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Introducing Surface Hub 2

microsoft.com

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Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#11

Post by ThePadawan »

briffle wrote: post #5
Matthias247 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't say anything about this new system. But I think in general Microsoft isn't that bad for cross-platform nowadays. On MacOS I have Office, Skype, Onedrive, etc. And I can access my documents on phones via mobile clients. The tools are all weaker than the Windows versions, but I think they mostly get the job done and are getting better over time. Can't comment on pure Linux support, but would understand if it's…

For Skype for Business meetings they have a chrome plugin now. It requires you to download an MSI to install. Haven't figured out how to do that in Linux.

Note that Microsoft are in the process of deprecating Skype for Business altogether (https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/25/16360072/microsoft-teams-...) in favor of Teams (their Slack-like online tool).

Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#12

Post by gagege »

reacharavindh wrote: post #9

Very creative, and cool, but a part of me cringes thinking of people touching those displays with their greasy fingers...

What makes me cringe is the thought of trying to answer the video call which Skype proceeds to drop and you spend 15+ minutes trying to reconnect with the caller which leads to you just using the old fashion conference telephone sitting on the table.

Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#13

Post by mynameisvlad »

zaksoup wrote: post #6
Matthias247 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't say anything about this new system. But I think in general Microsoft isn't that bad for cross-platform nowadays. On MacOS I have Office, Skype, Onedrive, etc. And I can access my documents on phones via mobile clients. The tools are all weaker than the Windows versions, but I think they mostly get the job done and are getting better over time. Can't comment on pure Linux support, but would understand if it's…

Microsoft definitely has been moving towards a more cross platform software suite. My biggest issue is that Skype is by far the worst video calling platform. Zoom and BlueJeans long since surpassed hangouts, and even hangouts is better than Skype. I saw another hn commenter mention that all of their skype calls begin with 10 minutes of handshaking - "can you hear me? let me restart my computer. hold on my mic isn't b…

Is that Skype or Skype for Business (which is just a rebranded Lync, which is just a rebranded Office Communicator)?

In any case, as the site mentions, the new Hub is exclusively for Teams, which has its own conferencing system.

Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#14

Post by aurailious »

ktpsns wrote: post #2

I love such devices. However, similiar to smartphones they depend so much on the software, and Microsoft is not too known for interoperability. How can my Linux and Mac OS X colleagues participate and contribute in the meetings? Such tools need open platforms and communities which build them. I'm especially concerned because Microsoft stopped the support for a native Linux Skype client.

Nadella seems to have changed from Balmer's "software on Windows" to the current "software with Windows". I know that their have been making better Android and iOS compatibility.

However, I would guess that they would still be aggressive against other desktop OSs.

Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#15

Post by menacingly »

The thing Microsoft seems to get is that you can keep grinding on these devices even if they aren't smash hits. Eventually people like me start to consider them a viable alternative because we know they aren't going to give up on them like Google.

Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#16

Post by Suspect »

menacingly wrote: post #15

The thing Microsoft seems to get is that you can keep grinding on these devices even if they aren't smash hits. Eventually people like me start to consider them a viable alternative because we know they aren't going to give up on them like Google.

Zune. Surface RT. Kinect. Windows Phone. Band. Just naming some things that I've personally purchased and Microsoft no longer supports. They are no better than Google at continuing to support their products.

Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#17

Post by wlesieutre »

gagege wrote: post #12
reacharavindh wrote: post #9

Very creative, and cool, but a part of me cringes thinking of people touching those displays with their greasy fingers...

What makes me cringe is the thought of trying to answer the video call which Skype proceeds to drop and you spend 15+ minutes trying to reconnect with the caller which leads to you just using the old fashion conference telephone sitting on the table.

Is business Skype that bad? I gather it was a separate product (Lync) that they later decided to slap a Skype logo on.

Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#18

Post by mark212 »

zaksoup wrote: post #6
Matthias247 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't say anything about this new system. But I think in general Microsoft isn't that bad for cross-platform nowadays. On MacOS I have Office, Skype, Onedrive, etc. And I can access my documents on phones via mobile clients. The tools are all weaker than the Windows versions, but I think they mostly get the job done and are getting better over time. Can't comment on pure Linux support, but would understand if it's…

Microsoft definitely has been moving towards a more cross platform software suite. My biggest issue is that Skype is by far the worst video calling platform. Zoom and BlueJeans long since surpassed hangouts, and even hangouts is better than Skype. I saw another hn commenter mention that all of their skype calls begin with 10 minutes of handshaking - "can you hear me? let me restart my computer. hold on my mic isn't b…

completely anecdotal, but I just interviewed a candidate for an open position at my employer yesterday via skype. His laptop in Ohio to our conference room in California. Went off without a hitch (except my colleague couldn't figure out how to hang up -- "It's the big red icon there ... no the red one ... the red one"). Our equipment was a basic PC running Win7 and a HD web cam resting on top of a wall-mounted 70" LCD television.

Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#19

Post by awinder »

aurailious wrote: post #14
ktpsns wrote: post #2

I love such devices. However, similiar to smartphones they depend so much on the software, and Microsoft is not too known for interoperability. How can my Linux and Mac OS X colleagues participate and contribute in the meetings? Such tools need open platforms and communities which build them. I'm especially concerned because Microsoft stopped the support for a native Linux Skype client.

Nadella seems to have changed from Balmer's "software on Windows" to the current "software with Windows". I know that their have been making better Android and iOS compatibility. However, I would guess that they would still be aggressive against other desktop OSs.

Re—organizing the windows os under the cloud services division felt like it really spoke to the software with windows vision

Re: Introducing Surface Hub 2

#20

Post by gagege »

wlesieutre wrote: post #17
gagege wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes me cringe is the thought of trying to answer the video call which Skype proceeds to drop and you spend 15+ minutes trying to reconnect with the caller which leads to you just using the old fashion conference telephone sitting on the table.

Is business Skype that bad? I gather it was a separate product (Lync) that they later decided to slap a Skype logo on.

Lync was nice and actually worked pretty well. Last time I used Skype for business though, it was like they took out all the parts of Lync that worked well and replaced them with the worst parts of (non-business) Skype.
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