For anyone contemplating on doing remote development on these otherwise underpowered devices, I just discovered Parsec (no affiliation) that is a free remote desktop solution with seamless mode and 60fps throughput. I wouldn't say that it is without problems (artifacting heavily on flaky connections, some hotkeys not being captured) but it opens interesting possibilities.
Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
161–170 of 184 posts
Re: Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
#162I feel like MS laptops are getting bashed left and right by various online experts these days without a decent reason. Apple products are not less cheaper and follow the same "100EUR for a charger" scheme. If you calculate the totals, MS laptop is no more experiensive than the Apple one. Except with MS products you also get a true mobile experience if that is what you are after. The only drawback is Windows and its t…
In terms of build quality, MS laptops need to priorities quality over looks.
Windows software is still a mess.
I wish they that drivers can be used by all major linux distro and ensure that the surface lineup is 100% linux compatible.
Microsoft should develop a Desktop environment on linux based on the metro design or Fluent design system which will suit the touch part on the surface tablets.
Re: Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
#163I feel like MS laptops are getting bashed left and right by various online experts these days without a decent reason. Apple products are not less cheaper and follow the same "100EUR for a charger" scheme. If you calculate the totals, MS laptop is no more experiensive than the Apple one. Except with MS products you also get a true mobile experience if that is what you are after. The only drawback is Windows and its t…
Windows does have its flaws (e.g. the useless built-in search), but its window management and taskbar UI is the best of any OS I've ever seen - the live previews on hover, the way it interacts with middle click just like browser tabs/links, the window snapping with multiple monitors, etc. We'll see what WSL 2 brings to the table.
I use the start menu only for opening programs.
For file search, use the program called Everything(). It's the first icon pinned on my taskbar, so the shortcut (Win+1) works.
Re: Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
I trust them, as they've dealt with issues better than any other company I've had to do it with. My Surface Pro 4's battery started swelling out of warranty, and MS replaced it right away with one that had a different kind of battery (better battery life than ever). The first (reconditioned) replacement had a screen issue right away, which sucked, but they sent another immediately. My work Surface Book 2 hasn't had a…
Samsung made sure that no company wants exploding battery press. I'm not sutprised they replaced your swelling battery.
Apple would charge people for a replacement battery just the same.
(I had to pay to replace the top case of my 2013 MacBook Pro last year because the keyboard stopped working, possibly from battery bloat.)
Re: Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
#165I feel like MS laptops are getting bashed left and right by various online experts these days without a decent reason. Apple products are not less cheaper and follow the same "100EUR for a charger" scheme. If you calculate the totals, MS laptop is no more experiensive than the Apple one. Except with MS products you also get a true mobile experience if that is what you are after. The only drawback is Windows and its t…
(Not specific to Surface Go 2) I assure you there is sometimes a reason, which in my mind can be generalized as lack of attention to detail: I deployed Surface Laptop 3’s to my SMB and now hairline screen cracking [1] is popping up left and right. Why? Because MS opted not to put a rubber gasket around their screens so when they changed from fabric to metal wrist rests, the imperfect closure fit led to pieces of sand…
Huh, wow. I got a hairline crack on the screen of my Surface Laptop 2 and thought it was just me and my carelessness. I will have to see if there’s any recourse for me since it’s outside the warranty window.
Re: Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wondered a similar thing regarding remote development using VS Code's remote-dev plugins (for SSH and/or Containers). I've done this workflow (i.e. used a local VS Code to develop on code hosted on a remote machine) quite a lot, but always using fairly well specced laptops (Core i7s, 16+gb ram etc) to connect to the remote and the experience has largely been seamless. Anyone got any experience of this? Looking at m…
A Surface Go has been computationally sufficient for remote SSH dev use for VS Code with Rust with my (admittedly small) projects. I no longer bring my XPS 15 when visiting parents for extended visits. The 10" screen/keyboard is a drawback, obviously, but performance hasn't been since it's the remote machine doing the heavy lifting.
Since the edit timer has expired, I will point out that it's the 8GB/SSD model I have experience with. Total RAM usage is over 4GB and I'd expect the eMMC model to be just generally a bad time.
Re: Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
#167I've got a Surface Go 1 and it's kind of just "ok". It's not a great tablet or laptop. It's useful in that it can run Windows-only stuff in a portable form factor but I tend to avoid using it for daily tasks.
I've gone through several Surface tablets going back to the Pro 1. I'd hoped they would be nice portable Windows machines for tasks I need Windows for but small enough they would be easy to tote around or put away on a shelf.
Due to their size they are (for me) shitty tablets. The Pro 1 and 3 were just too bulky to use for more than a few minutes as a tablet and the keyboard covers are just finger trampolines and make terrible laptops. So they were just crappy desktops I could fold up. The Surface 3 was a little better as a tablet but a shitty laptop. Finally the Surface Go was a decent tablet, still a shitty laptop and foldable desktop but more capable as a tablet.
The Go is my last Surface though. It turned out to be my best deal since I got it on some clear-the-channel sale so got the 8GB model for like $250.
Last fall I bit the bullet and just got a cheap gaming laptop on a Black Friday sale. I was able to stuff in 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It's at least a good laptop and a decent desktop and I can still put it on a shelf. It beats all the Surfaces I've owned for Windows-only tasks.
The Surfaces look nice and have some of the best Windows pen interfaces you'll find but they are just too compromised. Their attempt to be tablets makes them shitty laptops and then they're pretty poor tablets.
Re: Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you are in the EU then you may be covered by EU consumer law if it is a manufacturing defect
I think the EU law is 2 years, minimum with additional warranties provided per state: https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/dealing-with-customers... Consumers are entitled to a repair or replacement, for proven manufacturing defects in the UK "Statutes of Limitations" consumers have this right for six years in England and for five years in Scotland.
My understanding is that under the Consumer Rights Act (UK, 2015) there is no statutory limit on the period goods should last except the expectation of consumers. So, realistically things should last "about as long as expected".
IMO this works quite well, a cheap but of electronics from a pound-shop has to last 2 years (until the end of the Transition Period), a washing machine would be expected to be running after a decade (or more) unless perhaps it was a really budget offering.
It's practical, though I'd like a steadily inflated underpin to warranty periods too force companies to remove their planned obsolescence and make things more repairable.
Re: Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
After being subscribed to Louis Rossmann's YouTube channel for a while, I'm not sure Macs are much better in that regard (e.g. butterfly keyboard issues and replacement program, the bizarre cooling solution in new MacBook Air, pin layout that's very susceptible to liquid damage, etc.)
Apple has curiously "periods" -- there are times in which they build reliable stuff and then there are times in which they just don't. E.g. 10 year old MacBooks which still work despite the fact that they are heavily dented, while the new keyboard breaks just by staring at it wrongly.
I have a 2011 model Mackbook Air. While it is not the best or powerful laptop I've used, the only problem it gave me so far is the power chord (which I had to replace). It is still working after all these years.
I am not a Apple fanboy - I hate that Apple makes shitty decisions (soldiering everything, removing headphone jack from phones, removing ports...) and everyone else copies them. That said, they do make good stuff, at least compared to others.
My next computer is likely going to be a windows one though - Thinkpads and Dells are much more value for money than Macs.
Re: Microsoft Surface Go 2 review
#170I feel like MS laptops are getting bashed left and right by various online experts these days without a decent reason. Apple products are not less cheaper and follow the same "100EUR for a charger" scheme. If you calculate the totals, MS laptop is no more experiensive than the Apple one. Except with MS products you also get a true mobile experience if that is what you are after. The only drawback is Windows and its t…
The surface pros are almost 100% Linux compatible fwiw. I don't about the other products.