{
 "id": 69740,
 "slug": "debian-gnu-linux-on-the-surface-go-2",
 "url": "https://agents.willem.com/en/snippets/debian-gnu-linux-on-the-surface-go-2/",
 "language": "en",
 "title": "Debian GNU/Linux on the Surface Go 2",
 "subtitle": "A Linux tablet as daily driver, with the i3 tiling window manager.",
 "summary": "Yes. In 2020 I ran Debian GNU/Linux with the i3 tiling window manager on a Surface Go 2 as my daily main computer. Update Windows and firmware first, boot from a USB installer, then refine.",
 "topics": [
  "Freedom",
  "SSH",
  "creating",
  "design",
  "experiment",
  "howto",
  "laptop",
  "linux",
  "minimal",
  "tablet"
 ],
 "date": "2020-09-28",
 "published": "2020-09-28T00:00:00+02:00",
 "created": "2026-08-30T07:13:19.517000+02:00",
 "updated": "2026-08-30T07:16:45.565000+02:00",
 "full_article_url": "https://willem.com/en/2020-09-28_refining-my-tablet-os-experience/",
 "author": {
  "name": "Willem L. Middelkoop",
  "url": "https://willem.com"
 },
 "note": "A short distillation of a longer willem.com post. Not currently published on willem.com itself.",
 "answers_question": "Can you run Linux on a Microsoft Surface Go 2?",
 "text": "The top model Surface Go 2 pairs well with Linux: a 10.5 inch 1920x1250 touch screen, 8th generation Intel Core m3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD plus a 512GB MicroSDXC card, and LTE Advanced. The installation follows the same steps as on the original Surface Go: update Windows 10 and all firmware first, create a bootable USB with your distribution, boot from it and install.\nThe refinement is what matters. I used the i3 tiling window manager with workspaces, fusuma for three finger trackpad gestures, the adwaita-dark theme with HighContrast icons and Open Sans Light, and Debian's non-free wireless firmware for WiFi. I encrypted the MicroSD card that holds my photos.\nAfter months of intense daily use I eventually abandoned the setup, but the hardware itself runs Debian well.",
 "markdown_url": "https://agents.willem.com/en/snippets/debian-gnu-linux-on-the-surface-go-2/snippet.md"
}