The Linux geek thread - The Bear and Badger

Blue Swirl

Zorin boots fine from the USB stick - thanks to Microsoft for including that option in the Windows 11 settings. (I presume it's meant for reinstalling W11, but I'll take it.)

However, while my bluetooth mouse works fine, my bluetooth keyboard won't connect. I've even tried booting Zorin on my desktop, and it's the same problem.

Does anyone here use a bluetooth keyboard with Linux?

Ed_Flanders

Nope, I've just used a Logitech k400 with the usb receiver, but not a bluetooth one, sorry.

Blue Swirl

Boo. Cheers anyway.

Blue Swirl

Tried using Ubuntu rather than Zorin, and the Bluetooth keyboard worked first time. On my desktop, anyway. Fingers crossed I can do the same on my Surface Go 2 and save it from Windows 11! (FWIW I quite like W11, but the SG2 can barely run it.)

Blue Swirl

Everything works fine on my SG2! Posting from it now. Wayhey, I don't have to buy a new laptop.

Blue Swirl

On the other hand, the post-trying-Ubuntu-shutdown "remove the installation medium and press enter" isn't working. On Zorin I just attached another (wired) keyboard and used that, but Ubuntu just ignores it. Ah well. Guess I'll just have to wait until my SG2 runs out of battery.

What could possibly go wrong?

Blue Swirl

Ah ha, good old 'press and hold the power button' trick. This afternoon's job: installing Ubuntu! (After making sure I've got all the files I want.)

Blue Swirl

Ubuntu installed! I have my Surface Go 2 back. Ewaste be damned.

Hodge360

Good work. Been too long since I dabbled with Linux but you are right about ewaste. Even when it gets to the stage you're struggling with Ubuntu, there'll be another, lighter alternative. I put Zorin on one of those small laptops that were the rage a few years back and it was never quite right. I had some version of Mint on my 20-odd yr old laptop and it was perfectly sufficient.

Blue Swirl

Good stuff. Way too many perfectly functional computers thrown away because they’re not the latest spec.

SpaceGazelle

As Linux gets better at gaming it should get more popular. I'm really hoping the steam deck gets people invested because advertising on Windows can fuck off.

Blue Swirl

It will be interesting to see how the Steam Deck stuff filters back into the ecosystem at large.

SpaceGazelle

It should. Several Linux distributions are easy to use and in the age of subscriptions the open source model is a glimmer of light. It's important.

SpaceGazelle

We could do with a decent Linux os for phones that isn't owned by big tech.

Blue Swirl

Not tried it, but Replicant?

Ed_Flanders

The real issue is finding a phone that will let you install a different OS.

davyK

I have Ubuntu installed on an old PC and works fine. Even have a MAME build on it. Only downside is it won't work with my USB hub which is a pain in the arse. Need direct connections. I suppose I could mess about with bluetooth (have some USB connectors), but I'd rather it worked with the switchable USB hub I have for mouse, keyboard and camera.

Blue Swirl

Found myself a folding bluetooth keyboard, but Ubuntu can't see it. Annoying, because it would have been the perfect complement to my Linuxized Surface Go 2.

In Ubuntu's defence, Windows 10 can't see it either. I spy a trip back to Taipei... glad I asked for a receipt now.

Blue Swirl

First chink in Ubuntu’s armour: it seems that the battery is draining even when the power is “off”. Twice now I’ve left it unplugged overnight and found it won’t turn on in the morning. Once I used it for a bit, and the battery said it had eight hours left; one reboot later and it had four.

If this can’t be sorted it might be the recycling bin for the Surface in the end anyway.

acemuzzy

Could be a hardware issue? Not sure that can be Ubuntu's fault if it's not running at the time?

Blue Swirl

Could be, but my digging into the problem (quickly, on the train, with my phone) suggests other people have had the same problem on other hardware.

Blue Swirl

Sweet, my teeny tiny folding keyboard has suddenly started working on my Linux machine! I have my cobbled together laptop replacement!

Now to tinker!

I hear sudo rm -rf /* makes your machine run faster.

<- This is a joke. Don't do this.

Oh, and the battery might not be draining while the machine is off - just sometimes you have to really press and hold that power button when it's been off for a while. (I tried pressing and holding out of shear frustration.) Still, something to figure out.

SpaceGazelle

Linux is about on par with Windows for battery life. Windows is better optimised but has a higher overhead so it should mainly cancel out.

drumbeg

Blue Swirl wrote:

I hear sudo rm -rf /* makes your machine run faster.

Honestly....don't. I know someone who suggested this (or some similarly destructive command) as a way to improve performance on a forum some years back. Someone ended up wiping a lot of work and it ended in animosity!

SpaceGazelle

Go for Arch Linux instead. Not as Windows friendly but it's faster and uses less power. I get about 20 - 30% extra juice but there is a learning curve for using it.

Blue Swirl

drumbeg wrote:

Honestly....don't. I know someone who suggested this (or some similarly destructive command) as a way to improve performance on a forum some years back. Someone ended up wiping a lot of work and it ended in animosity!

Fair enough. Edited.

Blue Swirl

SpaceGazelle wrote:

Go for Arch Linux instead.

I've got Ubuntu on my Surface Go 2, but a lot of the guides I found for getting Linux running on Surface devices recommended Arch.

Blue Swirl

A bonus point for Ubuntu over Windows (10 and 11): it connected to my iPhone's hotspot instantly, first try - in Windows it'd always be a ball ache of turning things on and off until it decided to work properly. I started to wonder if it was something Apple or Microsoft were doing intentionally to get you not to use each other's products.

Blue Swirl

On the other hand, Ubuntu can't find either of the Surface Go 2's cameras.

Which isn't disastrous, but on the upside... something to tinker with!

Blue Swirl

SpaceGazelle wrote:

We could do with a decent Linux os for phones that isn't owned by big tech.

Found this while futzing around - https://postmarketos.org/

Linux-based, rather than an Android derivative.

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