Inhomogeneity of laser-driven technological processes, caused by the surface inhomogeneity is considered. A homogeneous laser beam interacting with the (metal) surface containing irregular grains, grain boundaries, dislocations, dislocation pile-ups, inclusion of foreign atoms etc., causes inhomogeneous melting. Of all the possible origins of inhomogeneous surface melting, only two were considered: dislocations and the premature melting associated with the stress-intensity contours (including the rotation cells on dislocation pile-ups) and the faceted melting of polycrystalline surfaces. The first origin of premature melting is associated with laser pulses on all time scales; the second is associated with laser pulses shorter than 10 ns.