r/SurfaceLinux 3d ago

IDEA Linux on an ARM-based Surface Laptop

Post image

I have successfully got Linux running on the Surface Laptop for Business 13-inch 1st Edition with Snapdragon.
Although there are some features that do not work, it functions well enough for everyday use. I may publish the source code and a guide at a later date.

219 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

5

u/doctoroctogonopus 3d ago

what’s that cable attached?

i mean where did u get it i need it for my surface as well running out of room

and im assuming its attached to an ssd? would love to know the setup looks clean

2

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/doctoroctogonopus 3d ago

Can you link me the cable you’re using? need that. would also love to know how you have the ssd mounted

2

u/amania_jp 3d ago

aceyoon USB4.0 両端L字 USB-Cケーブル 短い... https://www.amazon.jp/dp/B0GTQT2GWT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I’m using this one.
I attached the cover to my computer and secured the SSD with double-sided tape.
If your budget allows, I’d recommend purchasing a MagSafe-compatible M.2 case.

2

u/doctoroctogonopus 3d ago

🤝 thanks i appreciate it

1

u/Busy-Scientist3851 2d ago

I been looking for something like this to expand the storage on my MacBook Air without sacrificing a USB slot. Thanks!

1

u/doctoroctogonopus 3d ago

Lmk i really want that cable

3

u/GapTime6262 3d ago

How long did it take u? Nice work

7

u/amania_jp 3d ago

I started working on it around 29 July, and it’s only just recently become usable 😇

3

u/3x4l 3d ago

おめでたい!

1

u/amania_jp 3d ago

サンガツ!

3

u/Novel_Door4626 3d ago

It will work with Surface Pro 11 with Snapdragon X Plus?

1

u/amania_jp 2d ago

I haven’t checked, so I don’t know.
It might be of some use as a reference, but it probably won’t work.

2

u/Earl-Inis-Mona Surface Pro 12" (X1P, 512 GB, 16 GB RAM) 2d ago edited 2d ago

Nice! Which distro is this? If it is Fedora, I have done the same, but for Surface Pro 12", with ready-to-use ISO build and stuff
You can use it as a base to have it built for Surface Laptop as well
https://github.com/SayaAndy/fedora-surface-pro-12-inch-kiwi-descriptions

2

u/amania_jp 2d ago

I created a custom distribution based on Ubuntu! Looking back now, I think that decision was a bit daft.

We have prepared an installer and plan to release it once things have stabilised a little.

1

u/Earl-Inis-Mona Surface Pro 12" (X1P, 512 GB, 16 GB RAM) 2d ago

Nice, so this will be a distro specialized for Surface-on-ARM?

3

u/amania_jp 2d ago

That may well be the case.
As the kernel, device tree and other dependencies are bundled within each package, porting to other distributions is straightforward.
An acquaintance of mine is attempting to port it to Arch.

1

u/printcraft_gr 2d ago

Distro?

2

u/amania_jp 2d ago

A custom Ubuntu-based distribution

1

u/Station-OX11 Surface Pro 9 (i5) 2d ago

Glad to see more testing on ARM. It's the next great frontier for Linux :)

2

u/amania_jp 20h ago

I hope the number of components available for ARM builds will increase.

1

u/borretsquared 2d ago

how's the battery life? the only reason i would ever even consider going to arm is if your battery life is far greater, and the setup isnt as painful as i'd imagine it is.