obsidian/tank/programming/arch on surface.md

Here's a hypothetical but realistic Arch setup for a Surface Pro tablet with all the touch/tablet features:

---

Base System Setup

1. Installation with Surface kernel:

# Install base Arch
# After base install, add linux-surface repo

# Add the linux-surface repository key
wget -qO - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/master/pkg/keys/surface.asc | sudo pacman-key --add -
sudo pacman-key --finger 56C464BAAC421453
sudo pacman-key --lsign-key 56C464BAAC421453

# Add repo to /etc/pacman.conf
[linux-surface]
Server = https://pkg.surfacelinux.com/arch/

# Update and install Surface kernel
sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S linux-surface linux-surface-headers iptsd

2. Core tablet packages:

# Surface-specific firmware and drivers
sudo pacman -S libwacom          # Wacom/stylus support
sudo pacman -S iptsd              # Surface touchscreen daemon
sudo systemctl enable iptsd

# Camera support
sudo pacman -S linux-firmware
# Surface cameras need special firmware from linux-surface

---

Desktop Environment: GNOME (Best Touch Support)

Install GNOME with Wayland:

sudo pacman -S gnome gnome-extra
sudo pacman -S gdm
sudo systemctl enable gdm

# Touch-specific tools
sudo pacman -S gnome-shell-extension-appindicator
sudo pacman -S gnome-browser-connector

GNOME gives you out-of-box:

• Automatic screen rotation
• Touch gestures (swipe between workspaces)
• On-screen keyboard (built-in)
• Pinch-to-zoom
• Good HiDPI scaling

---

Screen Rotation

Auto-rotation with iio-sensor-proxy:

sudo pacman -S iio-sensor-proxy
sudo systemctl enable iio-sensor-proxy

# Test rotation sensor
monitor-sensor

Manual rotation keybinds (if needed):

# Create a script ~/bin/rotate.sh
#!/bin/bash
case $(xrandr --query --verbose | grep 'connected primary' | cut -d' ' -f5) in
    normal)
        xrandr --output eDP-1 --rotate right
        ;;
    right)
        xrandr --output eDP-1 --rotate inverted
        ;;
    inverted)
        xrandr --output eDP-1 --rotate left
        ;;
    left)
        xrandr --output eDP-1 --rotate normal
        ;;
esac

---

Battery Optimization

TLP (automatic power management):

sudo pacman -S tlp tlp-rdw
sudo systemctl enable tlp
sudo systemctl start tlp

# Configure /etc/tlp.conf for aggressive power saving
sudo nano /etc/tlp.conf

# Key settings:
TLP_DEFAULT_MODE=BAT
CPU_SCALING_GOVERNOR_ON_BAT=powersave
RUNTIME_PM_ON_BAT=auto

Additional power tools:

sudo pacman -S powertop          # Power usage analysis
sudo pacman -S thermald          # Thermal management
sudo systemctl enable thermald

# Run powertop calibration once
sudo powertop --calibrate

Check battery stats:

sudo pacman -S acpi
acpi -V  # Show battery info

---

Touch & Stylus Support

Stylus configuration:

sudo pacman -S xf86-input-wacom
# Surface Pen should work automatically with iptsd + libwacom

# For pressure sensitivity in apps
sudo pacman -S xournalpp         # Note-taking with pen
sudo pacman -S krita             # Drawing with pressure
sudo pacman -S gimp

On-screen keyboard alternatives:

# GNOME has built-in OSK, but alternatives:
yay -S onboard                   # Feature-rich OSK
yay -S squeekboard               # Mobile-focused OSK

Touch gestures (if not using GNOME):

yay -S libinput-gestures
yay -S gestures                  # GUI for libinput-gestures

# Configure swipes, pinches, etc.

---

Camera Support

Video/camera stack:

sudo pacman -S v4l-utils         # Video4Linux utilities
sudo pacman -S cheese            # Test webcam
sudo pacan -S pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber

# Check cameras
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

# Surface cameras need IPU3 firmware
# Should be in linux-surface kernel already

---

WiFi & Bluetooth

sudo pacman -S networkmanager network-manager-applet
sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager

sudo pacman -S bluez bluez-utils
sudo systemctl enable bluetooth

---

Audio

sudo pacman -S pipewire pipewire-alsa pipewire-pulse pipewire-jack
sudo pacman -S wireplumber

---

HiDPI Scaling

For GNOME:

# Settings > Displays > Scale (100%, 200%, etc.)
# Or via gsettings:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface scaling-factor 2

For Wayland fractional scaling:

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter experimental-features "['scale-monitor-framebuffer']"

---

Type Cover (Keyboard) Support

Should work automatically, but ensure:

# Check keyboard detected
libinput list-devices

# Keyboard backlight control
yay -S surface-control
# Or manually:
echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/class/leds/surface::kbd_backlight/brightness

---

Useful Tablet Apps

# Note-taking
sudo pacman -S xournalpp         # Best for stylus notes
yay -S rnote                     # Rust-based note app

# PDF annotation
sudo pacman -S okular
yay -S xournal++

# Drawing
sudo pacman -S krita inkscape

# E-reading
sudo pacman -S foliate           # E-book reader
sudo pacman -S zathura           # PDF reader

# Touch-friendly file manager
sudo pacman -S nautilus          # GNOME Files

---

Performance Tweaks

Reduce swappiness:

echo "vm.swappiness=10" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.d/99-swappiness.conf

Enable ZRAM (compressed RAM):

sudo pacman -S zram-generator
sudo nano /etc/systemd/zram-generator.conf

[zram0]
zram-size = ram / 2
compression-algorithm = zstd

Trim SSD weekly:

sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer

---

Testing Everything

Rotation:

monitor-sensor  # Rotate device, watch output

Battery:

sudo tlp-stat -b  # Battery stats
sudo powertop     # Power consumption

Touch:

libinput debug-events  # Watch touch events

Stylus:

xsetwacom list devices  # List stylus

Camera:

cheese  # Open camera app

---

Alternative: KDE Plasma

If you prefer KDE over GNOME:

sudo pacman -S plasma-meta kde-applications
sudo pacman -S plasma-wayland-session

# KDE has:
# - Good touch support
# - Better customization
# - Onboard for OSK
# - Screen rotation works
# - More lightweight than GNOME

---

Common Issues & Fixes

Camera not working:

# Update firmware
sudo pacman -Syu
# Check dmesg for IPU3 errors
dmesg | grep -i ipu3

Stylus not detected:

sudo systemctl restart iptsd
# Check if iptsd is running
systemctl status iptsd

Battery draining fast:

sudo powertop --auto-tune
# Add to systemd service for persistence

Screen rotation not working:

# Check sensor
monitor-sensor
# May need to install iio-sensor-proxy-git from AUR
yay -S iio-sensor-proxy-git

---

Maintenance

# Update system + Surface kernel
sudo pacman -Syu

# Check for Surface-specific updates
# linux-surface team releases patches regularly

---

This setup gives you: ✅ Automatic rotation
✅ Battery optimization (6-8 hours typical)
✅ Working cameras (front + rear)
✅ Stylus with pressure sensitivity
✅ Touch gestures
✅ On-screen keyboard
✅ Type Cover support
✅ Good performance

The key is linux-surface kernel + GNOME/KDE + proper power management. It won't be exactly like iPad smoothness, but it's very usable as a daily driver tablet.

Want me to elaborate on any specific part?