Linux on the HP Stream tablet

[rossmort]

This is awesome - Thank you so much. I was able to get things running with the exception of one item...

For the manual rotation, I am failing to get the mouse pointer to also adjust...any tips? I ran xinput and believe I'm adjusting the correct input number (and have tried multiple), but just can't get it working...

If you have tips on how you made the desktop launcher - It's something I haven't had to deal with, so appreciate the help to learn a new skill.

Thanks!

[kyle_b]

Hi, I modified the instructions to clarify this a little.  I pasted the output of my xinput command on my Stream 7 with Xubuntu 19.10 daily build installed with nothing plugged into the USB port below: 

$ xinput
⎡ Virtual core pointer id=2 [master pointer (3)]
⎜   ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer id=4 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜   ↳ Goodix Capacitive TouchScreen id=8 [slave pointer (2)]
⎣ Virtual core keyboard id=3 [master keyboard (2)]
↳   Virtual core XTEST keyboard id=5 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳   Video Bus id=6 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳   bytcr-rt5640 Headset id=7 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳   axp20x-pek id=9 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳   gpio-keys id=10 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳   gpio-keys id=11 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳   HP WMI hotkeys id=12 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳   Goodix Capacitive TouchScreen id=13 [slave keyboard (3)]

The ID for my touchscreen above is 8 so running this command works to rotate the screen to the right and re-orient the cursor:

     xrandr -o right
     xinput set-prop '8' 'Coordinate Transformation Matrix' 0 1 0 -1 0 1 0 0 1

Make sure to press enter after the last command so that it accepts the xinput command, I noticed that when I pasted the commands into a command terminal, there was not a carriage return at the end and the cursor did not re-orient until I pressed enter.

[VK1973]

I just used the same procedure to upgrade to Xubuntu 19.10 as well. 

All working as before and if anything a bit faster. In general Ubuntu 19.10 is better on a number of my devices and this seems to have carried through to Xubuntu on the Stream 7.

[kyle_b]

FYI, I did some brief tests with 32-bit versions of Mint 19.3 and Debian 10.2.0 on my Stream 7 and updated the instructions with what I saw.

[Quesabytee]

I tried the live Debian 10.2.0 gnome, and the wifi doesn't work. I prefer the look of gnome. any chance you could give some guidance? I prefer the desktop environment! 

[kyle_b]

Did you download the "non-free" image which includes the firmware?  I just booted a live USB with the debian-live-10.2.0-i386-gnome+nonfree.iso image on my Stream 7 and Wifi is working well.

[rossmort]

Out of curiosity - What are people doing with these? While I like messing around with it, I struggle to figure out how to effectively use it for anything. 

Do you all use it with an external keyboard/mouse? Perhaps I just don't have the UI customized very well, but I find using it as just a touch device to be troublesome. I welcome any tips/ideas!

[kyle_b]

Yes, I would also be curious if anyone has found Linux useful on the Stream. Aside from the novelty of having a Linux tablet and the enjoyment of seeing new device support built in to the later Linux releases, I do not find myself using it for much. There is limited touch functionality in Ubuntu so it's probably best to use a keyboard and mouse as you mentioned, or at least a mouse with the onscreen keyboard. I have not found a way to right click using the touch interface for instance. The Stream's 1 GB of RAM is a big limiting factor too of course.

[VK1973]

Actually makes a handy console window assuming a wireless keyboard. 

[RusNeuroMancer]

Try to use it with vanilla Gnome Shell Wayland (install both "vanilla" packages from repo) and Wayland-enabled Firefox. After cleaning up autostart a bit (I disabled evolution services and other stuff I don't use anyway) even Gnome Shell takes two times less memory than Windows 10 so actually this device is more usable for light web browsing with Linux than it was with Windows 10. Moreover, Nautilus is more touch friendly than File Explorer in Windows 10.