Tamantea,
1) Unfortunately the SA124 is not supported on Ubuntu. Spike itself will work on Ubuntu, but only with our other models. Neither the SA44 or SA124 models work under Linux, only Windows 10/11.
2) You can certainly try using a standard cable. In most instances it will be fine. But not all USB ports will be able to supply adequate power to the SA124 over a single USB port. If you experience issues, you will need to revert to the y-cable.
Let us know if you have additional questions.