Building a Tablet OS — What Happens When You Reject the Mainstream

A multi-year experiment: Linux on a Surface Go, custom interfaces, and the question of what a tablet should actually be.

Most people choose between an iPad and an Android tablet. Willem chose neither. Instead, he installed Linux on a Microsoft Surface Go and spent years building his own tablet experience from scratch — documenting every step, every failure, and every breakthrough.

This is not a review of a product. It's the story of building one.

The Genesis

It started with a simple frustration: every tablet operating system is designed around consumption, not creation. iPadOS locks you into Apple's ecosystem. Android tablets are phones stretched to breaking point. What if you started from scratch with Linux and built exactly the interface you wanted?

The first post — Making my own tablet OS — documents the initial experiment: installing Linux on a Surface Go, configuring touch input, building a custom launcher, making it work as a daily driver. The follow-up — Refining my tablet OS experience — is the iteration: what worked, what didn't, and how the whole concept evolved after months of actual use.

Refining my tablet OS experience

Refining my tablet OS experience

Using Surface Go 2 with 4G/LTE, Debian GNU/Linux and i3wm

Earlier this year I tried to create my own tablet operating system by installing Debian GNU/Linux on a Microsoft Surface Go tablet. I learned a great deal about what I like about tablets. But I still preferred my iPad Pro, mainly because of its polished user experience. This time I set out to refine my tablet software to replace my iPad.

Making my own tablet OS

Making my own tablet OS

Installing and modifying Debian GNU/Linux on Surface Go

For some years now I use a tablet as main computer, I like its versatility. But, most tablets come with a locked down operating system, like iPadOS, Windows 10S or Android. As I like things my own (weird) way, I wondered if I could escape these "software jails" by installing a free operating system on a tablet. It's possible, read along to find out how I escaped!

The Broader Context

The tablet OS project didn't exist in isolation. Willem has been thinking about what makes a great tablet for years — the essay Talking tablets is a philosophical examination of the form factor itself. And the quest for the best keyboard for iPad reveals the tension that drove the whole project: the gap between what tablets promise and what they deliver.
The best keyboard for iPad

The best keyboard for iPad

Smart Keyboard Folio vs Magic Keyboard

The tablet is at the frontier of mobile computing and its hardware form factor is evolving. This year Apple introduced a new Magic Keyboard for iPad that includes a trackpad. Everybody is raving about it, yet I think there is something to be said for the "mouse-less" Smart Keyboard Folio. Read along for some key differences.

Talking tablets: what makes a great tablet?

Talking tablets: what makes a great tablet?

Working with Microsoft Surface Pro X

Earlier this year Microsoft released their brand new Surface Pro X tablet computer, in many ways this is a forward thinking device. As I like working with tablets I wondered what exactly makes a great tablet? Is Surface Pro X any good? Read along to find out.

The Thread Continues

The tablet OS experiment connects to a broader pattern in Willem's work: the belief that you should understand and control the technology you use. The iPad Pro as primary computer post from 2016 shows where the journey started — within Apple's ecosystem. The tablet OS project is where it broke free.

Tablet as main computer

Tablet as main computer

Comparing the Microsoft Surface Pro to iPad Pro

For the past few weeks I have been using the Microsoft Surface Pro as my main computer. It's a modern tablet computer that can be used as laptop with the type cover. With the Surface Pen, it's a versatile PC that works in a lot of different ways. Time to find out if it's any good and how it compares to my other tablet computer, iPad Pro.

iPad Pro as primary computer

iPad Pro as primary computer

testing iOS as primairy development platform

The lack of physical clutter, distracting branding, or blinking LED's makes the iPad Pro a textbook example of minimal design. My despiction of distraction explains my interest in using the iPad Pro as only computer to test if it is up to the task. Is Apple's latest effort on iOS enough to enable it to do serious development work?

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Apple ecosystem · retro computing · mobile computing · writing code

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Earlier this year I tried to create my own tablet operating system by installing Debian GNU/Linux on a Microsoft Surface Go tablet. I learned a great deal about what I like about tablets. But I still preferred my iPad Pro, mainly because of its polished user experience. This time I set out to refine my tablet software to replace my iPad.

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Making my own tablet OS

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