OT ? I'm about this close to buying an iPad...

[Linuxguy123]

Hi people. 

I need to vent... I'm getting frustrated with Linux.  Well, not Linux
per se, and not Fedora, but the whole experience part of things.

I desperately need to do something about the audio system in my car.
Its got a head unit that doesn't have an aux in, nor does it support
mp3s, etc.  It needs to be replaced ASAP. 

I also need navigation, desperately. 

Its been that way for a while.  I considered doing a car PC.  I didn't
like all the engineering required to do that, so I nixed it.  I
considered embedding a HP Tablet in the dash.   I took a close look at
them and nixed it due to display issues, heat, etc.

So I've been waiting and waiting.  I considered buying a dedicated head
unit with nav but the screens are too small and they seem to go out of
date faster than bread on the counter.

Along comes the iPad.  And it seems to do everything I want.  Plays
MP3s.  Does nav.  Bright screen.  Affordable. And if you check youtube,
lots of people have embedded them in cars.

But being an OS guy, I want a machine running Linux, not iOS or whatever
its called.   Where is it ?  I keep reading stories about dozens of
tablet devices running Linux/Android/Meego on Slashdot, but where are
they ?

While I have your attention, I also own a Nokia N900 phone.  Right now
its running Maemo, which works, but is hardly what one would call
elegant.   Actually, there are some things that don't work, but that is
another story.   Nokia is saying they will be shipping Meego in October.
I have my fingers crossed.

Another thing I am waiting on is KDE 4.6.  I am pretty disappointed by
KDE 4.5   I know it was a bug fix release, but I expected more.

At this point I REALLY have to applaud Apple.  They really seem to have
their act together.  

The various vendors in the Linux camp really need to get their butts in
gear and start delivering.   Hardware companies need to get their
tablets OUT into the market.  Nokia et al need to get Meego OUT and get
some nice apps written for it.  (Have you looked at the iPad and iPhone
app store lately ?)  And the KDE camp needs to finish delivering on
their vision for what KDE 4 is supposed to be.  

I wait, growing more impatient day by day.     

LG