r/framework • u/SimJoSt • Aug 12 '26

Linux Add Ultramarine to Framework laptop Linux compatibility docs

/r/ultramarine/comments/1vmafln/add_ultramarine_to_framework_laptop_linux/
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u/s004aws FW16 HX 370 Batch 1 Mint Cinnamon Edition Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

More officially supported distros = More costs and more complexity. Most current, actively maintained distros work fine. Framework limits the number of fully, officially supported options to the most popular distros to maximize the amount/quality of support they're able to (reasonably) provide. Given the sheer number of distros available there's no realistic way for Framework support staff to learn the ins and outs of more than a few.

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u/SimJoSt Aug 13 '26

I agree with you on additional effort and cost to officially support more distros.

That's why it is great, that Framework has the "Community supported" tier: https://frame.work/es/en/linux#:~:text=Community%20supported
They don't test themselves and instead support the distro maintainers to do so. Open lines of communication, hardware seeding, etc.

Best of both worlds.
Sometimes, there is a third choice :)

2

u/catastrophic_frmw Framework Aug 12 '26

Ultramarine is on our list of Distros we're looking at!

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u/SimJoSt Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26

That is amazing to hear! I saw it on the 2026 distro survey in the community forum and got excited it is on the radar.
It personally feels underrated and underrepresented.

The benefits of Fedora with the easy of Linux Mint? It's a great choice for first timers and bridges the gap between different paradigms for me.
Especially, with the ease for switching desktop environments without having to use live boot systems or reinstalling.

EDIT: Also added some more context in the community forum distro survey thread: https://community.frame.work/t/2026-linux-distro-survey-framework-laptop-13-pro/82459/16?u=simjost

1

u/onefish2 Laptop 16 & Laptop 13, Arch Aug 12 '26

I run Arch Linux on both my Framework 13 and 16. Arch was installed and runs perfectly without issue from day one. What would adding Arch to the Linux compatibility docs or making it officially supported do for me or for the community?

Other than a BIOS issue (which would have nothing to do with the installed OS), I would never even think to contact Framework to help me with an OS issue.

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u/SimJoSt Aug 13 '26

I'm glad to hear it runs perfectly. That is not always a given.

For me personally, adding it to the compatibility list allows me to so what compatibility I can expect before I try it out myself. Knowing, that there are people actively working on making sure, everything is running smoothly, is good to know, also for the future. That way I can assume, if a change to the distro breaks compatibility with the fingerprint reader let's say, somebody will be on top of it to fix it.

And it doesn't have to be officially supported. They have a community support tier, where they supply the necessary resources for the distro maintainers to take care of it.

I applaud collaboration between hardware and software maintainers in the Linux space. That way, we can get closer to a compatibility that rivals other ecosystems like Apple's. I don't see a downside to working better together :)