You can now run Linux on a Microsoft Surface 3

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by Radu Tyrsina 

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Intel seems no longer interested in making progress with its Atom CPU series. This news isn’t as sad as you may think, though, since there are lots of products on the market running a low-voltage processor — possibly the most important of these products being the Surface 3 tablet designed by Microsoft.

While most Surface 3 owners would like to stick to running Windows on their devices, there are still some who want to switch to Linux. Those who do, though, experience a degradation in functionality along with several losses when it comes to proper support for touch screens.

Thankfully, this will be left out with the release of Linux Kernel 4.8. Besides changing the format of the documentation, the released will provide updated drivers, including one for the Surface 3 touchscreen controller. Moreover, it will also bring some fixes for the architecture and some improvements for generic code issues.

The fact that Linux Kernel 4.8 is out marks the beginning of the development process for the 4.9 version. Even so, the fact the company added touchscreen support for the most recent Linux kernel is great, but this will not likely tempt enough Surface 3 owners to switch to their operating system. However, it’s great in the way that it opens up the Surface 3 for Linux users.

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Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina Shield

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.