‘ If you have a 2013- or 2014-era iPad sitting around unused because it's not getting updates from Apple anymore and has stopped running the apps you need, some developers are working on an alternative software solution for you. Developer Konrad Dybcio and a Linux enthusiast going by "quaack723" have collaborated to get Linux kernel version 5.18 booting on an old iPad Air 2, a major feat for a device that was designed to never run any operating system other than Apple's.

The project appears to use an Alpine Linux-based distribution called "postmarketOS," a relatively small but actively developed distribution made primarily for Android devices. Dybcio used a "checkm8" hashtag in his initial tweet about the project, strongly implying that they used the "Checkm8" bootrom exploit published back in 2019 to access the hardware. For now, the developers only have Linux running on some older iPad hardware using A7 and A8-based chips—this includes the iPad Air, iPad Air 2, and a few generations of iPad mini. But subsequent tweets imply that it will be possible to get Linux up and running on any device with an A7 or A8 in it, including the iPhone 5S and the original HomePod. ‘

[arstechnica.com]

That's cool, but my iPad would still just sit there doing nothing (except losing it's charge) on my bed stand. I'm all for getting some more use out of stuff that would otherwise go to the landfill though. Also cool to see people develop stuff just to be nice.

I’ve thought about using an older iPad for a recipe book in the kitchen. Normally I use GoodReader to display all my pdf files on Dropbox. Not sure if that would work on an older iPad or if it would work under Linux. It’s one of those low priority projects.

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Ukulele music I couldn't find anywhere else.
[colquhoun.info]

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kj
That's cool, but my iPad would still just sit there doing nothing (except losing it's charge) on my bed stand. I'm all for getting some more use out of stuff that would otherwise go to the landfill though. Also cool to see people develop stuff just to be nice.

I gave my older iPad to my mom as a dedicated solitaire playing tablet. It is the single thing she uses it for.
She balked a little, at first, at having to learn how to use it rather than use the old eMac I had set up to play that one game, but after she realized she could sit in her recliner and play rather than going to the computer in the other room, she was sold.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

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rgG

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kj
That's cool, but my iPad would still just sit there doing nothing (except losing it's charge) on my bed stand. I'm all for getting some more use out of stuff that would otherwise go to the landfill though. Also cool to see people develop stuff just to be nice.

I gave my older iPad to my mom as a dedicated solitaire playing tablet. It is the single thing she uses it for.
She balked a little, at first, at having to learn how to use it rather than use the old eMac I had set up to play that one game, but after she realized she could sit in her recliner and play rather than going to the computer in the other room, she was sold.

Nice. We should give ours to someone who can use it.

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kj

Quote
rgG

Quote
kj
That's cool, but my iPad would still just sit there doing nothing (except losing it's charge) on my bed stand. I'm all for getting some more use out of stuff that would otherwise go to the landfill though. Also cool to see people develop stuff just to be nice.

I gave my older iPad to my mom as a dedicated solitaire playing tablet. It is the single thing she uses it for.
She balked a little, at first, at having to learn how to use it rather than use the old eMac I had set up to play that one game, but after she realized she could sit in her recliner and play rather than going to the computer in the other room, she was sold.

Nice. We should give ours to someone who can use it.

A nice idea, but mine are so old that it seems impossible to install any new apps.

I have the iPad Air ME987LL/A, stopped updates at iOS 12.5.5. Appears that it may run DJI Fly app just fine, still testing on camera on my Mavic Air 2. After checking minimum requirements at DJI, might give it a flight test this weekend. If that works, will get the “mavmount scout” for it….

[mavmount.com]

Even though still on iOS 12, runs some simple things that I like it to do…



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2022 05:45PM by SKYLANE.

Interesting. Though I am still using my iPad Air 2 and recently updated the OS to the next to latest version - 15.4.1. Got it as a refurb 6 1/2 years ago, main issue I may run into soon is whether I can get the battery replaced. Still runs for several hours, but not as long as it used to.