{"slug": "linux-surface", "name": "linux-surface", "category": "os", "category_name": "Operating systems and desktop", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 4, "warners": 0, "score": 2.926, "rising": -0.98, "first": "2025-12-15", "latest": "2026-09-22", "why": "Running Linux on Surface works. It's not perfect, but it solves the problem.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Running Linux on Surface works. It's not perfect, but it solves the problem.", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface", "official_url": "https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["linux-surface", "Linux Surface"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 773867312, "item_id": 48366707, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48366707", "by": "denysvitali", "date": "2026-06-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Running Linux on Surface works. It's not perfect, but it solves the problem.", "excerpt": "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", "context": "", "use_case": "Linux on Surface hardware", "switched_from": "", "story": "MacBook Pro Rival with the Nvidia Powered Surface Laptop Ultra"}, {"id": 773823072, "item_id": 48363942, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48363942", "by": "denysvitali", "date": "2026-06-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Thankfully the Linux Surface community is pretty strong.", "excerpt": "The Surface line is, HW-wise, very good IMHO. Too bad the software is awful. Thankfully the Linux Surface community is pretty strong. Proprietary Microsoft drivers don't make it easy, but we're getting there... https://github.com/linux-surface/surface-pro-x I'll buy another one if there's some commitment from Microsoft to be more open source friendly, but since this will never happen, they can keep their HW.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "MacBook Pro Rival with the Nvidia Powered Surface Laptop Ultra"}, {"id": 773710112, "item_id": 48356882, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48356882", "by": "jauntywundrkind", "date": "2026-06-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Amazing work from open source folks!", "excerpt": "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 ", "context": "", "use_case": "Linux support for Surface", "switched_from": "", "story": "Surface Laptop Ultra: Made for World Makers"}, {"id": 740561808, "item_id": 46285113, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46285113", "by": "ThrowawayR2", "date": "2025-12-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the MS Surface Go 3 tablet running Windows or Linux", "excerpt": "If you don't require an e-ink display, the least effort route might be the MS Surface Go 3 tablet running Windows or Linux (https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/wiki/Installation-and-Setup). The Remarkable 2 has an e-ink display but is rather underpowered as an e-reader. It does have an SDK for building apps: https://developer.remarkable.com/documentation/sdk", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Quill OS: An open-source OS for Kobo's eReaders"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "ojdon", "context": "Surface Go 2 user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49808080", "date": "2026-09-22"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["linux on surface go 2", "linux on surface hardware", "linux support for surface"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48355720", "title": "MacBook Pro Rival with the Nvidia Powered Surface Laptop Ultra", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49704503", "title": "Running Ubuntu on the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48352627", "title": "Surface Laptop Ultra: Made for World Makers", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46283016", "title": "Quill OS: An open-source OS for Kobo's eReaders", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 796929280, "item_id": 49808080, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49808080", "by": "ojdon", "date": "2026-09-22", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "using the suraface-linux kernel", "excerpt": "I use a Surface GO 2 (m3 + 8GB) using the suraface-linux kernel. Previously had a Duet it could do a lot for such a little device!", "context": "Surface Go 2 user", "use_case": "Linux on Surface Go 2", "switched_from": "", "story": "Running Ubuntu on the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet"}, {"id": 773867312, "item_id": 48366707, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48366707", "by": "denysvitali", "date": "2026-06-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Running Linux on Surface works. It's not perfect, but it solves the problem.", "excerpt": "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", "context": "", "use_case": "Linux on Surface hardware", "switched_from": "", "story": "MacBook Pro Rival with the Nvidia Powered Surface Laptop Ultra"}, {"id": 773823072, "item_id": 48363942, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48363942", "by": "denysvitali", "date": "2026-06-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Thankfully the Linux Surface community is pretty strong.", "excerpt": "The Surface line is, HW-wise, very good IMHO. Too bad the software is awful. Thankfully the Linux Surface community is pretty strong. Proprietary Microsoft drivers don't make it easy, but we're getting there... https://github.com/linux-surface/surface-pro-x I'll buy another one if there's some commitment from Microsoft to be more open source friendly, but since this will never happen, they can keep their HW.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "MacBook Pro Rival with the Nvidia Powered Surface Laptop Ultra"}, {"id": 773710112, "item_id": 48356882, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48356882", "by": "jauntywundrkind", "date": "2026-06-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Amazing work from open source folks!", "excerpt": "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 ", "context": "", "use_case": "Linux support for Surface", "switched_from": "", "story": "Surface Laptop Ultra: Made for World Makers"}, {"id": 740561808, "item_id": 46285113, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46285113", "by": "ThrowawayR2", "date": "2025-12-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the MS Surface Go 3 tablet running Windows or Linux", "excerpt": "If you don't require an e-ink display, the least effort route might be the MS Surface Go 3 tablet running Windows or Linux (https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/wiki/Installation-and-Setup). The Remarkable 2 has an e-ink display but is rather underpowered as an e-reader. It does have an SDK for building apps: https://developer.remarkable.com/documentation/sdk", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Quill OS: An open-source OS for Kobo's eReaders"}]}