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I'm looking for a Linux powered tablet. Primary usage would be as a remote for VLC control (ncurses or http), but running a remote desktop session would also be handy.
A PineTab would probably be ideal, but they aren't currently available. There are some Pi based tablets (Cutie Pi & Raspad), but they are not the right form-factor.
Anything else, any suggestions?
I went looking for a Surface Go, but got side-tracked, and bought an HP ElitePad 1000 G2 instead. The ElitePad comes with a docking station and charger. It has a 1920x1200 pixel 10.1 inch display, 4GB RAM and 64GB SSD.
The whole thing, including delivery, was £95.
As soon as I get it Windows 10 Pro will be replaced with Ubuntu. There are some specific Ubuntu respins suitable for Atom tablets.
I've never used Ubuntu before, that will also be interesting.
It's arrived!
Looks nice, and very solid. Screen is gorgeous. The jacket is rubbery, which makes gripping the HP ElitePad much easier. The jacket also provides some extra ports around the edges, which is very handy.
I'm having my dinner, then I'm going to install Lubuntu. Both Ubuntu and LXQt are new to me. Should be fun. I was tempted to use "Bionic Beaver" (shades of Naked Gun) just because of the name, but went for the newer "Focal Fossa".
Well, this hasn't been a huge success, so far. The download had to be done through a browser, as there is a requirement on the Google site to use javascript. Each time the download failed, it was within a few KB of the 1.8GB total. Totally annoying.
I'm now going to download a standard Lubuntu, from Canonical, using **wget**.
Yeah, and another thing...
Why does the browser (Firefox) delete the partial download, and start from the beginning? Not very efficient when you've downloaded 1.8GB.
Is there a setting I don't know about that can change this behaviour?
Ahh, that's better.
The whole Desktop (icons & text) is far too small. Once installed on the SSD I will need to change the zoom level and font sizes. Currently, it isn't very finger friendly.
I'm using Lubuntu 20.10 Groovy Gorilla. on the HP ElitePad 1000.
The installation was a breeze. The whole thing configured and installed in ten minutes.
One thing I hadn't thought about, prior to the installation, was the need for a keyboard (entering usernames and passwords etc.). Luckily, I happened to have a spare USB keyboard, but longer term I should investigate on-screen keyboards.
The only installation glitch was the system having a US keyboard, even though I had selected British English. Easily sorted.
Dealing with the finishing touches of the installation.
I've made the icons as big as possible (96 pixels) which seems usable on the small, but high-res screen. Likewise, I've increased the fonts from 11 to 20 points, everywhere.
It was good to discover that ufw (firewall) was installed by default. However, I also tightened the rules.
Most importantly I added the ssh server package, so I could access the HP ElitePad from other hosts.
Hmmm, hit another gotcha, this time with the virtual keyboard.
I'm getting exactly the bug shown here:
https://forum.qt.io/topic/106673/qt-virtual-keyboard-bug-in-lubuntu
I'm not finding a way around it with qtvirtualkeyboard. I might have to try onboard instead (GTK).
A working virtual keyboard is essential for a tablet.
Nope, not enough time to fix the virtual keyboard problem at the moment.
As a horrible kludge I'm using qtvirtualkeyboard for the SDDM login screen (this arrangement kind-of works).
For applications (e.g. Vim) I'm using Onboard. This definitely works.
I can't use just one, as Onboard isn't working for the SDDM login, and qtvirtualkeyboard doesn't work properly for apps. 
I was sorely tempted to use Xubuntu instead, as I know the Xfce environment better, but I'm persevering.
Setting up the web interface for VLC could not be easier. In VLC Preferences enable the web interface, and set a password.
On the ElitePad (or whatever remote you want to use) start the browser, and go to:
http://<domain or IP number>:8080
enter the password.
You then get a web interface with the usual "VCR" type controls.
It just works!
It is also possible to show the running video in the area below the controls. This isn't something I require, and anyway, I believe it requires Flash. Yikes!
Call me contrary. I've distro-hopped again.
I quite liked Lubuntu, but I couldn't get the virtual keyboard working properly. This is a critical issue for a tablet. I tried out Xubuntu, and managed to get the VK working perfectly, although, this time, I'm using Onboard everywhere. It appears automatically for the LightDM login screen, and for any apps requiring text input. Onboard also looks nice.
I also feel I'm back in my comfort zone, as I've been an Xfce user for years.
It was when preparing the Xubuntu live ISO that I had my wee accident:
I really love using both Parole Media Player and VLC when I have a mouse, but they aren't very finger-friendly.
Looking for suggestions of finger-friendly media apps (audio & video).
I've tried several of the VLC skins, but none of them have a finger-friendly interface. One was called "iPhone 3", which I thought would provide a smartphone-like interface. Not quite, it actually produced an image of an iPhone with miniscule controls inside. What a weird, and unusable idea.
VLC "Custom Interface" has an option entitled "Big Button", which sounds promising, but it doesn't do anything.
The search continues...
I'm going to finish this ElitePad thread, as I've got a 99% working, and usable system. It took me a while to settle on the right distro and DE, but Xubuntu with Xfce (of course) is just right for me, and the HP ElitePad.
Onboard is superb, and without it the tablet would be unusable. Xournal is great for notes. Parole for media is good, although the interface on the tablet could be improved.
I'm really happy with the ElitePad, and would thoroughly recommend it.