I’m looking into a new tablet and it seems like grabbing a surface is a more affordable option to an iPad or other high end tablet. I can grab a decent one on marketplace for under $200 us. Is it worth it?
Check out linux-surface for details of what works on your specific model (and if you’ll need to install the custom kernel). I have a surface pro 3, it struggles but basically everything works which is cool.
definitely check for known compatibility issues before you buy. I have a Pro 9 and the sleep/wake is pretty awful. It really doesn’t handle well docking/undocking or attaching/detaching the keyboard when asleep.
got nix on a surface go. works fine, but the storage is rather small, and nix store takes up a surprising amount of space
I ran into the same thing. Nix store got up to 57GB in size for me. I have lots of generations and upgrades ran which just continually fill up. Figured out you have to run garbage collection or use the optimizer (which takes a LONG time to run for me): https://nlewo.github.io/nixos-manual-sphinx/administration/cleaning-store.xml.html
I have a Surface Pro 8 running EndeavourOS. No issues aside from the camera not working. Tried a bunch of workarounds trying to get the camera to work, but couldn’t ever get it functioning. Sometimes I can connect an external webcam and that works, sometimes it doesn’t.
If you aren’t using it for any web conferencing or video calls, then its pretty great. That said, I probably wouldn’t buy another one. I’d go with a cheapo tablet and a small laptop.
I’ve been running EndeavourOS on my my SP4. It works great with the custom Surface kernel.
Don’t buy a 4 - it has heat problems and a shitty power circuit. As long as you get a 5 or newer, it should run great.
For this form factor in general, once the fan breaks and it will break eventually, it is an expensive repair, but it is so noisy it will be unusable.
Well, if you want a cheaper option, look at the Chuwi tablets, which are new around 250-300 and have some decent Intel CPUs and pen input.
Not a pro, but I’m using Endeavour os on a 1st gen Surface Go. it works fine but KDE has some touchscreen quirks I don’t like.
Depends what version of the Surface, but I have a Surface Pro 6 and it still performs well. I use the Surface Linux kernel.
I have a surface go 3 and a surface pro 7. The first running cachyos, the second running arch. Both do run fine, but the pro 7 isn’t used much anymore. It used to do BSOD on Windows and on linux it just kernel freezes. Still, linux was a much better experience, except for the camera. The main issue with surfaces is the hardware. Highly prone to failure and not really repairable. I love the form factor as I prefer to use a split ergo keyboard, so a laptop keyboard isn’t useful to me, but I wouldn’t buy another as they aren’t good products long term imo.
I run LMDE on my partner’s old surfacebook and installed the surface kernel. It runs smoother than windows ever did, battery life improved too, full touchscreen. Though I did install fedora prior to LMDE and the touchscreen functionality may have been better with that, but the system was slower overall.
I used to use two different surface pro 5s with linux surface kernel arch and KDE. The first one worked really well even with pen input and I really liked the form factor, after this device got stolen I bought another surface 5pro but this time I could not get pen input to work properly. You just run into weird bugs with these deices. Pen input worked with some hacking but then later it didnt work again. If you catch a device that works its really nice if not you loose some functionality
I can assure you the pen not always working is not a Linux exclusive issue.
I rocked a Surface with Linux Mint for a few years. It worked great and was much more performant than Windows. I eventually got myself a proper laptop because I was wearing through multiple keyboard covers with the amount of typing I was doing, but I still keep it around as a backup.
Using Arch on Surface pro 6 for couple of years. Nothing much, just to read something on Calibre web and jellyfin client
I’ve done it on a dell xps and and surface 7 or 9 pro. Everything runs good if you use it as traditional. Once you go full touchscreen and do away with the folio keyboard. Typing is not worth doing. Touch input is ok on Mint or others but the in screen keyboard pop up almost never works. I went back to a laptop after 1500 plus dollars wasted. Battery life was subpar 3 hours or so. Seems great in theory and I almost used it to ditch the phone. Just isn’t ready fully. Laptop, all in one mini pc or desktop. Unless your truly browsing light or doing easy light things and want a bigger screen. It made me realize that 2 in 1s seem great on paper but practice they suck to hold, travel even in the house, generally just not what I was hoping. I used surface kernel and tried different distros. Returned both devices as it just wasn’t ready. Not having a full touch keyboard pop up in web, or OS use killed it entirely. I tried openboard and mints pre installed keyboard but nothing was fast and fluid. It was pecking slow and annoyed.
I’ve had Gentoo (and later, Arch) on my Surface Pro 3 for a decade. It’s fully supported, touch screen and all.
I ran an install party for noobs a couple months ago, and someone brought a couple surface pros. Mint seems to have worked great with them
