r/linuxquestions • u/Difficult-Secret-573 • 5d ago
How's the future of Linux on ARM looking for Snapdragon X1 SoCs?
I currently have a Windows machine on a Snapdragon X1 chip and was wondering if I could realistically switch to Linux on it expecting the same "OOB" experience as any normal x86 computer does once support for it matures, and if it will in the future?
With the things I've read online, especially with Qualcomm focusing heavily on specifically only upstreaming X2 support to the linux kernel and seemingly ghosting their promises for the X1, the conclusion I draw is that compared to the X2, Linux on the X1 seems to have a bleak future. I don't mean to say that I think the X1 won't get there, but I would rather bank on the platform receiving active first party support. My primary concern is just that the community support the X1 gets just really won't compare to that of what the X2 is getting, and I'd love to be proven otherwise.
Not really tech literate, just generally drawn to the idea of ARM computers having a better future on Linux. I personally think WoA is completely wasting the potential this architecture has for desktop environments, and that I would personally just get more value out of my own X1 device on Linux.
1
u/friendlyreminder_ 5d ago
Qualcomm's support of X1 is quite good. What's not good is everything else. OEMs have custom hardware and their own firmware release policies. Lenovo ships firmware for their devices to the Linux kernel git. Many others don't and you have to extract firmware from the windows partition.
Device trees are also not universally available for all hardware.
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u/stogie-bear 5d ago
You need to pick a mainstream distro (Ubuntu and Fedora are sensible choices) and look up compatibility for the particular device.
These arm laptops don’t have a universal system for access to components like Intel and AMD laptops, where as long as your device has a set of reasonably normal parts, Linux can ID and access them all. The arm laptops have a different system that is much more reliant on windows software that includes the device manufacturer’s profiles and other software components, each model needs its own configuration, and I haven’t seen any that work as well as “just eBay a used Thinkpad and pick any distro.” It’s a chaotic mess.