Adonnen

joined 1 year ago
[–] Adonnen@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

For the tablet? I'm considering a Surface keyboard or cheaper alternative, but I would usually be using it for handwritten notes and other tasks for which I would not use the keyboard. It would really be most useful during initial setup. I would still need to easily open it when the keyboard is removed.

 

Hello. I recently acquired a Surface Go (1st gen, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB EMMC) and installed Fedora Workstation (and Phosh as a second DE). I do not have a keyboard for this device, so usually, I have to use the on-screen keyboard. Entering a sufficiently secure password whenever I wake it from sleep or need elevated permissions/sudo is not practical, but I don't think a 6-8 digit numerical PIN is sufficient.

The Surface supports Windows Hello, but neither the vanilla nor the Linux-Surface kernel currently supports the IR camera. On my main laptop, I use a fingerprint sensor. I must use my good password to decrypt the drive (though this is bypassed by TPM) and unlock the keychain on first boot or after logging out, but afterwards, I can use my fingerprint to unlock from sleep, run sudo commands, and elevate my permissions.

It seems like there are PAM modules for smart keys and TOTP 2FA, though the latter is more cumbersome, and I don't know if I can authenticate FIDO or U2F from my phone over Bluetooth. I asked on the Linux-Surface matrix, and someone suggested KDE/GS Connect, which allows commands, but I would want something I could do near-instantly, either with a prompt or homescreen shortcut plus smartphone biometrics, and I want to be able to authenticate while logged in, i.e. for sudo, not just unlocking the homescreen.

I am not an expert, and security is not something I really want to go in blind on. Does anyone have experience, ideas, guidance or an up-to-date tutorial? I feel this is an acceptable compromise between usability and security, and it would make using it casually much easier.

[–] Adonnen@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Yup. I checked their webpage. Might help battery but I'll try vanilla first. Unfortunately, no dice with the secondary display thing. With RDP, the hardware cursor won't send, and I can find a way to use RDP over type c cable.

 

Hello, all. I just got handed down a Surface Go (1st gen, 4gb ram), and I want to use it as a note taking machine, document reader, and secondary display for my primary laptop (Framework intel 12th gen running Fedora GNOME).

I have a pen but no keyboard, so any config will be done with a usb keyboard, but usage will be like a tablet.

  1. I have heard I should install GNOME on a tablet. I am generally ok with the 'opinionated' design of GNOME, but does anyone know what performance to expect? Would I be better off with a lightweight distro and de?

  2. What apps can be recommended for stylus notetaking? Would prefer svg output, and simple workflow to export them to my main machine, where I can embed in markdown notebooks

  3. Finally, the secondary display usage. Is this feasible? I know GNOME has RDP support, but my uni's wifi makes that very difficult, and I'd prefer a wired connection if possible. I don't need the stylus to work.

BONUS: If anyone has experience with the proprietary Surface Connect port, can it be adapted to usb c on linux, so that I can transfer power and >= 5gpbs of data? I see usb c adapters online, but they don't mention data; only power delivery.

 

An aquantance of mine has a CD collection and wants to rip it. They don't want to stream it over a server but rather store it, say, on a hard drive connected directly to their speakers/receiver.

While they **don't want to stream ** it wirelessly to/from their phone, they do want to control selection/playback.

Kind of like a remote controlled jukebox or, well, a really big CD player.

I am thinking there's probably some raspberry pi project to play on-device music library that has a remote control library plug-in over LAN. I'd also like there to be a backup option, like a Pi GUI so they could see their library on the TV.

I'm envisioning an interface similar to the retro game players or kodi.

Does this exist?

[–] Adonnen@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago (4 children)

I much prefer Windows to MacOS. The fact it is missing decent tiling is a nonstarter. It's too inflexible for my workflow.

And sure, Windows can be maddeningly inconsistent, but what really destroys the experience is the constant ensh*ttification. I know a lot of people here hate everything about Windows, but for me, it only sucks because Microsoft designs it to suck.

Not only are there ads and (some) first party lockin, I cannot trust they will continue offering updates, paywall feaures, restrict more functionality, or insert stuff like AI to mess up my workflow.

I used to think reliability was just about stability and bugginess, but now I think it is about trust as well.