Fancy some Surface kit but wary of new Windows? Microsoft lets commercial customers pick 10 or 11 There is some good news for enterprises keen on Surface devices, but wary of Windows 11. Microsoft confirmed last night that commercial customers could still select Windows 10 if they wished. Under the heading "Help your employees work the way they want," the company offered the option of Windows 10 20H2 or Windows 11 21H2 at …
Sorry Microsoft - who signed off on the keyboard layout? I suppose it's someone who rarely uses a laptop, or is predominantly a tablet user.
I have a very good specification Surface laptop provided by work - if I'm not at a location where I can plug an external keyboard, then, using applications that require frequent use of function keys F8-F12 and [Home], [End], [PgUp] or [PgDn] requires toggling of thje [Fn] key. It just gets in the way.
On MX Linux, Fn+Esc reverses the meaning of the Fn key. On another Linux distro I used (I don't remember which one) there was a software setting for that.
On older Surface laptops, Fn+CapsLock will lock the Fn key, but I don't have a Surface to test it.
You don't say which Surface you have -- I understand Microsoft changed the behavior on later models. :(
Let alone what its customers want. Apparently, after a while, lock-in produces paralysis and confusion, without a clear path forward.
Listen to its customer base? Why, do they think your computers are really theiirs?
Speak for yourself. I got a pretty naff Lenovo for $180 at Best Buy, and while it struggles to run Windows 10, it's pretty snappy with Debian.
Unfortunately I ran it to run the crap firmware downloader and diags s/w for my motorcycle which not only requires Windows, but it refuses to run in a VM of any sort. Copy & IP protection, don'cha know. Anon because I'm not supposed to have it, as a mere plebian owner. However, there's an online dealer that'll sell you anything as long as you can supply a part number and it doesn't set off a Geiger counter.
But this is what I've talked about, time and time and time and time again. Linux isn't important on the desktop after decades of trying, contrary to the opinion held almost exclusively on internet forums such as this one, because of some Microsoft or Intel "cartel". People use Windows because the apps they want to USE runs on Windows, and fooling around with WINE or a VM just in order to say "I run Linux!" is a complete waste of energy.
So, we run Windows. The FOSS-centric need to STOP obsessing with what OS is "better" and START realizing that APPS are king, the OS is only the supporting roll.
Apps are no longer the king on the desktop: most people only use a browser anyway. Some diehards want a word processor that works offline, but for them LibreOffice is as good as "it's just like another version of Word".
I suspect people like that are already the majority, and they only use Windows because it comes bundled with new PCs. If their nerdy niece sets them up with Ubuntu, they're perfectly happy with it.
On the other hand, for them Windows, whatever version, is good enough, too. The only potentially relevant advantage of Linux would be better support for old hardware. That's not a big issue with Win10, but Win11 is another story. Somehow I suspect Win10 support will not end in 2025.
Yes it will because the whole point of the "specific hardware" is not "because security" but to push a hardware refresh on the masses! Doing this in the middle of a supply chain crisis was just stupid.
The "Get the new Dell laptop with Windows 11" are already out!
Windows 10 did not cause people to go out and buy all new laptops. This one will!
I don't recommend that folk waste their money on a surface device. My £1400 i7 surface pro 4 (complete with flickergate after about 2 hours use) and no official support for Windows 11, is little more than a door stop now. I'm using a Galaxy S7 for tablet tasks these days... That surface was the my biggest waste of money ever.
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