Is there any Linux tablet similar to a surface

away2thestars@programming.dev to Free and Open Source Software@beehaw.org – 35 points –

Looking to draw with a pen straight on the screen, and being able to run kubuntu for example so that I can install aseprite for instance

40

You could get a surface and install your favorite flavor yourself: https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface

Is it easy enough? Like installing in a normal pc?

I've done it on a Surface Go and while the install can be a bit more of a pain, once it's done it's a great little Linux unit.

Two PITA points are it doesn't have a normal BIOS so sometimes it won't boot from USB normally and you have to go into Windows and use it's Advanced Startup process to make it work. That then means you might have to keep Windows on dual boot.

The other PITA this can cause is you might also need to install a boot manager like rEFInd to get it to boot into your distro properly. I found I needed this with Kubuntu but not Manjaro, for whatever reason.

Both issues are a pain, but not difficult, just annoying. And once it's done you don't have to think about it again.

Yes, the only difference really is installing their custom kernel afterwards to enable missing features like touchscreen support.

It works pretty well, the only big thing still missing is camera support which will probably get solved soon.

Don’t get a surface book! I know it’s a laptop not a tablet but using Linux on it has been a nighthmare.

I’ve done it across a handful of surface products I’d say that if you’re comfortable using Linux it’ll be just fine

You install Linux normally first and then install the surface kernel after. Until then you can't use the pen and touch is limited. You'll probably need at least 2 free usb slots on the surface though, one for the isntallation medium and one for an external keyboard. If you don't have a usb c dock, you'll need to figure out how to get a linux iso on a usb that includes the surface kernel, which is possible but fairly compicated compared to the usual installation.

It's worth keeping an eye on the PineTab and PineNote . Just keep in mind that these are community driven projects that are under development, and best suited for people who like to tinker with linux devices.

I was looking for this. Really waiting on the pinnate to ditch note books and pencils.

I tried a few different linux distros on various chromebooks, and regardless of if you pick a chromebook or another device, I highly recommend you don't get a device with an arm-based cpu. Pick a 2-in-1 that has a normal x86 processor so you don't have to deal with compatibility issues.

Compatibility with software you mean?

Software can be hit or miss on ARM processors, but it's getting much better. If you stick to mainstream distros/apps, you're not going to run into many problems. I'm writing this from a 2014 Acer C720 running Debian, and it does it beautifully. This old thing still gets 10 hours of battery life, and I paid less than $100 for it.

Yes, I guess @Apostato@beehaw.org is right though that software compatibility for arm is improving, so it really depends on your use-case and workflow. I don't remember exactly what I was doing at the time I just remember the program I wanted couldn't run on arm.

David Revoy did some search on finding a cheap hardware to draw using opensource software: https://www.davidrevoy.com/article972/my-solution-for-mobile-digital-painting-on-gnu-linux

Lenovo Yoga 370 looking amazing and there are very cheap options thank you!

I have a Yoga 530, running KDE 5.24.4. The touch functionality is really broken, basically unusable. Try Gnome, anything is better than this.

My wife bought a Lenovo yoga and loves it

I have one too and also love it. Runs Linux just fine

Wait, I have a yoga too. It can run Linux?

It's just a PC with a touchscreen that comes with Windows installed from the store. The only thing to really worry about are the hardware drivers for the unique bits.

Ah. Mine is an Android tablet, so I'm guessing it's not the same thing.

Yeah, sorry. I meant one of the PC Yogas. I think mine is the C930

You actually probably could get a different Linux distro running on an Android tablet, but it would probably take more work than on a PC

I've bought a DELL Venue 11 Pro 7130 just recently for the same reason. Seems to run Fedora 38 just fine.

Kinda on topic, there are 2 really good deals running right now. 1 for the Surface, 1 for the Lenovo Yoga.

https://slickdeals.net/f/16728539-thinkpad-x1-yoga-gen-6-14-3840x2400-oled-i7-1185g7-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-1099-free-s-h?src=category\_page
and
https://slickdeals.net/f/16727681-microsoft-surface-pro-8-13-2880x1920-i5-1135g7-8gb-ram-128gb-ssd-610-free-s-h-w-amazon-prime?src=category\_page

The Surface might be too bare bones for some, but $610 is decent. (Also, there are several "generations" in the store now. This is the middle, non-ARM flavor with 11th Gen Intel. The Surface 9 has the current generation.)

The Lenovo is a much bigger discount and better specs, but I've heard worse stuff about the Lenovo support. Apparently Lenovo's consumer support and build quality is very different from the business offerings.

I'm daily driving a yoga x380 and am really happy. Using the pen for quick notes on my professors slides. I use Zorin and Win10 in dual boot but only really use Zorin. Only thing that doesn't work on Zorin is the HDMI port but I didn't really bother to trouble shoot.

Seconded. I daily drove a yoga for some time (really a flex). It worked pretty well. Definitely check the compatibility of whatever laptop you choose before though. I had to manually install a driver to get the touchpad to work everytime I updated the kernel until it was finally merged into mainline. 😬

Bought my daughter a lenovo chromebook duet. It is a pretty neat little machine with a detachable keyboard / form factor like a surface tablet. I have not figured out if linux is an option on it yet but I do know there are people out there who have gotten linux running on chromebook hardware.