Choose Ubuntu or another Linux distribution that supports Activ Pen support.
Choose Ubuntu or another Linux distribution that supports Activ Pen support.
Hi there, I just got the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga L380 with the Activ Pen. It’s a Windows laptop, but since I study a lot on Linux at university, I want to run it there. The main issue is that I need the pen because I have back problems and prefer lighter work. My searches show that most Linux systems can recognize the pen, but there aren’t many tools that let me write or edit smoothly. Some options I found online didn’t work well—like turtle, standard nodes, chary tree, Libre Office Draw, or Journal—but they were slow or laggy. The question is: anyone has experience with this? Maybe knows a better solution? Thanks in advance, Tess!
You're aiming for a solution similar to Onenote but tailored for Linux. Xournal could be a good fit, though it has its drawbacks—it's likely the closest alternative available for Linux users. Depending on your needs, you might combine tools like Okular for slideshows and notes, Krita or Gimp for drawing, Libreoffice Draw for charts, and CellWriter for handwriting input. While some setup is needed, most tasks can be handled with a pen and these programs.
It turns out @Sauron captured it accurately. There are several ways around achieving close results with OneNote, though most come with performance drawbacks or limited capabilities. If you rely only on the active pen for certain tasks, combining a few programs could work. However, for me, handling large PDFs, writing exercises by hand, and delivering full lectures using the pen presents significant challenges. For instance, capturing quick lecture notes is difficult when performance is low.