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Is anyone running Accordance on a Linux tablet?


Chris Robinson

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I wouldn't mind having accordance on a tablet but I hate everything that the Ipad stands for and I would rather buy a couple of real computers than spend $600 for a big iphone. (I'm really just mad Apple didn't make a netbook instead.)

 

Is anyone using an emulator on a Linux tablet to run Accordance? I would be willing to have a device almost exclusively dedicated to accordance, so if I had to use an ugly UI/tiny linux build to keep my speed up while emulating I would be fine with it. Before I pursue this farther I would love to have some feedback from somebody who has tried it before.

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You are talking about using Basilisk on a tablet to emulate an old Mac OS? The touch screen / mouse / cursor issue might prove to make that difficult.

Edited by Robert B Johnson
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Chris, just out of curiosity--and I'm not seeking to inflame what are obviously very strong feelings--what is it that the iPad stands for that you hate?

 

I've got a good friend of mine who won't use an iPad because he says he doesn't like the "control" Apple puts on it. He has an Android tablet that I see him constantly frustrated with because it won't do something like he wants, while the iPad would not give him many of these same problems. My suggestion to him--although he has not made action on it yet--is to simply get an iPad and jailbreak it. There's an extremely vibrant iOS jailbreak community out there that will allow a person to do pretty much anything they want with their iPad. And it was ruled last year that jailbreaking does not violate a warranty, so there's not even that issue.

 

I can also assure you that the experience of using an iPad is not that of using a large iPhone. I have an iPhone and an iPad, and I use them for very different things. Although I have Accordance on my iPhone, honestly, I don't use it much there. I do, however, use it a lot on my iPad. The larger screen means that I can do a hundred things on the iPad that I either couldn't do or couldn't do near as easily on an iPhone.

 

Going to the main topic of your post, I'd be interested to know about Accordance on Linux (tablet or otherwise), too. I keep a current copy of both Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux running in VMWare (which I cannot run at all at the moment after installing Mountain Lion) just to keep up with other platforms. I really don't mind the tighter controls Apple places on iOS because these are still secondary devices for me. I do fear that a day will come somewhere down the road that Apple might lock us out of our file system altogether (an issue which may be related to your issues with the iPad). If that day comes, I'd probably try to switch to something like Linux. However, Accordance would always be my main issue. I came to the Mac from Windows 14 years ago for a number of reasons, but I stay with the Mac primarily because of Accordance. I can't imagine a world in which I couldn't use Accordance. Supposedly, there was a time before I used Accordance, but those memories are rather blurry and not to be trusted.

 

So, yes, I'd be interested in knowing more about Accordance on Linux, although not necessarily on a tablet.

 

However, in light of the idea of Accordance on a non-iOS tablet, have you see the Axiotron Modbooks (Mac tablets)? Maybe this is just what you need! In Linux, like Robert Johnson mentioned, you'd have to run Accordance in an emulator. On a Modbook, you could simply run OS X.

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If that day comes, I'd probably try to switch to something like Linux. However, Accordance would always be my main issue. I came to the Mac from Windows 14 years ago for a number of reasons, but I stay with the Mac primarily because of Accordance. I can't imagine a world in which I couldn't use Accordance. Supposedly, there was a time before I used Accordance, but those memories are rather blurry and not to be trusted.

 

I secretly pray that the Oaktree folks begin writing a web based version of their app so I can use it on a Chromebook. :)

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Apple didn't make a net book? They did. It's called a MacBook Air. It's also why sales of other net books have been plummeting. :)

 

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Apple didn't make a net book? They did. It's called a MacBook Air. It's also why sales of other net books have been plummeting. :)

 

Indeed. It is a fabulous netbook/ultralight laptop. Accordance sings on it.

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I guess I mostly see the release of the Ipod at the $600 price point (instead of something running OS X) combined with the new features in Lion (every app is full screen, attempts to make OS X feel like iOS) as a sign that Apple is working towards a future one-world operating system designed for the lowest common denominator. There won't be iOS 7 or OS 11 - just one...iOS 11 with no file system and all full screen apps that must come through the App store (which is evil* ). The fact that Apple can sell so many Ipads for the price of two real computers is proof that they can get away with it. Or anything else they want because they're marketing geniuses/they are the current fad. It's just not what I'm looking for.

 

As to the Ipad specifically---I think it's a cool device but ultimately it is designed for consuming, not creating. Yes you can hook a keyboard up to it and pretend like it's a laptop but it still isn't. I haven't tried but I would guess that I would have a little difficulty formatting a paper in Turabian on it---I most certainly would have trouble referring to Accordance, an online journal, and the paper I was writing simultaneously. It's a nifty little device but for $600 I could buy an actual computer---it would be extensible, parts would be replaceable, and it would stand up all by itself. It could (processor permitting) do literally whatever I wanted it to do. Some Linux build, OS X, Windows XP (those are the only viable options) I could install whatever (i would buy one that was hackintoshable). I cannot imagine being in a place where I thought an Ipad was a smart investment (unless that place had Ipads for $200.) The things I value: extensibility (so it won't be an un-upgradeable brick that can't run anything new 2 years from now), unlockedness (meaning the people in charge of the operating system are me---jailbreak solves some of this), and not spending $600 for something with less to offer than $150 netbook (The screen would be better on the ipad---but I can add a $200 27" monitor if the smaller screen is a problem---and carry it like I would carry my keyboard/stand if I had an Ipad).

 

I'm ranting now. I've been meaning to start a blog about the things I hate about Apple even though I still love and use their products. Don't get me started on how long it takes to turn down an Ipod classic. This device is ONLY FOR PLAYING MUSIC and I'm waiting 7 seconds for the ability to to adjust the volume? Because volume rockers don't look cool? UGH.

 

 

*****************************

*http://www.paulgraham.com/apple.html

and

http://www.macworld.com/article/160905/2011/07/apple_inapp_content_policy.html

 

The point is that apple has proven that they will take advantage of their market share to the detriment of developers and ultimately the end user. On OS X, I can avoid that---on the iOS 11 of the future I ostensibly could not.

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Apple didn't make a net book? They did. It's called a MacBook Air. It's also why sales of other net books have been plummeting. :)

 

Yeah, with the 11" at $999 it is a viable---albeit expensive for what you get (Lion on 2GB of RAM)---entry into the netbook market.

 

I guess I still have bad feelings towards the Air because of how ridiculous it was when it came out. It was like $1700… Dell was making a 9" netbook that could run OS X pretty well and Apple's answer was a 13 inch, underpowered, $2000 gimmick? (it was definitely a gimmick---its primary selling point was its ability to slide under doors, which is very, very useful for those who inexplicably need to give or receive computers while on the toilet but the rest of us can just spend a few less thousand dollars on normal netbook or spend the same amount on an actual macbook.) I was just really, really hoping for the return of that awesome, square 12" Powerbook (I still want one of those) or a $500 10" TinyBook. It was pretty big let down for my younger self.

 

At the current price point and with the smaller screen I guess I should just get over the residual ill will. I mean, I'm not the guy to evaluate the value of something in the "premium netbook" category anyway. I think of a netbook as a tiny, sub-$300 supplement to a primary machine. An upgraded Air could easily be a non-power users primary machine so its a bit like comparing Apples to much less expensive computers running Apple's OS on a tiny screen.

Edited by Chris Robinson
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I think the whole point of the "Air " was taking Technology to a new place, which it did and everyone has and does benefit from it.

Apple "pushed" the envelope and the results are pretty profound. One of the reasons netbooks are so inexpensive today is because of Apple.

Everyone is still trying to duplicate it, mimic it.

With the Air things started moving more quickly in many areas.

I do not have one but, I no longer use a media drive, don't need one anymore and everyone learned you "can" do without one now.

The App store, wireless transfers, thinner, lighter, less battery-longer run times, many things started moving forward in these areas after the Air, iPhone, iPad. Someone has to "Move the mark, push the industry", Apple did so. It was expensive and a small market. But it is those that push and, the early adopters that take it up , that the rest of us benefit from. I am thankful for all of them.

Accordance is better, more mobile, easier to update, upgrade and share , than ever before, because of these things and the people behind and around them.

 

Who Knows, we might even get a new Ui before long-smile

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Who Knows, we might even get a new Ui before long-smile

 

The new UI is certainly to be eagerly awaited, but the current UI is incredibly powerful. Another thread have brought up Mountain Lion. There I wondered if Accordance was being rewritten in Cocoa. I did not get a direct answer, but David Lang's blog today noted something critical the Accordance folks have been doing "behind the scenes." They have kept pace with the OS changes as they have occurred, and that is what keeps Accordance fast and compatible with every OS upgrade.

 

We all have desires for our favorite Bible study program. We have pushed the developers and pleaded for more modules and features. But this discussion moves me to thank them for the fantastic and unsung work behind the scenes to keep Accordance fast and compatible with all the changes Apple brings. Thank you Accordance! God bless you.

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Could not have said it better.

I am so grateful for all the work that is done that "is not" eye candy, but that which keeps us tuned up and running well.

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Could not have said it better.

I am so grateful for all the work that is done that "is not" eye candy, but that which keeps us tuned up and running well.

 

Totally Agree!

 

Not seeking to inflame either, but here is my 2c worth based on my own experience. Other opinions and mileage may vary. :-)

 

I once was a heavy linux user and am forced to struggle with Windows' idiosyncrasies on a daily basis at my workplace. The bottom line for me is that once I started using a Mac many years ago, I now spend more time using my computer and far less time troubleshooting, configuring, etc. the computer. Accordance has become a critical piece of my workflow.

 

Ultimately, I want to use my computer for study, writing and other such tasks. That to me is more important than a philosophical difference with Apple or any other company.

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I wholeheartedly encourage Accordance and Apple to stay the course. There are plenty of players out there in the general computer world and we need some that stand out as generally outstanding!

 

+1 - could not have said it better

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  • 2 months later...

Chris,

While I've not tried Accordance on linux I have heavily tested the emulator on an old Fujitsu Stylistic tablet PC. I picked one up a local PC recycler for only $150.00. It has a "wacom penabled" pressure sensitive screen (which means it uses a stylis). I ran Basilisk and then the emulator version of Accordance on a tablet version of XP which the emulator ran great on. The only real issues I had with it were minor and related to mouse sensitivity. Now the Fujitsu tablet is old, ugly, heavy, and not at all what I'd call full of style.. even though the name "Stylistic" might suggest that...

 

The problem you will likely find with running linux on a tablet is finding a linux build that will fully support the newer tablet and still run the Basilisk emulator well. There are a few people still playing with the emulator and even recompiling it with minor tweaks - but from what I've seen their is no real developement happening on it.

 

Oh by the way.... with the new iPad out you can now get into the iPad world for $350.00... (if you don't mind buying a refurbished iPad 2 from Apple...)

 

The iPad fulfills the "light computing" highly moble desire of many people. It is highly artistic and has a style of its own... Sure it has tons of limitations - but it does what it does really well. If doing serious computing is your need then don't buy it -- and if I might be so bold -- don't be so mad about it - some of us enjoy the little thing!

 

Gary

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