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Linux Kernel 4.8 Adds Microsoft Surface 3 Support (betanews.com)
Brian Fagioli, writing for BetaNews:If you are a Windows user, and want a really great computer, you should consider Microsoft's Surface line. Not only do they serve as wonderful tablets, but with the keyboard attachment, they can be solid laptops too. While many Linux users dislike Microsoft, some of them undoubtedly envy Windows hardware. While it is possible to run Linux distros on some Surface tablets, not everything will work flawlessly. Today, release candidate 1 of Linux Kernel 4.8 is announced, and it seems a particularly interesting driver has been added -- the Surface 3 touchscreen controller. "This seems to be building up to be one of the bigger releases lately, but let's see how it all ends up. The merge window has been fairly normal, although the patch itself looks somewhat unusual: over 20 percent of the patch is documentation updates, due to conversion of the drm and media documentation from docbook to the Sphinx doc format. There are other doc updates, but that's the big bulk of it," says Linus Torvalds, Linux creator. Will Microsoft's lower-priced (starting at $499) hybrid computer become the ultimate mobile Linux machine?
Geez, enough already
Seriously, with Win10 you pretty much accept that any of your info / personal docs / etc may be sent to Microsoft. So yes, an alternative would be fantastic to run on that hardware.
Hardware is nice, shame about the software.
While many Linux users dislike Microsoft...
"Don't mention the war!"
...some of them undoubtedly envy Windows hardware.
"I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it all right."
most touchpads running linux can easily handle the touchscreen using synaptics drivers in userland that have existed for 10 years now...theyre just considered a mouse..why did this need kernel support? what does the support add thats specifically meaningful?
and FWIW the problem getting Linux onto surface isnt the drivers, its getting around the fucking DRM. Everything is signed, the UEFI is locked down, and TPM does its due diligence in ensuring you never get to run anything but windows.
Good people go to bed earlier.
not outside of android and chromebooks at least. And neither of those two are good to do /real/ work. Linux users have to chose between windows and mac hardware to install their distro on, and usually they chose the windows hardware.
"If you are a Windows user, and want a really great computer, you should consider Microsoft's Surface line."
What is this shit?
I like the surface, but this is as much as a slashvertisement as I have ever seen.
Bootloader will be locked to windows only so are they going to add a fake windows id to linux to bypass that?
This is interesting.
When I first got my MacBook Pro, I read several articles about how well Windows ran on it once you installed the BootCamp drivers. Back then, the MacBook Pro was arguably the best hardware out there, with a retina display, multi-touch touchpad, and with current processors.
Contrast with today, where Apple has not refreshed the hardware for some time, and are letting OSX seem to rot in place. Now, the best hardware arguably comes from Microsoft, and people are hard at work making sure Linux runs well on it.
Strange times indeed... What's next?
I need a keyboard to do the things I do with a computer.
A laptop cunningly puts the computer bit on the bottom, with the keyboard attached to the top side of the computer and the screen is attach to the computer with a hinge. This works because the computer+keyboard is heavier than the screen, so it doesn't fall backwards.
Then some bright spark said, "Hey! Let's put the computer bit on the back of the screen. So now you end up with a skinny keyboard and the computer and screen oriented vertically which will not stand up on its own, so ends up with ridiculous things like flip out screen stands to keep the screen standing.
This is why I don't have a surface. They put the computer bit in the wrong place.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
laser equipped shark proof Windows blinds in my house controlled by Linux running on Windows hardware.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
... but Slashdot instead publishes a Microsoft advertisement, as if "Surface support" was in any way as relevant as the other big new features - read e.g. here if you want to know more. Shame on you, Slashdot!
Honestly, that is the most important thing for me. The rest of linux 4.8 is kind of "business as usual".
If I had knew that Linux could boot and be usable on a Surface, I would have bought that 2 month ago instead of a dell laptop.
Slashvertisement aside, the fact that the Linux kernel is adding drivers that enable specific support for a Microsoft tablet is pretty damn significant news.
The remainder of the updates are either incremental or simply merging in something that has existed for a long time outside of the mainline kernel. Like whoop-de-do we now have RPi3 SoC support as if that didn't exist the day the RPi3 hit the shelves through the various official and unofficial distros.
Only because it mentions something positive about a device that was made by a company Slashdot tends to hate.
"Science is the power of man"
"Seriously, with Win10 you pretty much accept that any of your info / personal docs / etc may be sent to Microsoft"
Complete BS. Maybe this feature can be located near the infamous backdoor into Windows that no one has ever found? Complain all you want about MS, and there is a lot to complain about, but every other HW or SW platform in existence have just as many things to complain about. No one has been able to find any personal data packed within telemetry data sent to MS. And telemetry data can be blocked if you know what you are doing. And why do people persist in claiming open source applications are safer than a closed MS application. People download and install open source applications but how many regular people are going to sift through all the code looking for security issues or even hidden malware. The Android OS is probably the most powned OS on the planet. Even the IT staffs in the business world don't have the time to analyze the code base of the open source applications they are using. And this is also a big problem when talking about vetting an open source OS. The low hanging fruit disappeared a long time ago and companies usually do not a have a dedicated resource combing through the code behind their OS. The vast majority of companies have lots of application developers not OS developers.
Seriously, with Win10 you pretty much accept that any of your info / personal docs / etc may be sent to Microsoft. So yes, an alternative would be fantastic to run on that hardware.
Hardware is nice, shame about the software.
For most non-enterprise users, there is FAR more useful information about them on their smartphones than on their desktops.
My Windows 10 desktop has nothing remotely as privacy-endangering as having a GPS locator, accelerometer, live microphone, and two cameras strapped to my body 24/7.
The average American with a smartphone has far, far more to fear about their privacy being abused in unexpected ways by Google and Apple than by Microsoft. It's not even close.
Hire a Linux system administrator, systems engineer,
Or what? Is it a cool world? Devito? Devito? Devito?
Ahh Karla, My favorite of the Neverland Express. Until Patty Russo came along.
. .
"Complete BS."
- Complete Ignant.The rebirth of "Windows as a service" is "a service of ads".. It is an advertisement platform, and to serve ads today competetively with google, facebook amazon and apple you are gonna need BIG DATA..... Where and how do you think that BIG DATA is conceived?
WAKE UP FOR EFS SAKE !!!!
I often see Linux kernel announcements that contain updates to support a particular hardware device. This doesn't seem to make sense to me; that's what drivers are for. It might make sense when supporting a new class of device, but I'm pretty sure this isn't the first touch screen Linux has supported. Can someone care to explain? Thanks.
Seriously, with Win10 you pretty much accept that any of your info / personal docs / etc may be sent to Microsoft. So yes, an alternative would be fantastic to run on that hardware.
For most non-enterprise users, there is FAR more useful information about them on their smartphones than on their desktops.
Android doesn't send everything you do back to Google like Windows 10 does with Microsoft. It's not that it sends nothing. But it doesn't send your every keystroke.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
It's an ad!
No, it's a cookbook.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff