Searching for Linux options designed for touch screens and specialized notebooks.
Searching for Linux options designed for touch screens and specialized notebooks.
Hello. I just got an Asus ZenBook Pro Duo and have been reading about Deepin OS. It seems visually appealing and potentially simple to adapt (coming from a Windows background since 1994, though I’m open to other distros). With the recent, quite unstable Windows updates over the past few months, I’m concerned about how stable using Windows would be on my main device for image editing and gaming. I’m curious if anyone has used different Linux distributions with the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo. I know touchscreen laptops work well with Linux, but I’m wondering how challenging it would be to set up drivers and manage features across two screens, especially when switching windows or using software. Asus provides its own drivers for ScreenPlus, which I’ve noticed aren’t fully compatible—especially after switching to a fresh Windows 10 version. I had to stick with the default settings, like manually switching screens with one button, triple-window snapping in ScreenPlus, and adjusting brightness and other options. The pen support with pressure sensitivity on both screens is also crucial for me, particularly since I rely heavily on Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. I’m looking for alternatives to replace Lightroom and Photoshop because of their slow performance and high RAM usage in Linux. Ideally, it should handle multiple screens, touch functionality (like pinch-to-zoom and finger panning), and pen input smoothly. If anyone is interested in developing a Linux distro around this or adding support, I’d be more than happy to help with alpha and beta testing, but it would be a secondary installation at best.
Well, since my laptop lacks a touchscreen, especially two of them, I can't confirm the touch features in Linux. Considering its age, I lean toward rolling-release distros like Arch, which generally offer strong support for such tools (I’m personally on Gentoo). Keep in mind, Arch isn’t beginner-friendly. Manjaro attempts to be user-friendly, though it may still feel challenging for newcomers—it runs on a base that’s not ideal for first-timers (Manjaro is built from Arch). Ubuntu and Linux Mint are quite approachable for new users, but they might lack the newest packages, especially in long-term support versions. If you’re deciding, start with a LiveUSB of Ubuntu 19.10 to test the experience. If it doesn’t meet your needs, weigh the trade-offs until you gain confidence. For Photoshop alternatives, GIMP and Krita are popular choices; some people also mention Darktable as a strong option for Lightroom workflows (though I’m not sure what Lightroom does). Other than that, I’m unsure how to proceed. Wishing you success and a great night!
I anticipated the Linux community would take roughly a year to develop touch and pen features, given the growing interest in touchscreen notebooks. I'm interested in how effectively Linux handles OLED displays, which is simpler since we currently have a single Samsung panel available (many laptops use it). Regarding Thunderbolt via Type C USB on Linux, how well does it perform?
I don’t have direct experience with your setup, but based on typical configurations, a 2016 mid-range Pavilion laptop should support Type C Thunderbolt connections, appearing in both GNOME and KDE settings. For OLED displays, performance seems similar to Android devices since both use Linux-based kernels, and AM-OLED screens have been available since around 2014. Regarding display responsiveness, touch functionality generally works well with most desktop environments such as GNOME and KDE.
I appreciate the offer to test different desktop environments. It's great to know the Linux community quickly addresses problems at the kernel level and implements updates.
Also, my suggestion is to choose Wayland when using GNOME unless you need to capture the screen or something like that, because it doesn’t cause screen tearing. KDE’s version is still not very polished, but it’s an improvement over the X11 session on my computer (I don’t understand why I see tearing on X11; KWin would crash on my laptop when trying OpenGL in the X11 session until around August, and it’s even worse on my Kubuntu LiveUSB). Here’s a helpful resource: https://wayland.freedesktop.org/. The Wikipedia page is also useful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayland_(d..._protocol). Keep in mind that things can vary, so some users still have issues. Only Wayland allows touchpad swipe gestures natively, which is a plus. Edited November 10, 2019 by elsandosgrande Clarified on KWin crashes