[GTALUG] decent cheap ChromeOS tablet -- can run debian in a container

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Ansar Mohammed via talk <talk at 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-processor-z3735f-2m-cache-up-to-1-83-ghz.html
	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-i5-1035g1-4-64-emmc-499-99-2520226/

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.