Top choices for tablets and Surface Pro 3 on Linux
Top choices for tablets and Surface Pro 3 on Linux
They’re discarding old Surface Pro 3 models and letting people take them if they want, so I went ahead and got one for myself. It’s an older machine with just four GB of RAM, but I’m planning to install Linux right away. Manjaro looks like the best option so far, and it’s already running KDE DE smoothly—except for Wi-Fi, which needs a fix by adding a firmware package from the repos. I’ve ordered some AAAA and 2,319 coin cells, though I don’t have them until tomorrow. In the short time I booted into the live ISO with KDE, it didn’t feel great for tablet use, mainly because it’s not ideal for drawing. Still, I got it mostly for free. Would you know of any DEs that work better on tablets? Ideally, preferably in the Manjaro repos, but I’m okay with tweaking it if needed. It should be manageable since its hardware is under the hood and Linux usually handles it well.
Both agree, we'll attempt the gnome tomorrow. I don't like it on desktop, but considering the situation it's worth a shot.
Stock GNOME comes bundled with its accessibility tools and apps designed for inclusive use. Canonical enhances it with custom solutions while most other distros provide a standard setup that often lags behind current trends. Fedora Workstation stands out as the only one I know offering a fully vanilla GNOME Desktop with built-in accessibility considerations, emphasizing usability across all software. It also includes a functional secure boot configuration, though sometimes it behaves unexpectedly. When we talk about accessibility, we cover tablet, pen, and on-screen keyboard support—GNOME handles these together. Notably, the GNOME console still lacks full support for accessibility features, which is why Fedora defaults to Terminal. Overall, achieving similar results depends more on the overall user experience than just the distribution itself. I frequently use Fedora Workstation as a benchmark for Arch due to its polished design.