5 ms·

Does anybody have experience of running Linux on previous Surface devices?

by wz1000 12y ago

wlesieutre 12y ago
Haven't tried it myself, but check out http://www.reddit.com/r/surfacelinux http://www.reddit.com/r/surfacelinux
3pt14159 12y ago
I'm interested in this question too. I set my girlfriend up with the Surface Pro 3, and besides it being awkward on her lap (ironically, the Surface needs a surface), I think its an amazing machine, especially for the price. It isn't quite Apple level with the hardware design, but it's close and it feels like Windows 8 was designed for it. My worry is that Ubuntu wouldn't really work with the touch screen. Edit: I should mention, she got the i5 1.9 GHz and mostly uses it for work (Excel / Outlook) and video (Skype / Netflix). No fan issues.
- sz4kerto 12y ago
  Well, her use case is exactly where this Surface would work well (and maybe a Pro is a bit of an overkill).
  - 3pt14159 12y ago
    Eh, I figured the money was worth it since she wanted to do HDMI to a pretty decent projector. Plus, her last laptop lasted her 5 years and I figured a Surface Pro would too.
rehemiau 12y ago
https://jaxbot.me/articles/linux-on-surface-pro-2-through-vmware https://jaxbot.me/articles/linux-on-surface-pro-2-through-vm...
Someone1234 12y ago
I'm not saying don't do it. I am just suggesting that you may have a better user experience buying something more traditional like a Macbook Air. I suggest this for one simple reason: Many of the Surface's features are ultimately software/driver driven. For example, the keyboard, the pen (both halfs), even much of the touch interaction, and on screen keyboard. So unless you have really incredible driver support, the Surface is going to just be obnoxious to try and use. You might wind up with a USB keyboard/mouse plugged in most of the time. Can it be done? Maybe. Should it? Depends how much you like pain.
- _delirium 12y ago
  One possibility, if you really like the Surface hardware but want to run Linux, is to run Linux on a VM on the Surface Pro 3 (only the Pro, though, not this new Surface 3), which comes with a version of Windows that includes the Hyper-V hypervisor. That way you get the Windows drivers backing a Linux instance. From reports (haven't tried it myself) it works fairly well, with the one catch being that the Surface Pro's "connected standby" power management is disabled when Hyper-V is active, and it falls back to more traditional hibernate/wake power management.
JBiserkov 12y ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/surfacelinux https://www.reddit.com/r/surfacelinux
AlbertoGP 12y ago
Yes, I've been using a Surface Pro 3 as my primary computer since last year, with Ubuntu (dual boot with Windows, secure boot, no problems). It works well enough after I made my own kernel patch to have both multi-touch trackpad and keyboard with the type cover. There are patches for the cameras too but I haven't used them yet. Wireless is iffy but it works every time if I connect manually instead of letting it connect automatically. Touch works surprisingly well, but multitouch support in Ubuntu is quite primitive still. The pen works allright but without pressure sensitivity. Coming from a ThinkPad W500 I'm very happy with it but it still has rough edges, like the lack of suspend mode. I do a full shutdown instead.
- e12e 12y ago
  > like the lack of suspend mode. Huh? Some UEFI trickiness, or some kind of quirky intel cpu? Do you mean that it doesn't work for Ubuntu, or that there's no way to get s2disk/s2ram to work on the thing with a Linux kernel?
  - AlbertoGP 12y ago
    It does not have S3 power mode, that is no suspend to RAM but only Microsoft Connected Standby (AKA Intel IntantGo) which is how it works in Windows 8.1, although hybernate (suspend to disk) has been reported as working in Linux. I starting setting hybernate up but I needed it encrypted and it seemed like too much trouble; AFAIK there is no special difficulty in this machine. Another thing I forgot to mention and I actually find quite annoying is the volume buttons, which don't work for now. There was some tentative patch / module when I last tried last Christmas but it did not work at all.
    - e12e 12y ago
      > It does not have S3 power mode, that is no suspend to RAM but only Microsoft Connected Standby (AKA Intel IntantGo) Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying. Another thing to look for if/when buying new hardware then (lack of s3/and or instantGo support arriving in Linux) > I starting setting hybernate up but I needed it encrypted and it seemed like too much trouble Not sure what you mean here. You'll need the encryption key on startup, of course (but you need that on a full boot anyway). Perhaps look into putting the/a copy of the key on an usb stick? Unless Ubuntu has been been messing with the cryptsetup/luks boot/initrd-magic as found in Debian, it should "just work". Works fine on my Thinkpad -- I generally just do "s2disk" from the command-line (I did look into getting S3+S1 to work -- that is first s2ram and disk, then after a while turn off, awakening from disk rather than ram -- that was a bit more of a hassle to get working -- and in the end I rarely need it anyway). Fwiw I use the "hibernate" package along with a fully encrypted (except /boot) system, using cryptsetup/luks. [edit: Tangentially related: http://www.oxygenimpaired.com/ubuntu-with-grub2-luks-encrypted-lvm-root-hidden-usb-keyfile http://www.oxygenimpaired.com/ubuntu-with-grub2-luks-encrypt... (note the bit about preparing the usb key with the encryption key is in a linked post) I'm not sure I see much value in having the key be some random part of a randomzied usb stick... but it mentions most of the things required to mount encrypted partitions -- and the keyscript-option. Also, be wary of Dragons when systemd comes around: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=618862 https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=618862 ]

Does anybody have experience of running Linux on previous Surface devices?

by wz1000 12y ago

Does anybody have experience of running Linux on previous Surface devices?

wlesieutre 12y ago

Haven't tried it myself, but check out http://www.reddit.com/r/surfacelinux http://www.reddit.com/r/surfacelinux

3pt14159 12y ago

I'm interested in this question too. I set my girlfriend up with the Surface Pro 3, and besides it being awkward on her lap (ironically, the Surface needs a surface), I think its an amazing machine, especially for the price. It isn't quite Apple level with the hardware design, but it's close and it feels like Windows 8 was designed for it. My worry is that Ubuntu wouldn't really work with the touch screen. Edit: I should mention, she got the i5 1.9 GHz and mostly uses it for work (Excel / Outlook) and video (Skype / Netflix). No fan issues.

sz4kerto 12y ago
Well, her use case is exactly where this Surface would work well (and maybe a Pro is a bit of an overkill).
- 3pt14159 12y ago
  Eh, I figured the money was worth it since she wanted to do HDMI to a pretty decent projector. Plus, her last laptop lasted her 5 years and I figured a Surface Pro would too.

rehemiau 12y ago

https://jaxbot.me/articles/linux-on-surface-pro-2-through-vmware https://jaxbot.me/articles/linux-on-surface-pro-2-through-vm...

Someone1234 12y ago

I'm not saying don't do it. I am just suggesting that you may have a better user experience buying something more traditional like a Macbook Air. I suggest this for one simple reason: Many of the Surface's features are ultimately software/driver driven. For example, the keyboard, the pen (both halfs), even much of the touch interaction, and on screen keyboard. So unless you have really incredible driver support, the Surface is going to just be obnoxious to try and use. You might wind up with a USB keyboard/mouse plugged in most of the time. Can it be done? Maybe. Should it? Depends how much you like pain.

_delirium 12y ago
One possibility, if you really like the Surface hardware but want to run Linux, is to run Linux on a VM on the Surface Pro 3 (only the Pro, though, not this new Surface 3), which comes with a version of Windows that includes the Hyper-V hypervisor. That way you get the Windows drivers backing a Linux instance. From reports (haven't tried it myself) it works fairly well, with the one catch being that the Surface Pro's "connected standby" power management is disabled when Hyper-V is active, and it falls back to more traditional hibernate/wake power management.

JBiserkov 12y ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/surfacelinux https://www.reddit.com/r/surfacelinux

AlbertoGP 12y ago

Yes, I've been using a Surface Pro 3 as my primary computer since last year, with Ubuntu (dual boot with Windows, secure boot, no problems). It works well enough after I made my own kernel patch to have both multi-touch trackpad and keyboard with the type cover. There are patches for the cameras too but I haven't used them yet. Wireless is iffy but it works every time if I connect manually instead of letting it connect automatically. Touch works surprisingly well, but multitouch support in Ubuntu is quite primitive still. The pen works allright but without pressure sensitivity. Coming from a ThinkPad W500 I'm very happy with it but it still has rough edges, like the lack of suspend mode. I do a full shutdown instead.

e12e 12y ago
> like the lack of suspend mode. Huh? Some UEFI trickiness, or some kind of quirky intel cpu? Do you mean that it doesn't work for Ubuntu, or that there's no way to get s2disk/s2ram to work on the thing with a Linux kernel?
- AlbertoGP 12y ago
  It does not have S3 power mode, that is no suspend to RAM but only Microsoft Connected Standby (AKA Intel IntantGo) which is how it works in Windows 8.1, although hybernate (suspend to disk) has been reported as working in Linux. I starting setting hybernate up but I needed it encrypted and it seemed like too much trouble; AFAIK there is no special difficulty in this machine. Another thing I forgot to mention and I actually find quite annoying is the volume buttons, which don't work for now. There was some tentative patch / module when I last tried last Christmas but it did not work at all.
  - e12e 12y ago
    > It does not have S3 power mode, that is no suspend to RAM but only Microsoft Connected Standby (AKA Intel IntantGo) Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying. Another thing to look for if/when buying new hardware then (lack of s3/and or instantGo support arriving in Linux) > I starting setting hybernate up but I needed it encrypted and it seemed like too much trouble Not sure what you mean here. You'll need the encryption key on startup, of course (but you need that on a full boot anyway). Perhaps look into putting the/a copy of the key on an usb stick? Unless Ubuntu has been been messing with the cryptsetup/luks boot/initrd-magic as found in Debian, it should "just work". Works fine on my Thinkpad -- I generally just do "s2disk" from the command-line (I did look into getting S3+S1 to work -- that is first s2ram and disk, then after a while turn off, awakening from disk rather than ram -- that was a bit more of a hassle to get working -- and in the end I rarely need it anyway). Fwiw I use the "hibernate" package along with a fully encrypted (except /boot) system, using cryptsetup/luks. [edit: Tangentially related: http://www.oxygenimpaired.com/ubuntu-with-grub2-luks-encrypted-lvm-root-hidden-usb-keyfile http://www.oxygenimpaired.com/ubuntu-with-grub2-luks-encrypt... (note the bit about preparing the usb key with the encryption key is in a linked post) I'm not sure I see much value in having the key be some random part of a randomzied usb stick... but it mentions most of the things required to mount encrypted partitions -- and the keyscript-option. Also, be wary of Dragons when systemd comes around: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=618862 https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=618862 ]