Alternatives to Android on a tablet

Using Zynthian
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I’m looking to run VNC on a tablet but am getting increasingly hacked off with Android and it’s mother knows best approach to use…

Apparently I am allowed to opt out of this…

You can use Find My Device today to locate devices when they’re connected to the Internet. With the new Find My Device network, you’ll be able to locate your devices even if they’re offline. You can also find any compatible Fast Pair accessories when they’re disconnected from your device. This includes compatible earbuds and headphones, and trackers that you can attach to your wallet, keys or bike.
To help you find your items when they’re offline, Find My Device will use the network of over a billion devices in the Android community and store your devices’ recent locations.
How it works
Devices on the network use Bluetooth to scan for nearby items. If other devices detect your items, they’ll securely send the locations where the items were detected to Find My Device. Your Android devices will do the same to [help others] find their offline items when detected nearby.
Your devices’ locations will be encrypted using the PIN, pattern or password for your Android devices. They can only be seen by you and those you share your devices with in Find My Device. They will not be visible to Google or used for other purposes.
You’ll get a notification on your Android devices when this feature is turned on in three days. Until then, you can [opt out of the network] through Find My Device on the web. Your choice will apply to all Android devices linked to. After the feature has been turned on, you will be able to manage device participation at any time through the Find My Device settings on the device.

Anyone got any experience of a slightly more open source approach…?

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Tablet support is very limited but you could try replacing a stock android with:

Android:

/e/ os
DivestOS

Linux:

PostmarketOS
Mobian

Pine64 do a linux tablet but it requires some finesssing.

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I tried accessing zynthian via noVNC on my Android 12 phone and apart from difficulty using the small screen (finger registration) it worked fine. The meters are updated dynamically and it all seems to work well. I will dig out an Android tablet to see if there is different behaviour.

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If you enjoy having adventures in Linux

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A substantial issue with android tablets is their handling of touch. The don’t send the release as you would hope so bold and long press aye not recognised. I haven’t found a configuration to resolve this.

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In this particular instance I would probably run it read only…
There is a problem with a hotspot VNC connection this way. Never yet seen it move after the initial display.

Android is a peculiar perfumed garden, presumably constructed to provide google with a similar dominance they saw with Windows and Apple, and it’s proved a very astute move.

I do however feel that I am operating for google most of the time and hanker for the sort of independence (possibly illusionairy in this day and age) the Pi seems to grant me.

From a zynthian hotspot perspective, I wish it did name services. . . .
Why can’t I just give it a zynthian.local to find, rather than dig out the IP address to type into the yappy puppy dog browser that will rush off to the first source of Internet it sniffs, and shedding the zynth hotspot in the process, simply because I haven’t provided the hotspoted zynthian with a solid route to the Internet.

This is a particularly pernicious one, and I applaud the zynthian developers for pushing the IP address up front at every opportunity, be it command line or GUI start up. But at a remote location you might only have vnc tablet or webconf and without knowing before hand a cast iron answer you can end up asking for the local routers admin password to sniff out the actual ip address, if there is one cos I’ve had hotspots resolutely refuse to provide any access in the depths of a woodland, when the configuration has worked back in the wyleu hanger.

Does anyone know if there is an approved protocol for IP Addresses over Morse via one LED…?

Android certainly contributes to the confusion in this area.

On the plus side using a superb piece of technology like a modern tablet is an excellent solution. Certainly far more useful and flexible than a 12V HDMI monitor powered via a wyleu implementation of Power Over Ethernet, and an external HDMI socket on the side of a cajon, which is the sort of thing that will most certainly get the zynthian kits flying off the shelves.
Basically we have successfully built a superb machine that can play drums in a wood for three hours, and I’m just using this as my current excuse for not providing a recording as yet…

Moan, moan, whinge, whinge…

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Dammit it’s working now…

And he’s scarpered off to Greece…

rant about names still stands…

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Hello, i am very bad in English, I ask if you are looking for the IP address of your Zynthian when you are in DHCP with Android then look at the BonjourBrowser application on the Android store, I think it will be useful to you (I hope it is this application that does mDNS).

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Thanks I’ll have a look. The tablet doesn’t actually have google play on it at the moment such is Androids desperate desire for memory.

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Bonjour Browser is indeed an excellent solution !!!

Many thanks @Melsiar

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