this post was submitted on 03 May 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Forget Linux for a second. What you need to be aware is that both the variants come with only 4GB soldered-on RAM and eMMC storage. That means, even if you do manage to get Linux going on them, it's going to be super slow for any sort of practical Web/GUI needs. 4GB RAM is barely enough to run a browser these days, and if you tack on a full-fledged DE and multitasking with other apps, you'll be pushing memory pages to the disk (ie, swapping). And when that happens, you'll really feel the slowness. Trust me, you don't want to be swapping to eMMC - that's super old tech, something like 3x slower than UFS, which in turn a LOT slower than m.2 NVMe (the current standard used in "proper" laptops/convertibles).
Also, consider this for perspective - even budget smartphones these days come with at least 6GB RAM and UFS storage. So this laptop/convertible - a device meant for productivity - is a complete ripoff.
If money is an issue, then just buy a used laptop (from eBay, or whatever you guys use there). If you're aiming for good Linux compatibility then ThinkPads are a safe bet. But since you're after a Surface-like device, then you could just get any older Surface device. Why settle for an imitation when you can get the real thing? In any case, most older x86 laptops from mainstream brands should work fine in Linux in general, just do a google for it to see if there are any quirks or issues.
Regardless of your choice, avoid the Duet 3. 4GB RAM is completely unacceptable for a laptop in 2024.
The entry that I found had 8GB, and I'm only going to use it to run xournal+ so I don't need a lot.
Edit: fuck the description says 4GB
Hmm, so I've had a look and it seems like Xournal++ only supports x86_64. Which means that if you get the Snapdragon version, you'll need run it using an x86 emulator like FEXEmu or Box64, and this will affect the performance and may also introduce compatibility issues. So you'll need to do your own research and find out if someone's managed to run it on ARM / Snapdragon 7c, and if there's any issues etc.
You could get the Celeron version instead, but personally I can't recommend a Celeron to anyone in good faith, so you'll have to make your own decision sorry.
Xournal++ supports other architectures. They might not have compiled binaries for other architectures ready to be downloaded on their GitHub release, but it's packaged on at least postmarketOS (i.e. Alpine Linux) edge (I have it on my "Chromebook") and Debian Stable.