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Linux Kernel 4.8 Adds Microsoft Surface 3 Support (betanews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the universal-machine dept.

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?

24 of 133 comments (clear)

  1. Well, anything at the moment is better than Win10 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

  2. "A prawn Goebbels and a Hermann Goering" by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 4, Funny

    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."

    1. Re:"A prawn Goebbels and a Hermann Goering" by Threni · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Oh I wish i had a Zune. Or perhaps a no compromise surface tablet; perhaps one running RT. No problem - i'll just order one using my Nokia windows mobile phone with almost no market share. I'll be quite the envy of every developer out there.

  3. who committed it? why? by nimbius · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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.
    1. Re:who committed it? why? by bws111 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Everything is locked down? Weird then that they publish this. It tells you how to enable/disable Secure Boot, how to enable/disable TPM, how to boot from other devices, etc.

    2. Re:who committed it? why? by petermgreen · · Score: 2

      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.

      AIUI the arm based surface tablets (surface RT and surface 2) are locked down to the hilt with forced secure boot that will only boot windows

      OTOH the x86 based ones (surface pro, surface pro 2, surface 3, surface pro 3) can have secure boot disabled.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    3. Re:who committed it? why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      AIUI the arm based surface tablets (surface RT and surface 2) are locked down to the hilt with forced secure boot that will only boot windows

      Not quite. They will only boot Microsoft-signed bootloaders. Such as Red Hat's shim which in turn launches GRUB or what have you.

      CAPTCHA: shared

    4. Re: who committed it? why? by stephenjust · · Score: 5, Informative

      The touchscreen hardware in the Surface 3 uses a unique undocumented interface, not just some standard synaptics or wacom setup. The protocol had to be reverse engineered so that the touchscreen could be tied to the input subsystem. Also, in response to your "who" question, Benjamin Tissoires took care of touch input, I wrote the pen support.

    5. Re: who committed it? why? by rastos1 · · Score: 2

      in response to your "who" question, Benjamin Tissoires took care of touch input, I wrote the pen support.

      While I have no use of this particular feature I want to say "thank you" to everyone writing code that allows Linux to support more hardware. Live long and prosper.

  4. slashvertisement? by geek · · Score: 3, Funny

    "If you are a Windows user, and want a really great computer, you should consider Microsoft's Surface line."

    What is this shit?

    1. Re:slashvertisement? by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why comment on this? Who gives a shit? It is a single line of an article summary, which is just a quote of TFA itself. Why draw more attention to what is little more than just an opinion on "a really great computer"? I really don't understand why some slashdotters take time out of their day to complain about this. I mean, if something that could be called "advertising" offends you, why not just ignore it? Why let it bother you so much?

      Because they feel that if they let it pass without comment, then it will move the bar of what's acceptable, which will cause more of that sort of thing in the future. It's the "first they came for the Communists, and I said nothing because I wasn't a Communist" argument.

      Whether that attitude is justified, or whether complaining about it will actually have any effect, are separate questions.

    2. Re:slashvertisement? by Rob+Y. · · Score: 2

      There's advertising (clearly marked as such) and so-called 'native advertising' (disguised as an article you might want to read - curated by a source you think you trust). This is straddling that line. Nobody cares about advertising on Slashdot (if only because they've got it blocked). Everybody should care about native advertising everywhere - since it dilutes the value of journalism in general.

      --
      Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
  5. Slashvertisement by plague911 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I like the surface, but this is as much as a slashvertisement as I have ever seen.

    1. Re:Slashvertisement by The+Real+Dr+John · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah, what's up with that? OK, an RC Linux Kernel has a driver for the touchscreen. This does seem more like a Surface ad than an announcement about a single driver. I don't see people loading Linux on these things. It doesn't make sense.

      --
      A brain is a terrible thing to waste... Mind? That's debatable.
    2. Re:Slashvertisement by dreamchaser · · Score: 2

      I have a Surface 3 and I've run Linux and Android on it. It is nice hardware for what it is (low end, latest Atom processor, 4 GB RAM) and as a long time Linux user as well I welcome any improvements in support.

  6. Small fruit by PetiePooo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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?

    1. Re:Small fruit by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

      Now, the best hardware arguably comes from Microsoft, and people are hard at work making sure Linux runs well on it.

      While the last statement is true ("people are hard at work making sure Linux runs well on it"), I've seen nothing to indicate the first statement is remotely accurate. Our Windows admins regularly swear at and about dumb issues with Microsoft's hardware. And when I've had to use Microsoft's hardware, I haven't been impressed.

      Now I'm admittedly a Mac guy, but... from my perspective, and strictly looking at the hardware - Lenovo's hardware runs circles around Microsoft's.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
  7. Tablets with Keyboards? by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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.
    1. Re:Tablets with Keyboards? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wait so on stable surface the surface is fantastic, but on your lap a laptop is better?
      Shocking, who would have guessed!

  8. Re:Bootloader will be locked to windows only by bws111 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wrong. They even publish how to disable secure boot an TPM.

  9. Its ok I got by future+assassin · · Score: 2

    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*
  10. Re:There is no "linux" hardware by stooo · · Score: 2

    Wrong. There is a lot of Hardware which is only available with a Linux based OS.

    --
    aaaaaaa
  11. So many great things could be told about Linux-4.8 by ffkom · · Score: 5, Informative

    ... 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!

  12. Re:So many great things could be told about Linux- by godrik · · Score: 2

    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.