[aclug-L] Re: Tablet PCs

[James Lancaster <james@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Saturday 12 October 2002 13:02, you wrote:
> An article in the most recent issue of Popular Mechanics talks about
> "Microsoft's" new Tablet PCs... basically laptops with touch-screen LCDs
> that swivel in a way that you can close the 'notebook' with the LCD facing
> outward, forming a hybrid PDA/laptop PC.  Additionally, the display is said
> to work either horizontally or vertically, so you can operate it in
> standard laptop mode (horizontally), or tilt it to the side and hold it
> like you would a clipboard, or an overgrown PDA, and operate it in vertical
> mode.
>
> The article talks about "a version of Windows XP" with special handwriting
> recognitian software, and other "tablet"-specific software.  Manufacturers
> such as Fujitsu, Acer and Toshiba are cited as promising variations on the
> theme.
>
> My curiosity is... how long until Linux will have the maturity to run on
> these devices with the same functionality that Windows does.  I'm sure
> Linux could be loaded on the PCs... but until Linux supports that flavor of
> touch-screen monitors (maybe it already does?), and handwriting
> recognition, and a few other features... it will still be lagging behind M$
> for that niche in the market.
>

http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/XFree86-Touch-Screen-HOWTO.html

There are programs that let you use a pointer device (mouse or touchscreen) 
to write. (Too lazy to look them up, I found the HOWTO (though not that 
informative) 

> Is anyone aware of any such emerging technologies on the Linux front?
>

see for example, www.handhelds.org www.zauruszone.com opie.handhelds.org 
(admittedly most of this is geared more towards smaller devices, but it would 
work with a little modification on larger devices (Qtopia (what the zaurus 
uses) and it's offshoot OPIE, are likely to be modified for larger devices, 
especially as the new Zaurus will have a 640x480 screen. 

>
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