Dual-Booting PengPod Tablet Can Run Linux/Android

New submitter garbagechuteflyboy writes "The PengPod is the first dual-booting tablet; It's able to run both Linux and Android. Pengpod is now running the latest Plasma Active which gives this powerful Linux tablet features that were previously only available to iPad and Android tablets. PengPod is currently selling pre-orders on Indiegogo." garbagechuteflyboy adds links to articles about the dual-OS tablet at liliputing, at Ars Technica, and at PCWorld. "First dual-booting tablet" seems like a hard claim to back, but it's nice to see a tablet marketed with Plasma Active in mind.

Dual boot

[Anonymous Coward]

Dual boots linux and ... well ... linux.

you mean GNU and Android

[davydagger]

because both of them use linux as the kernel. So in this case it would be not just appriopriate, but important to seperate between GNU/Linux and Android/Linux.

This tablet runs GNU/Linux AND Android/Linux.

What will really impress me is if you can get a hybrid userland where you can run GNU on android.

Re:First?

[gmuslera]

In the N900 (the cellphone version of the Nokia Internet Tablet, i suppose it can count as a tablet) there were several linux versions available to install and choose at boot between them. Used to have the default Maemo with Meego and Android, but several more were available.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[davydagger]

Its important to make the distinction for two reasons.

1. Android/linux has a diffrent userland than gnu/linux. android is in fact %100 linux, but its not the "linux" most geeks want to use. They want their typical "linux user experiance", which means they want the rest of the programs that are bundled by most "linux" distributions. This user experiance has a name. Its called "GNU". Most importantly I assume that most geeks would want gcc, GNU make, glibc, etc..., so they can start compiling standard GNU/linux applications they enjoy on other platforms.

GNU here is the big keystone, because once you have GNU, to include GCC, glibc, gnu make, bash, etc..., then even if the thing didn't come with X11, and a widely used desktop, which it does(KDE), it'd make it a lot easier to port. It'd make it easier to port and run standard libraries.

So I'm just calling "standard linux stuff" by its proper name. "GNU"

2. Regardless of what you think of the man, Richard Stallman, and the FSF did/does put a considerable amount of effort into GNU, I'd say as much as Linus, and the kernel team does. Especially since the fact that gcc/gmake/glibc get used in to test new platforms, and are the crux of a good deal of linux software, to include the kernel.

Linus, and his kernel team get all the credit, while Stallman and the FSF who did/do put work in, get next to none. While I do hold Linus in high regard, the FSF deserves credit for GNU. Give it where its due.