[bbpo8]

I sympathize with what Sgt.Stuby was getting at. I think he is right that the Android OS on tablets really isn't open the way that Linux is open.

Does it matter? As other posters have said, most users don't care, and would rather have a controlled, reliable system. Well, at least they *think* they don't care ... until something goes wrong and the closed nature of the OS means they are out of luck.

For example, there will soon be a lot of obsolete tablets and e-readers around. Wouldn't it be nice to use an open OS to re-purpose these devices, instead of throwing them on the scrap heap?

Yes, one can root the device, but wouldn't it be nice if this sort of experimentation were out in the open ... and even *encouraged*? Who knows what creative applications people would come up with?

I see that Ubuntu on tablets is coming next year. Maybe that will satisfy the need some of us feel for more open systems.