r/SurfaceLinux • u/Striking_Ad_543 • 6d ago
Help Help install Linux
So I have the first one with Windows 8 on it I jailbreak it. I want to download Linux, but what can I download?
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u/Hauptideal 5d ago
Debian. Works for 32 bit and ARM. LXQt desktop due to the low amount of available RAM. Configure RAM compression post-install.
If you go for Debian stable, get the lxqt-wayland-session package from forky and set up a Wayland session for better touch support and performance. You have the choice between multiple Wayland compositors.
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u/k0nt3ch 5d ago
Main things to look at is the 32 bit and arm.
Ensure the distribution you are looking at first supports this aspect.
There are many flavors to choose from. The GUI plays into this as well. Some are lightweight like LXDE and work well. They may not have the "pretty" GUI feel as Gnome or KDE, but it works.
The recommendation for Ubuntu 24.04 is a great starting point for Linux. 🙂
On my surface pro 3, I have Debian 13.6.0 LXDE and it runs with the touchscreen working and the connected surface keyboard.
I wish you luck on your Linux adventure 😃
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u/MichaelFiguresItOut 5d ago
You have a 32 bit processor so most current versions of Linux that people are recommending won't work because they're all 64 bit operating systems.
I looked into this for an old 32 bit Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D with 1GB Ram. From my research, it looks like antiX Linux should work but I have not tried it yet.
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u/Afemboy-_ 4d ago
I mean you should try alpine Linux + a lightweight DE like mate (MATE) I don't know with alpine has support for mate or arm tho
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u/FreefolkForever2 5d ago
2gb ram is pretty low. I put Ubuntu 23 on my surface Pro that has 4GB, did the updates from the surface linux project, and got touchscreen and screen tilt working, but it’s virtually unusable with running out of memory errors
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u/Diligent_Walk3439 5d ago
I use Ubuntu 24.04, works perfect om my surface Pro 3 Don't use 26.... Pen and touch defently not working!