So I decided to put this little section together, as a reference as well for what versions of Linux works, and what parts
of that hardware that function or don't.
Apple Macbook Air 2024 - Apple M3, 16gb Ram, 256gb SSD.
This is my main daily driver, currently running Mac OS 15, I have no intention of installing Linux on this laptop due to there
being no support for Asashi at the moment, and not many other vendors have any kind of support for Apple Silicon for the time
being. To be honest I tend to use this system for the majority of my work on C, Python and Arm Assembly, the Macbook will run
games quite nicely, however I do have a Steam Deck which is my go to for gaming.
The outstanding feature for me is the battery life, even when I am coding with this laptop I find it the battery last just over
a day and then some, although I do use the Macbook for movies and streaming it is easily the longest battery life I have ever
had in a lapttop.
HP Pavillion 15 - Intel i3, 8gb Ram, 1tb hdd.
15 Inch display @ 1366x768
Broadcom WiFi and Bluetooth
Intel HD 4000 intergrated graphics
Because this laptop has a broadcom chipset, there are very few Linux distributions that will work out of the box, thankfully
it does have a built in ethernet port so installing a version of Linux that does not support the WiFi adaptor is made a
little easier.
Debian all version, problems with WiFi adaptor on each version. This can be successfully installed with WiFi support
if using an Ethernet connection during install (the same can be said of any Debian based distribution). Note as well the
Broadcom adaptor is a dual WiFi and Bluetooth, the drivers installed by default can mean WiFi does work, however Bluetooth may
not.
Arch Linux distributions, I have had many of these working including Arch Linux, however care needs to be taken with many
variations as the nature of the Broadcom cards can mean varied results.
This is an old system, and if left in the base configuration, 8gb Ram and the pata HDD this is also incredibly slow when booting
or running many applications. However if you can upgrade the latop to 16gb Ram and install an SSD then the laptop actually becomes
useful even given the i3 processor it could be used as a daily driver.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 - Intel i7, 8gb Ram, 256gb SSD
13.3 inch display
Intel HD graphics
Yes yes I know it is a Microsoft system, but for me these are the best bits of kit that I think Microsoft has ever produced
once you have removed Windows 10/11 with your chosen Linux installation the laptop/hybrid becomes a very useful tool for day
to day computing. The hardware is supported by a very wide range of Linux distrobutions, I can't think of a single distribution
other than Arch and Fedora based systems that won't work on this device.
Working
Touch screen, pen input, detachable keyboard, USB ports
Not Working
Webcam (Some people have had success with this, but many have not.)
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