fspecii / LinPad

LinPad — Linux for iPad 
 A real Linux desktop on your iPad 
 Windows, tiling, workspaces and real Linux apps — Firefox, VS Code, Thunar, VLC, Node, git, Claude Code — running on the iPad itself. No VM. No jailbreak. One app. 
 Screenshots •
 Why LinPad •
 Features •
 How it works •
 Quick start •
 Install & updates •
 Shortcuts •
 Roadmap 
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## 📸 Screenshots
 LinPad OS with the monochrome Dot Matrix desktop. Development captures from the iPad simulator. 
| | |
|:---:|:---:|
| **Visual Studio Code** editing a React and TypeScript project | **Firefox** browsing Wikipedia |
| **LinPad Store** with Linux apps and developer tools | **Aqua** desktop with files and terminal |
| **Classic 98** desktop | **Platinum** desktop |
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## 🚀 Why LinPad?
**The iPad Air M3 is as fast as a MacBook Air.** Put a Logitech keyboard with a trackpad on it and it looks like a laptop — but it can't do laptop things. No real terminal. No VS Code. No Linux tools. A powerful machine that ends up as a Netflix screen.
LinPad turns it into the computer the hardware already is.
| | Stock iPadOS | LinPad |
|---|---|---|
| **Desktop** | Stage Manager | **Real windowed desktop** with tiling, snapping, workspaces |
| **Terminal** | Toy shells | **Full Alpine Linux** — apk, bash, Node, Python, git |
| **Code editor** | Web-based at best | **Visual Studio Code** (the real one) |
| **Browser engine** | WebKit only | **Firefox** + Safari's engine side by side |
| **Linux GUI apps** | ❌ | **Thunar, Mousepad, VLC, GTK & Qt apps** |
| **AI coding** | ❌ | **Claude Code** in the terminal and VS Code |
| **Keyboard + trackpad** | Partial | **Right-click, shortcuts, pointer everywhere** |
| **Cost** | — | **Free & open source** |
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## ✨ Features
### 🖥️ Native Desktop
| Feature | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| **Window manager** | Move, resize from any edge, snap to halves and quarters, maximize, minimize to the taskbar |
| **Auto-tiling** | Master-stack, columns, grid and monocle layouts — on or off per workspace, float any window |
| **Workspaces** | Switch with keys or three-finger swipes, drag windows between them in the overview |
| **Overview & switcher** | Exposé-style overview, ⌥Tab switcher with live thumbnails, taskbar hover previews |
| **Notification center** | History, Do Not Disturb, swipe to dismiss |
| **Quick settings** | Volume, brightness, appearance, style, tiling, battery, network, fast mode |
| **Lock screen & session** | Lock, restart the desktop session, session restore on launch |
### 🎨 Styles & Themes
| Feature | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| **Five desktop styles** | LinPad, Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, Kylin — each changes the *layout*, not just colours |
| **Matching Linux themes** | GTK & Qt themes, cursors and fonts follow the style (Fluent, WhiteSur, Yaru, UKUI, Adwaita) |
| **Icon packs** | Papirus, Fluent, WhiteSur, Yaru, UKUI and more — independent of the style |
| **Light & dark** | Per style, or follow iPadOS |
| **Wallpapers** | Photo