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Ask Slashdot: Linux Distro For Hybrid Laptop?

Posted by Soulskill on from the half-man-half-penguin dept.

Steve Parrish writes: I needed a new laptop and found a great deal on an Asus Transformer TP500L. It's one of the laptops where you can flip the screen back and use it as a tablet. I'd like to replace Windows 8.1, and I'm having a difficult time finding a Linux distro that will work on it. I'm familiar with Mint, SolydX, and older Ubuntu versions. I tried the latest Ubuntu with Unity and didn't like it, but the OS installed with only a few minor issues. Has anyone tried any other distros on a hybrid laptop with a touchscreen? I've used Linux for several years, but I'm no guru -- I'm not comfortable with the command line or other advanced workings. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

31 of 210 comments (clear)

  1. Advanced Workings.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Does anyone else remember a time when getting the X Window System to work properly was considered advanced? And now the command line is considered advanced... I guess I'm getting old.

    1. Re:Advanced Workings.... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Does anyone else remember a time when the rolling own your kernel modules for devices to work properly was considered advanced? And now almost everything works out of the box. I guess I'm getting old.

    2. Re:Advanced Workings.... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Funny

      I remember when installing Debian GNU/Linux required either downloading a set of diskettes

      You had diskettes? We used to dream of having a diskette. Why, we even considered using a Hollerith card reader to be a luxury. Most of the time we had to toggle in the boot instructions on a punch down block.

    3. Re:Advanced Workings.... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Does anyone else remember a time when the rolling own your kernel modules for devices to work properly was considered advanced? And now almost everything works out of the box. I guess I'm getting old.

      Thast was great when just getting the thing to work at all was the goal.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    4. Re:Advanced Workings.... by theshowmecanuck · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Exactly... it all depends on the audience. Early on the audience was a bunch of uber geeks who enjoyed playing with low level code and devices. Now the Linux audience are people who have everyday jobs to do and want an operating system and bundle of programs to help them do that. They don't care about building tools, just using them. And it gives them an option from MS and Apple products. Server or Desktop.

      --
      -- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
  2. Touchscreen + Linux... by __aardcx5948 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Put Android on it (seriously), or Ubuntu, or a distro with KDE4 geared towards tablets.

    The Linux userland support for tablets is really abysmal.

    1. Re:Touchscreen + Linux... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You can download all the Google services. Google doesn't seem to care if consumers download and install, it's only when manufacturers distribute them on devices without either joining the Open Handset Alliance or signing a custom agreement with Google that there's issues.

      So you're right, they don't come with AOSP, but they're easy to find.

    2. Re:Touchscreen + Linux... by wisnoskij · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I have been using Android for over a year now, and that is a horrible idea. It is a seriously broken OS. Completely unstable, with horrendous updates that break and completely change functionality every month or two.

      And that is not even mentioning how that would completely ruin the hybrid aspect of it. You could never use it as a fully functioning laptop, and everything about it would be designed for a screen 10% the size.

      --
      Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
    3. Re:Touchscreen + Linux... by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 3, Informative

      You mean like these?

      http://forum.xda-developers.co...

      Google doesn't care if end users download and install them, they just don't want OEMs to do it without properly joining the OHA.

      Though in all honesty, I'd just leave Windows intact and install bluestax (which is free.) Getting drivers and shit working on that is going to be a royal PITA and probably won't be worth the time you spend on it. Just install something like Start8 and ignore that piece of shit called metro -- it won't bother you if you don't bother it.

    4. Re:Touchscreen + Linux... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Whoa - this is going to be HUGE news to the millions of people who use Android all the time.

      I myself had no idea that it was broken or unstable or that it completely changed functionality every month or two. It must be doing all that in the background, because I haven't noticed a single thing wrong with mine. How did you even find out about it in the first place?

      Mine's just a big phone, though. I don't use a physical keyboard with it. Imagine how all those people with Android tablets and notebooks will feel when they find out that they haven't even been fully functional for all this time!

      Now how can we blow the lid off this thing?

  3. Ubuntu 14.04 by tommeke100 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I have Ubuntu 14.04 running on an 'older' Acer aspire one (a pretty shitty machine, but actually works okay with SSD disk and Ubuntu).
    . It's probably easiest to install, you get used to the Unity interface after awhile really. The things it doesn't install correctly I just googled with mostly easy fixes (apt-get this and that).
    There are actually ways of not using Unity but the old Gnome interface for example. Again, Google is your friend (in this case).

    1. Re:Ubuntu 14.04 by jones_supa · · Score: 2

      From a guy that actually has used Unity.

      1) The user experience is consistent and comfortable, and very close to a classic Windows or Mac desktop.
      2) It is the last desktop which still has a cool appearance instead of a bland and flattened look.
      3) Unity uses a lot of hardware resources, and things quickly become choppy on low-end hardware.

    2. Re: Ubuntu 14.04 by Threni · · Score: 2

      Unity is nothing like classic windows otherwise I'd not have dumped it for Linux mint like everyone else. It's looks like a mac user's attempt to do a tablet friendly version but on a device without a touch screen, which is retarded. Plus they released it while it was unfinished.

    3. Re: Ubuntu 14.04 by Threni · · Score: 2

      It was specifically designed to target tablets, because there was already a perfectly good ui for the desktop, but which was not considered suitable for tablets (and phones). So they created one which was equally unsuitable for desktop, phone or tablet. It's quite telling that you question whether they even attempted this; Google for yourself if you don't believe me.

      They believe that they're going after regular computer users rather than traditional Linux users, but nobodies heard of unity or Ubuntu outside of the Linux community and, in the uk ar least, there's zero marketing that I'm aware of for Ubuntu phones/tablets, if any devices actually exist, so canonical have next to nothing to show for this 5 year experiment apart from a massive exodus of previously happy Ubuntu users to mint.

  4. If ubuntu installed by Culture20 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Then "apt-get update && apt-get install xubuntu" or "apt-get update && apt-get install kubuntu"
    Don't give up just because the default GUI blows chunks.

    1. Re:If ubuntu installed by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 2

      Mod up. If the hardware is working, it doesn't make sense to re-installing from scratch without first exploring the alternative desktop environments available from the login manager on startup.

      (Let's not turn this into an Ubuntu vs [random poster's fave distro] flamewar - the user already has Ubuntu installed on the device)

    2. Re:If ubuntu installed by tylikcat · · Score: 4, Informative

      My housemate is running a Thinkpad Helix - a somewhat similar hybrid - with Kubuntu, and the plasma desktop appears to work fairly well (we were discussing this recently in some depth, as I'm in the pre-contemplation phase of the next laptop). I would at least look into it - it appears to be functional, and avoids the Unity issues.

      (I'm currently on vacation, so cannot easily consult with said housemate.)

    3. Re:If ubuntu installed by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 2

      Nice try but I run debian on my home system.

      The poster said they didn't like Unity. Ubuntu runs other desktop environments - trying them out might be an easier migration path than downloading a new ISO media of a completely different distro.

    4. Re:If ubuntu installed by jones_supa · · Score: 3, Informative

      Then "apt-get update && apt-get install xubuntu" or "apt-get update && apt-get install kubuntu"

      If I remember correctly the metapackage names are xubuntu-desktop and kubuntu-desktop.

      XFCE is kind of problematic as the development is slow. The last stable version is almost 3 years old, although it generally works just fine. You may want to turn off the integrated compositor (as it causes tearing) and replace it with Compton.

  5. Your use cases by stephanruby · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Let your uses dictate your choice. What are you going to use this device for?

    Email? Browsing the web? Programming? Watching movies? Games? Making the best of your time in a subway? What other devices do you already have? Is this going to be your primary computer? Is power consumption a consideration? Etc.

    I'm afraid that there is currently no good one-size-fits-all solution. Whatever you decide, it will have to be a compromise.

  6. Fedora by lucm · · Score: 4, Informative

    I don't know about transformers, but I have tried a lot of distros lately on Lenovo convertible laptops, and my best experience has definitely been with Fedora. The setup is almost as easy as Ubuntu and the touch screen works well.

    I'm not a Debian fan and I typically pick CentOS, but I was surprised to see how Fedora is more polished and convenient.

    --
    lucm, indeed.
  7. Or just leave Windows on it by SailorSpork · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How about leaving Windows 8.1 on it? The device you have is the very device 8.1 was designed around. Linux will be clunky compared to it.

    1. Re: Or just leave Windows on it by LLKrisJ · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why?

      The consensus here seems to be that none of the OS/Linux alternatives seem to be terribly good on these kinds of hybrid devices.

      Maybe 8.1 is not perfect, sure... But maybe MS didn't do such a bad job either trying to find middle ground or a reasonable UX on such a large group of devices, from full desktop machines to hybrids to phones.

      The definitely did a better job scaling their OS than Apple for instance.

      For that, in spite of some of their shortcomings, I think MS deserves some credit.

      Of course, it is always easy to say that product X or Y from company so and so is s**t but if you are so clever and opinionated, why not come up with something better then?

  8. I did the same by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I have the exact same laptop model, and am currently running Ubuntu 14.10. Not saying it is perfect, but it runs well enough. The laptop is new enough that current drivers for the WiFi hardware are not included with Ubuntu (I have tried a few things, with marginal success, currently using a WiFi USB dongle). The touch pad (not screen, that works well off the bat) settings needed to be tweaked in order to be used as well. One other thing I have noticed is that sometimes during certain operations, the cursor and/or tooltips can flicker.

    Overall, it runs well with those things being the only issues.

    Link to wifi workaround:
    http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/1796

    Link to touchpad workaround:
    http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=179238

    Good Luck!

  9. Linux Mint 17.1 by steveha · · Score: 5, Informative

    I just put Linux Mint 17.1 MATE 64-bit on a Lenovo IdeaPad S415. Everything just worked out of the box, and that includes both the multitouch touchpad and the touchscreen. Also the network, wifi, sound, and graphics. Everything.

    http://notebookplanet.blogspot.com/2013/12/lenovo-ideapad-s415-specs.html

    That IdeaPad is a year old. A year ago, no Linux that I tried worked out of the box with it; graphics didn't work. X always got confused by the fact that the machine has two graphics adapters (one built-in to the AMD APU chip, and a discrete one).

    I've really been enjoying Linux Mint 17.1; it seems to be a big improvement over Linux Mint 16. You can easily and non-destructively try it, just by booting from a USB flash drive that has Linux Mint on it. (You can use UNetBootIn to make the USB flash drive.)

    While I can't guarantee that Linux Mint 17.1 will work on your hardware, it worked great on mine so I think it's worth your time to try it out.

    --
    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
  10. Fedora updates frequently vs Ubuntu by raymorris · · Score: 4, Informative

    A couple of people have mentioned success with Fedora. That doesn't surprise me because Fedora is supposed to have all the latest packages, with the latest in touchscreen features and the newest version of drivers for the newest hardware. However, balance that against the other side of the coin. Because Fedora is based on the latest and newest, they don't provide the type of long term support for older versions that Ubuntu and some others do.

    If you choose Fedora, realise that pretty soon you'll have to decide to either a) upgrade to the next version of Fedora or b)stick with the versions you have of all the software. Don't plan on installing the 2017 version of a program on a 2014 version of Fedora. Plan to either upgrade the whole OS or upgrade nothing in a few years.

    Ubuntu and CentOS are more about long term stability. The current version of CentOS will be getting updated packages by years from now, so you can keep using the same version of CentOS and update packages as needed.

    The downside to the more long term stable distros is that they may not have the latest and greatest touch screen features - they'll have well-tested packages that have already proved themselves in Fedora for a year before they are added to CentOS (debranded RHEL).

  11. Trivial question not deserve a discussion post by AchilleTalon · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is /. becoming some kind of stackoverflow.com? I mean, this kind of question doesn't deserve to make its path to /., it is a trivial question with a very limited number of choices and not really distro related, rather than GUI related with three choices.

    --
    Achille Talon
    Hop!
  12. I use one of these by BitwizeGHC · · Score: 2

    I keep hybrid tablet-laptop around as an art PC. It used to be an old Toshiba Satellite; now it's a Sony VAIO Duo 11. I run Slackware on it, like I do nearly all my machines. Slackware will run fine if the digitizer part is supported by the kernel (since new Wacom and N-Trig parts come out from time to time, sometimes kernel support may be missing or naff if the laptop is too new). Otherwise you will see reduced functionality, but that is true of any distro.

    Using a stylus you can drive most aspects of a WM or DE. It gets tricky using your finger.

    --
    N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
  13. Have you tried some live linux images? by LesFerg · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Are you able to boot from a USB stick? I found this tool quite useful for trying out a variety of live-linux iso's on a usb drive:
    yumi

    It provides some useful links to download what is needed to try out a whole bunch of different distros. You can also stack a number of different distros on the same usb drive and choose which one to boot from at startup.

    Personally I have been using Debian for quite a few years now, gave ubuntu a brief try but wasn't too happy with it.
    I have installed Mint on virtual recently and it really does look as good as people here have stated. Mint would be my final recommendation too.

    --
    If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.
  14. Re:oh for fucks sake by serviscope_minor · · Score: 2

    Wow and I thought the RTFM N00B neckbeard stereotype was a myth.

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.
  15. Re:Which one? by AqD · · Score: 2

    to work for 90% of functions, sure. But when I bought a new computer, I want 100% of it to work, not 90%, not even 99%.

    There are still a lot of vendor-specific things that require Windows - ex: every of new laptops we bought at work last year need Intel XTU to configure and stabilize turbo boost, and custom windows-only utility to switch the fan to manual control. Running Linux on them would mean 60-80% of performance, because Intel and laptop firmware makers thought people don't need to keep their laptops at highest running speed for 24/7. Then comes the nVIDIA Optimus, which is only partially supported since 2013, 3 years after its official release and support on Windows.

    You can blame the vendors for all their closed specs and ignorance of OS market, but it wouldn't really help anything. No matter the popularity, the situation will remain until Linux stops being hostile toward commercial/closed drivers and starts to keep binary-level compatibility for kernel modules, or Windows dies.