I’m looking for a cheap and portable tablet that I can use for writing. Microsoft Surface Pro tablets, at least around the gen 4 models, are rather cheap to buy used, and they seem decently well made. Naturally, were I to buy one, I would have to install Linux onto it.
I’ve been peripherally aware of the Linux Surface project for some time now. I looked at it recently, after having not for some time, and it seems that they have really made good progress compared to what I remember, and it’s making me much more interested in trying to install Linux on a Surface Pro.
Having never owned a Surface Pro, I’m not sure which models are the most reliable and sturdy. I’m not looking for something that’s the flashiest; I want something that works well. I want something pragmatic — something akin to the idea of an older era of Thinkpad (eg T460). I want a pen with low input delay and good accuracy, reliable and responsive touch controls, and a decent display. I was thinking the Surface Pro 4 might be a good choice, but it’s hard to know as there aren’t many videos out there of people installing Linux on them, so I’m wondering what your experience has been with Microsoft Surface Pro’s and installing Linux on one.
Cross-posts:
Edit: I just remembered what I had to do to get cameras working in most applications. I used v4l2loopback.
I don’t know about older Surfaces, but for me in a nutshell, H-E-Double hockey sticks on my 1st gen Surface Go. Only install Linux on a Surface if you already own one.
More in-depth, it was usable - it was my main personal on-the-go device for a couple of years. I’d had it since before I used Linux. On mainline, the main stuff worked. With the Linux-Surface kernel, I could get the cameras working. It was always very janky (you had to bridge stuff through GStreamer or some other weird crap rather than using it directly. Don’t remember the specifics), but it worked.
Another annoyance was a hardware issue with the keyboard when it was in your lap: since the keyboard wasn’t very rigid, it would bend a bit while typing or placing your hand on the palm rest, making unwanted mouse clicks
My big problem with the Surface Go, though, was I had chronic issues with power profiles. It never went to sleep quite right, so after closing it a few times, the system would begin to get unstable and I’d just have to do a reboot.
After my initramfs got borked on that during the time_t64 transition (my fault, not the hardware’s; I use Debian Testing and an apt update went awry), I didn’t feel like going back and fixing it, as I was planning on replacing this device with the Thinkpad I write this on anyway.
Ultimately, my opinion (again, just based on using the Go 1, which is a bit newer than the Pro 4) is that it isn’t the best idea. Considering Pro 4s are not expensive on eBay, trying it isn’t the worst idea, but I feel like it’s not worth it, an unfortunate truth considering Surfaces are such unique devices. This isn’t a cheap alternative (the CPU’s not the best from what I can tell), but the Surface fan in me finds the StarLabs StarFighter 12.5-inch enticing considering it’s both very Surface-like and Linux-friendly.
As you want cheap, you might be able to find something to throw LineageOS or postMarketOS on. Honestly, my question for you is how much do you need a tablet specifically? Could a small laptop do?
Fedora on Surface Go 1 with Surface kernel:
I never uses it only as a tablet except on holidays if I watch a movie on a hotel bed. It spends most of its time linked to a big screen, but I’m really happy with it except for how slow it is to pick up my mouse Bluetooth signal or the fact that the battery is often depleted for no reason when I turn the Surface on.
It is my only PC and is powerful enough to do everything I need it for, which is admin, web browsing and old strategy games.
Of course, I was running Debian Testing with XFCE4, so it may be something odd in that combination.