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In summer of last year, we saw several laptops with new Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite processors from Qualcomm released. Many users were impressed by them, as Snapdragon laptops aren’t just fast but also power-efficient, offering much longer battery life and requiring virtually no fan. PCWorld’s Mark Hachman was personally impressed by his Snapdragon laptop while on a business trip. Plus, with the integrated NPU (neural processing unit), these laptops also have local AI capabilities with lots of future processing potential. But for some, there’s been one big problem with these Snapdragon laptops: they could only run Windows 11. No Linux distribution was able to support them well due to numerous technical problems, and that was despite the existence of Arm editions of Linux. Qualcomm had even originally announced its intention to actively support Linux with them. Tuxedo presented this prototype in the summer of 2024, but is still unable to show a finished operating system.IDG That said, one of the first Linux providers to come out of the woodwork early on was the Augsburg-based company Tuxedo. In June 2024, the manufacturer presented a prototype with a Snapdragon X Elite processor at Computex in Taiwan. Tuxedo announced its own Linux implementation as the operating system. In July 2024, however, a spokesperson for the company admitted that the hardware was already ready, but that there was “still a lot to do” on the software side. After that, the project went quiet. A Snapdragon breakthrough at Canonical Ubuntu is already a big step further. Canonical announced its breakthrough at the end of March 2025. After initial trials with the ARM64 architecture, which started in 2023, and a concept image for developers published last year, the first standard distribution to support Snapdragon X Elite laptops “out of the box” was released in April with Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin). The company has come a long way, from early ARM64 support for a single device (the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s), to the later concept image with support for more laptops, to the current release. Canonical made a breakthrough with a concept image, which was able to run on numerous Snapdragon X laptops. But it was primarily aimed at developers.IDG The first success came with the concept image for Snapdragon X Elite laptops. It’s based on Ubuntu 24.10 and, according to Canonical, is already running on a large number of Snapdragon X Elite laptops. The company named models including the Acer Swift 14 AI, Asus Vivobook S 15, Dell XPS 13 9345, HP OmniBook X 14, Lenovo Thinkpad T14s Gen6, Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x, as well as Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7. Nevertheless, the concept image was initially only aimed at developers and brave end users who were keen to try out Linux on their Snapdragon X Elite computers. It was not yet intended for productive use. According to Canonical, supporting the ARM64 ecosystem is a greater challenge than the more traditional x86 processors used by PCs. One reason for this is that it’s less standardized. According to Canonical, different devices use different levels of UEFI firmware support or utilize different device-specific drivers and custom power management features. The Ubuntu development team has therefore had to invest a lot of work to fix these problems and address the issues. In future, Canonical wants to support ARM64 versions in the same way it supports x86 releases. Both versions should contain the same software and the same functions, but run equally well on their respective architectures. Canonincal also intends to release official updates and security patches at the same time. In this way, Canonical wants to set itself apart from community images for the ARM64 platform and offshoots of other distributions, which may not be able to provide “security patches in good time.” Tuxedo isn’t dead just yet In spring, work also continued at Tuxedo. At the beginning of March, a developer reported on the current status of the Elite 14 Gen1 model on the Linux kernel mailing list LKML. Some things such as the touchpad, keyboard, embedded display port, NVMe and USB Type-C port are now working. However, other parts—like the graphics card, USB Type-A port, energy saving mode, audio, camera, and fingerprint sensor—weren’t working. Shortly afterwards, the company added in a blog post that development had been “somewhat slow” over the past few months. On the one hand, the developers were needed elsewhere. On the other hand, it was also due to the fact that the preparatory work on which they depended had not made much progress. At the beginning of March, Tuxedo once again reported on the current development status of its Linux-on-Arm implementation at the LKML.IDG However, Tuxedo now says it has a first version of the device tree ready. This tree structure is required by the kernel on ARM64 architectures in order to manage and access hardware. It also tells the CPU which devices are connected to which ports and how they are to be controlled. According to Tuxedo, the main focus at the moment is on integrating further hardware components into the device tree. Testing drivers is also still in planning. Unfortunately, the fact that the intended collaboration with Qualcomm—the manufacturer of Snapdragon X Elite processors—hasn’t materialized has made things more difficult. Instead, the company is now working with Linaro, a specialist for Linux-on-Arm. However, it’s not yet possible to say when the first Snapdragon X Elite laptop with Tuxedo OS on board will be ready for the market. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is one of the handful of Snapdragon X Elite laptops on which Canonical has had initial success with its concept image.IDG When asked, Tuxedo also stated that they see the biggest advantage of the Snapdragon X Elite laptops in the “longer runtimes with high performance and very low noise levels.” Initial benchmarks for performance and runtime have looked promising, but specific figures haven’t yet been published. When asked about the integrated NPU, Tuxedo stated no current plans for it. “Too much is still missing for that at the moment,” says Tuxedo. In principle, however, the company sees “great potential” in Arm-based Linux laptops, “otherwise we wouldn’t have started working on it.” How will this all develop? It’s hard to say just yet. But if Tuxedo has its way, this could well be the future standard. Only time will tell. Read...

TL;DR: Get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for just $39.97 (reg. $219.99) and install it on one Windows PC. It seems that monthly software fees are getting out of hand. If you’re tired of watching those auto-renewals chip away at your bank account, this one’s for you. Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows is now available for just $39.97. That’s a one-time payment, with no subscription fees or surprise charges a year from now. This lifetime license includes all the heavy hitters: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access, and even Teams (free version). Whether you’re crunching numbers in Excel, writing proposals in Word, or designing attention-grabbing presentations in PowerPoint, you’re covered from every angle. You get the full professional suite, just like you’d expect in an office environment—whether you’re running your own business, freelancing from your laptop, or managing a busy household. It works for any kind of workflow, from basic budgets to complex database management. No cloud dependency. No recurring charges. Just one solid download that gives your Windows PC the professional tools it deserves. So if you’re ready to ditch the subscription model and finally own your Office apps again, this is your moment. Get a lifetime license to Office Professional 2021 for Windows for just $39.97 (reg. $219.99) through July 15. Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

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TL;DR: Upgrade to Windows 11 Pro for only $9.97 (reg. $199) through July 15. If your Windows setup is a little sluggish, this might be the sign you’ve been waiting for. For a limited time, you can grab Microsoft Windows 11 Pro for just $9.97—down from the usual $199. Yes, really. That’s less than the cost of a movie ticket for a permanent OS upgrade. Windows 11 Pro brings the glow-up your machine deserves. The redesigned interface is smoother, cleaner, and easier to navigate—think of it like a digital spa day for your desktop. But it’s not just pretty; it’s smart. You’ll get Snap layouts for smarter multitasking, enhanced search tools, and Copilot, the AI assistant that actually helps you get stuff done. For the privacy-minded (and aren’t we all?), Windows 11 Pro steps up with BitLocker encryption, Smart App Control, and TPM 2.0 support to keep things locked down tight. Whether you’re managing a small business or just running a tight personal setup, this OS means business. Gaming? Windows 11 Pro is built for DirectX 12 Ultimate, so your graphics card can finally flex its muscles. Don’t miss getting Windows 11 Pro for the stunning price of $9.97 (reg. $199) through July 15. Microsoft Windows 11 Pro See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

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It began as an argument about an insurance policy during the pandemic. Now Peter Gill has lost his business, and could lose his family home. Read...