Linux-surface Alternatives

linux-surface reviews and mentions

• MacBook Pro Rival with the Nvidia Powered Surface Laptop Ultra
  3 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 1 Jun 2026

  Running Linux on Surface works. It's not perfect, but it solves the problem. Windows is gone from my Surface Pro X since roughly 2 months after buying it.

  https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface

• Surface Laptop Ultra: Made for World Makers – Microsoft Devices Blog
  1 project | news.ycombinator.com | 1 Jun 2026

  I wonder how much Microsoftisms are going to be thrown into the Surface Ultra.

  Surface-linux has done a ton of work to get some support, but yeah: they are quite the special devices:

  > In contrast to other devices, however, some newer Surface devices route their keyboard and touchpad input via this controller. Unfortunately, every new Surface device requires some (usually small) patch to enable support for it, since devices managed by SAM are generally not auto-discoverable.

  There is a huge feature matrix, so at least you sort of know what you are getting. Amazing work from open source folks! https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/wiki/Supporte...

• Framework Laptop 13 Pro
  5 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 21 Apr 2026

  There is a whole section on touchscreen annoyances from the Linux Surface project: https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/wiki/Installa...

  > Any gesture functionality is dependent on the software you are running. This includes both, the application (e.g. Firefox) and the desktop environment (e.g. GNOME). The driver can only provide a set of input coordinates to the applications. By default, the system will behave as if you've clicked at the point of a single touch, or mouse-button dragged when you single-finger drag.

  I love Linux but no need to embellish the current state imo

  I am glad that it is working really well for you though

• Ask HN: Cheap laptop for Linux without GUI (for writing)
  3 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 3 Feb 2026

  https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/wiki/Supporte...

  I'm presently writing on a Surface 3 w/ x7-Z8700 atom that's running Ubuntu Noble and vanilla 6.8 kernel. They're about $50. Everything works rather well (including gfx/audio/sleep/hibernate), except the camera, which I haven't bothered with. I'm quite happy w/ it tbh.

  One thing to note w/ this model is you'll need the OEM keyboard to install linux since there's only one usb port; which will be required by the install media. Once you've installed though you can use any bluetooth or usb keyboard you want. Another thing is any micro-usb charger should work but I wouldn't rely on just 1amp, go w/ a 3amp.

  Anyway, happy hunting!

• GitHub is no longer independent at Microsoft after CEO resignation
  18 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 11 Aug 2025

  Linux runs perfectly fine on most of the Surfaces:

  https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/wiki/Supporte...

  There's the usual asterisk here or there, as with most laptops; but, outside of some golden devices, it's about on par with most.

• Microsoft wants you to buy a new computer. Make your current one secure again?
  3 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 19 Jun 2025

  LOL, I can just imagine someone installing Ubuntu in their Surface, then seeing that several things don't work. Then they go to this repo, which is "scary" in itself for non-technical people, and then they click on the "detailed installation guide" at https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/wiki/Installa...

  And that's it, they are lost and tired at that point. They will just go back to Windows.

• Pine64's RISC-V tablet now ships with a Debian-based Linux and improved hardware
  1 project | news.ycombinator.com | 17 Mar 2025

  This has a miserable 1280 x 800 pixel screen and eMMC storage. If you are interested in a tablet running Linux, I think my daily driver might be a better choice: A Microsoft Surface Pro 3 running Debian¹ with very few problems. It has a 2160 x 1440 touchscreen and a real SSD. Easy to find used/reconditioned for about $100.²

  [1] https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface

  [2] https://www.ebay.com/itm/205341079054

• IPU6 camera support in Fedora 41
  1 project | news.ycombinator.com | 6 Oct 2024

  Note: I'm wrong, surface support for ipu6 isn't there yet, see https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/issues/1516 (via https://www.reddit.com/r/SurfaceLinux/comments/1fwyzu1/comme... )

• Ask HN: Any Recommendations Around Programming on an iPad?
  6 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 4 Sep 2024

  My understanding is Surface Linux is mostly the project built around developing kernel patches to be upstreamed, so the specific Kernel is more focused around external patches. Here’s their comment on this from their GitHub [0]:

  We aim to send all the changes we make here upstream, but this may take time. This kernel allows us to ship new features faster, as we do not have to adhere to the upstream release schedule (and, for better or worse, code standards). We also rely on it to test and prototype patches before sending them upstream, which is crucial because we maintainers cannot test on all Surface devices (which also means we may break things along the way).

  So should you install this custom kernel and the associated packages? It depends: We generally recommend you try your standard distribution kernel first. If that works well for you, great! But if you're missing any features or experiencing issues, take a look at our feature matrix and give our kernel and packages a try. If your device is not listed as supported yet, feel free to open an issue.

  0. https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface#why--about-th...

• A Review of Linux on Surface Pro 4
  4 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 15 Jul 2024

  old? 6.9.x as of today https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/releases

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  www.saashub.com | 11 Jun 2026

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