I have a surface 8 pro too and the easiest way to set it up was to use Aurora (or bluefin if you prefer Gnome). All the drivers were preloaded and if you want to use luks with the tpm it is a breeze to setup.

https://universal-blue.org/

You can achieve the same with other distros, I’ve done it with Arch and Nixos too but if you don’t have a solid Linux background I strongly suggest Aurora or Bluefin for an easy and solid installation.

This works very well for tech enthusiasts and people who self-host nextcloud at home.

The issue is when you are a government or university, it becomes harder to get all your users (which are probably not all tech savvy) to install a third party app store deal with the Android warnings about installing from third-parties, etc etc.

And this is probably the user base Google are targeting with this move (assuming it’s malicious) . When the higher ups complain that their files are not syncing and need to install things with a special procedure they sometimes wonder why they are not using M365 or Google which seems hassle free.

The two options I know of are Headscale and Netbird.

I am doing this with my personal and work laptops. I have two dell docking stations and a KVM to switch between the two.

It will work, probably not well. There is a ton of factors to take into account.

1- When switching the KVM input, depending on the KVM, the screens just get disconnected, meaning that the screens get re-detected each time you switch. Sometime it works well,sometimes not. Your laptop may also enter sleep mode since it is closed without screens attached. You may have to open it and press the keyboard if the USB from the KVM and docks are not re-detected.

2- If you use Displayport MST to connect your screens you have to make sure both the dock and KVM will support it.

3- When switching the KVM USB also gets disconnected and reconnected, it can be problematic with your dock, also see end of point 1

I have both high quality (and too expensive) docks and KVM that I took time to research and it works ok most of the time but still glitches. The docks and multiple screens add complexity to the setup and fail points.

If you go this way you will want to take your time and make sure all the pieces work together, I would steer clear of cheap Amazon stuff also.

• KVM : iogear GCS1964
• Docks : 2 WD19S
• Screens: 3 Dell U2415 connected through HDMi

To answer the last part of your post:

So far my experience is that the RCS-iMessage feature is working (or not) depending on the Apple user’s provider. I’m on Android with a “cheap” provider in Canada and RCS-iMessage work with my iMessage contacts that are on major providers but those on cheaper providers don’t work yet.

So if you are on Android and your basic RCS works you should be good.