它旨在作为面向发展中国家和教育市场的超低成本平板电脑选项。然而，从一些角度来看，它是一个非常令人印象深刻的设备。
它的起价仅为 99 美元，配备 2GB RAM的四核处理器。屏幕提供 720p 分辨率，具有前置和后置摄像头以及用于连接键盘等外围设备的USB端口。(USB)这是一款功能齐全的Linux平板电脑，具有扩展选项以添加升级，例如LTE调制解调器、SATA SSD(SATA SSDs)和M.2 驱动器(M.2 drives)。
它还具有创新功能，例如您可以从中启动的 SD 卡插槽。使快速加载不同的操作系统和专门的软件加载变得容易。
PineTab可能不适合(PineTab)大多数人，但它是适合一般用途的平板电脑。它最大的优势是可定制性和完全的软件自由，使其成为一台强大的小型计算机。
拉斯帕德 3(The RasPad 3)
我们是Raspberry Pi(Raspberry Pi)的忠实粉丝，这是一款价格实惠但功能强大的小型电脑板。创建第一个Raspberry Pi是为了提供一台价格合理的计算机，孩子们可以在上面学习编码，但从那时起，它就在各种爱好和开源项目中找到了归宿。
RasPad 3 套件将Raspberry Pi 4转换为基于 Linux 的平板电脑。它带有基于树莓派操作系统的 RasPad OS (Raspberry Pi OS)，(RasPad OS)但RasPad完全兼容Ubuntu和Raspbian等操作系统。
RasPad的物理设计非常有趣。它不是平板电脑，而是楔形机身。这意味着当您将其放下时，屏幕的角度非常适合观看，并且有足够的空间可以复制 Raspberry Pi 的每个端口。
因此，RasPad 3是一款完美的平板电脑，可用于车间、教育、实验室和其他您希望解放双手同时轻松使用平板电脑的地方。仅售 239 美元（或在销售期间更低），绝对物超所值。
微软的Surface平板电脑有两个主要品种：ARM和x86。他们的ARM平板电脑运行一个为在这些处理器上运行而编写的特殊版本的Windows ，但遗憾的是， (Windows)Ubuntu Touch（也是为ARM设计的）似乎不兼容。
然而，当谈到他们的X86平板电脑时，情况就不同了。由于 x86 Surface平板电脑本质上是运行标准Windows内核的普通计算机，因此没有什么能阻止您在设备上加载任何 x86 版本的Linux。
如果您进行一些Google研究，您可能会在 x86 Surface Tablet上找到您喜欢的发行版的(Surface Tablet)Linux安装指南。Surface平板电脑提供了出色的性能和硬件质量，但您可能需要进行大量修改才能使多点触控等功能正常工作。
皇帝 Linux 乌鸦(The Emperor Linux Raven)
大多数情况下，您必须自己在平板电脑上安装Linux，并取得不同程度的成功。然后你有专业的供应商，比如EmperorLinux ，他们用定制版本的(EmperorLinux)Linux预先配置平板电脑。保证所有硬件都能正常工作并提供技术支持。
他们的 Raven 平板电脑是经过改进的Lenovo Thinkpad X计算机，有多种型号和规格可供选择。它们并不便宜，这是真的，但如果您正在寻找专业级的Linux平板电脑实施，这就是我们现在所处的位置。
你知道任何很棒的Linux平板电脑项目或硬件吗？让我们在评论中知道。
4 Best Linux Tablets and Why You Should Use One
While it may still have a relatively small sharе of the desktop market, Linux is growing in popularity every day. The desktop market itself may not be the holy grail it once was. Instead, the mobile operating system market is where the real competition can be found.
Today the market is dominated by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Others have tried to loosen the grip of this duopoly, but to no avail. Could Linux be a viable alternative? You might be surprised that getting a Linux-powered tablet isn’t nearly as unusual as it sounds.
Why Linux on a Tablet?
There are many reasons to use Linux over other operating systems. When it comes to mobile devices, the primary advantage is its Open Source nature.
Now, as some readers are no doubt pointing out right now Android is also Open Source. However, when you buy the typical Android phone, it has a highly-modified version of the OS on it. It will also undoubtedly be packed with proprietary software, bloatware and various apps that compromise your privacy.
A phone or tablet running Linux, on the other hand, will only be running Open Source code. Which means that anyone can scrutinise the code for malicious or problematic elements.
Both iOS and Android are actually related to Linux. Android is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel. iOS doesn’t descend from Linux, but can trace its ancestry back to Unix as a common ancestor, the same as Linux.
Ubuntu Touch Leads the Pack
If you have a tablet that can load Linux, which version of Linux should you choose? It’s ultimately up to you, but the clear leader is a special version known as Ubuntu Touch. This version of Ubuntu Linux has been specifically designed to work on smartphone and tablet screens.
This is a daunting task, since virtually all Linux shells that have come before were designed for a keyboard and mouse interface. Ubuntu Touch also has the largest number of supported devices and an active support community.
Ubuntu Touch isn’t just a reskin of the desktop OS. It’s significantly modified, ported to run on ARM processors and has dropped components that aren’t relevant to mobile device use. It also has a desktop mode, similar to Samsung Dex and the upcoming Android desktop mode. While there are various options for tablet-based Linux distributions, Ubuntu Touch is the best place to start.
It’s Still Early Days
Linux on a tablet or smartphone is far from being as mature as either Android or iOS, so don’t expect to have a totally smooth ride. If you buy one of the rare tablets that ships with Linux, you’ll of course have the best experience.
The manufacturer will ensure that the software works properly with the hardware of the tablet. If you install Linux on an eligible tablet yourself, there’s no guarantee that all of your hardware will work or work correctly.
Hardware compatibility is ultimately in the hands of the Linux community and there are so many different tablet models with different hardware, it’s impossible to cover them all. A good place to start is the Ubuntu Touch compatible devices list.
You May Be Limited to Older Hardware
Following on from the previous point, you may find that the devices Linux works best on tend to be older. That’s mainly because there’s been more time to unpack and understand the older hardware. So don’t expect high-performance, cutting edge tablets to run Linux perfectly just after release.
Now, with all the caveats out of the way, let’s look at some actual examples of tablets that can run Linux.
The PineTab isn’t going to win any prizes for performance or specifications. It’s intended as an ultra low-cost tablet option meant for developing nations and the education market. However, with a bit of perspective it’s a very impressive device.
Starting at a mere $99, it has a quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM. The screen offers a 720p resolution, it has front- and rear- facing cameras and USB ports for connecting peripherals like keyboards. This is a fully-functional Linux tablet with expansion options to add upgrades such as LTE modems, SATA SSDs and M.2 drives.
It also has innovative features, such as an SD card slot you can boot from. Making it easy to quickly load different operating systems and specialized software loadouts.
The PineTab might not be the right tablet for most people, but it’s an adequate tablet for general use. Its greatest strength is customizability and total software freedom, making it a formidable little computer.
We’re big fans of the Raspberry Pi, an affordable yet powerful little computer board. The first Raspberry Pi was created to offer an affordable computer that kids could learn to code on, but since then it’s found a home in all sorts of hobbies and open source projects.
The RasPad 3 kit converts the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Linux-powered tablet. It comes with RasPad OS, which is based on the Raspberry Pi OS, but the RasPad is fully compatible with operating systems such as Ubuntu and Raspbian.
The physical design of the RasPad is quite interesting. Instead of being a flat tablet, it has a wedge-shaped body. This means when you put it down the screen is angled perfectly for viewing and there’s plenty of space for every one of the Raspberry Pi’s ports to be replicated.
The RasPad 3 is thus a perfect tablet for use in workshops, education, labs and other places where you want your hands free to work while having easy access to your tablet. At only $239 (or less during sales) it’s an absolute bargain.
Microsoft’s Surface tablets come in two main varieties: ARM and x86. Their ARM tablets run a special version of Windows written to run on those processors, but sadly it doesn’t seem as if Ubuntu Touch (which is also designed for ARM) is compatible.
When it comes to their X86 tablets however, things are different. Since x86 Surface tablets are essentially regular computers that run the standard Windows kernel, there’s nothing stopping you from loading any x86 version of Linux on the device.
If you do a little Google research you’ll probably find a Linux installation guide for your preferred distro on an x86 Surface Tablet. Surface tablets offer great performance and hardware quality, but you’ll probably have to do plenty of tinkering to get features such as multitouch to work properly.
Most of the time you’ll have to install Linux on a tablet yourself, with varying degrees of success. Then you have specialist vendors such as EmperorLinux, who pre-configure tablet computers with a custom version of Linux. Guaranteeing that all hardware works and offers technical support.
Their Raven tablets are modified Lenovo Thinkpad X computers that are available in a variety of models and specifications. They are not cheap it’s true, but if you’re looking for a professional-grade Linux tablet implementation, this is where we’re at right now.
Do you know of any awesome Linux tablet projects or hardware? Let us know in the comments.
