Surface Pro 4 - ist it possible to run Trados 2017 properly on a Surface Pro?
Thread poster: Renata von Koerber
Renata von Koerber
Renata von Koerber  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 18:41
Member (2011)
English to German
+ ...
Feb 13, 2017

So far, I am schlepping my Samsung RF710 17" notebook around when I travel. Heavy!! Bulky!
My MacBook Air wasn't ever my first choice for Trados- so my daughter got it now.
So when I recently saw the Surface Pro, I was very taken with the weight, and all other features. Only for travel,of course, I can see the keyboard would NOT be sufficient for a 50k word translation.
But the question is- can one run Trados on it without any issues?
I'd probably wait until the 5 model i
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So far, I am schlepping my Samsung RF710 17" notebook around when I travel. Heavy!! Bulky!
My MacBook Air wasn't ever my first choice for Trados- so my daughter got it now.
So when I recently saw the Surface Pro, I was very taken with the weight, and all other features. Only for travel,of course, I can see the keyboard would NOT be sufficient for a 50k word translation.
But the question is- can one run Trados on it without any issues?
I'd probably wait until the 5 model ist out, and get a version with sufficient memory and power.
Can anyone give me full knowledge on this?
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Rolf Keller
Rolf Keller
Germany
Local time: 18:41
English to German
Portability vs. price & power Feb 14, 2017

Renata von Koerber wrote:

I'd probably wait until the 5 model ist out, and get a version with sufficient memory and power.


There are Surface Pro 4 versions with 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD,intel i7 Skylake CPU ...

But a 12 inch monitor is rather small, and you'll often have to recharge the Surface.

This summer I'll try an alternative solution: I'll use my office pc via Internet from a netbook. So, on any camp site I'll have full access to my familiar working environment including all software & settings. The netbook is light-weighted & cheap because it acts as keyboard & monitor only, while the real work is done by my high-performance office pc.

The connection will be via an USB stick (prepaid, mobile phone), this should be rather cheap, because a simple keyboard&monitor connenction ("remote desktop") doesn't need much data transfer.


 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:41
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Promising so far Feb 14, 2017

Renata von Koerber wrote:
But the question is- can one run Trados on it without any issues?
I'd probably wait until the 5 model ist out, and get a version with sufficient memory and power.


I have just bought a Surface Pro 4 and have installed Studio 2017 on it. So far it runs without any problems at all and is more than quick enough, faster than my desktop actually. Still, this is the fastest Surface version i.e. the i7-6650U version with the PCIe drive.

One of my major concerns was the high screen density, by which I mean it is a small screen with a high resolution. However, it's actually very nice to look at. For short-term use I just zoom webpages and adjust the font size in Studio. I would not like to use it like that for more than a few hours for serious work, but at home it is always hooked up to a large external monitor and plugged into AC power. If you are considering using the Surface's own screen all the time then, as Rolf has already commented, you need to think carefully about the size.

What I do like about it is how easy it is to detach from the Surface Dock and how portable it is. I have had many laptops (small and large) before this, but the general "handiness" of the Surface feels different, perhaps because it is effectively just a tablet, albeit an extremely powerful one. And of course it will run any Windows program that will run on Windows 10.

Anyway this is kind of an experiment for me, as I usually buy workstation-style laptops that are bulky but have great performance. I almost went to the same way again and nearly ordered a fully loaded ThinkPad P50, but during a trip to London I decided I was fed up with lugging a heavy machine around. The Surface Pro is a move in the opposite direction. Once I am sure that it's working correctly I plan to use the Surface as my main machine instead of the desktop. Interesting times...

If you are in no rush then I concur that you should wait for the Surface 5. Even if you don't decide to buy the latest version, prices for the Surface 4 should come down after the Surface 5 has been announced.

Regards,
Dan


 
Renata von Koerber
Renata von Koerber  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 18:41
Member (2011)
English to German
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TOPIC STARTER
It works well - thank you for your encouragement! Jun 20, 2017

I actually took the leap and bought the Porsche Book One, which has advanced features of the current (4) Surface book.
It works like a charm, is really fast and the screen appearance is ok, not like a 17 inch notebook, but adequate.
All I have to do now is get the wretched office 365 to allow proper integration through onedrive, which has turned into some intellectual mud wrestling, as my personal and my business account seem to not be willing to ignore each other.
I am really
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I actually took the leap and bought the Porsche Book One, which has advanced features of the current (4) Surface book.
It works like a charm, is really fast and the screen appearance is ok, not like a 17 inch notebook, but adequate.
All I have to do now is get the wretched office 365 to allow proper integration through onedrive, which has turned into some intellectual mud wrestling, as my personal and my business account seem to not be willing to ignore each other.
I am really happy to have less weight on my arm, and the option to work during airplane or train travel.
Waiting for a decent dock now, as the Microsoft dock seems to be only so-so in quality and reliability.
Maybe the new generation of mobile of wireless hard disks will be the solution for carrying data, as my experience with cloud solutions was somewhat disappointing, and the ultra books of course only have limited disk space.
I recommend using a light book- it is such a relief to carry instead of "schlepp", and the touch screen with its magnificent resolution makes up for the general ugliness of Windows 10 ...
Thank you again for your input!
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gayd (X)
gayd (X)
What does it mean by the way? Aluminium or silver??? Jun 20, 2017

Gehäusematerial aus gebürstetem und eloxiertem "Aluminium in pure silver"
Pure silver is also a colour. I didn't know that. Very misleading in any case even
though if the material had been silver, it should have been "aus Silber".

[Modifié le 2017-06-20 10:03 GMT]


 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:41
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Alternative dock? Jun 20, 2017

Renata von Koerber wrote:
Waiting for a decent dock now, as the Microsoft dock seems to be only so-so in quality and reliability.

Thank you for the update, glad to hear it's working for you. The standard Surface Pro 4 continues to work for me, all day every day.

As for the dock, I am using the Microsoft product without problems at this point. Have you had difficulties, or are you just being wary? Do you have an alternative product lined up?

Regards,
Dan


 
Renata von Koerber
Renata von Koerber  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 18:41
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English to German
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@ dan Jun 20, 2017

Supposedly Porsche will bring out their own dock. The Surface docks had mixed reviews, there must have been a few cold contacts in some. Maybe I'll just cave in and buy the MS though- I guess I can always return it if I do not like it ...

 
Renata von Koerber
Renata von Koerber  Identity Verified
Germany
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@ david Jun 20, 2017

I am sure silver refers to the colour which is a very pleasant - I haven't heard of the metal silver being used for any notebook components. the way pure silver sits in the description on the website is indeed a bit odd. Looks as if someone was going to check for the correct corporate term, forgot all about it, delivered and it was uploaded that way. Wasn't me though ...

 
Mario Chavez (X)
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Is it a repairable/serviceable laptop? Jun 20, 2017

I've read a Surface Pro review on ArsTechnica (find it here: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/06/2017-surface-pro-least-repairable-ever-surface-laptop-is-made-of-glue/) and I'm not convinced I would ever want to own a non-serviceable laptop or notebook.

The lowest price for the 2017 Surface Pro is $800 (US dol
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I've read a Surface Pro review on ArsTechnica (find it here: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/06/2017-surface-pro-least-repairable-ever-surface-laptop-is-made-of-glue/) and I'm not convinced I would ever want to own a non-serviceable laptop or notebook.

The lowest price for the 2017 Surface Pro is $800 (US dollars), basic model. Once you add up your “essential features” or options, you'll pay much more.

Proper industrial or product design has to follow function, and not even Apple MacBooks are that ergonomic. I have owned several MacBooks over the years. My solution? Connect an ergonomic mouse and an ergonomic keyboard.

Based on what I've seen, the Surface Pro's keyboard is a sadist's idea of design in that it will cause repetitive stress injuries. I'm no doctor, but I've been around computers and keyboards long enough to determine which ones are friendly to my hands and arms and fingers.
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Lincoln Hui
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Apple and ergonomics - not in the same sentence Jun 20, 2017

Proper industrial or product design has to follow function, and not even Apple MacBooks are that ergonomic.


Apple products, in general, are less ergonomic than the field.


 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:41
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
All rectangular keyboards are compromised Jun 21, 2017

Mario Chavez wrote:
Based on what I've seen, the Surface Pro's keyboard is a sadist's idea of design in that it will cause repetitive stress injuries.

For the past 15 years or so I have used ThinkPad laptops. Currently there is a T400, which still works despite its age, sitting in a drawer somewhere with Ubuntu on it and a workstation class W520, which is still eminently usable even with Windows 10, sitting on the floor behind me. ThinkPads have excellent keyboards, perhaps the best in the industry, and are largely repairable.

Nevertheless, despite this long association, I chose a Surface Pro after a trip last year left me swearing quietly about the weight of the W520 and its laughably huge power brick. As I was in London at the time I had ample opportunity to test the screens and keyboards of the Surface and equivalent (very chic) products from Dell and HP.

The fact is that no rectangular keyboard is good for your hands, wrists and arms. For most people, what matters is ulnar deviation, pronation, and wrist extension/support, and a standard laptop keyboard does nothing to prevent problems related to that. The form factor of a laptop pretty much requires a rectangular keyboard.

Sure, the sense of tactility while typing is far superior on the ThinkPad, but my wrists still get painful after using the ThinkPad keyboard for an extended period. In that sense it is no different to theType Cover keyboard of the Surface, which is actually remarkably good for modest amounts of work. So, when I pop off to Vienna next week I'll be taking along my own custom keyboard to connect externally, and the mouse.

As for repairability, you are correct, the Surface seems to be very limited in that regard. Again, it's an explicit trade-off where you pay a price for the advantage of ultimate portability. You pay your money and you takes your choice. For my part I will be buying a new PC anyway in a couple of years, so fingers crossed that it holds out until then.

To people looking for a laptop for general professional use, my default recommendation continues to be a ThinkPad. I have also bought Dell laptops for my family for many years, and they have served us well.

Regards,
Dan


 
ritatranslat (X)
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Canada
Local time: 13:41
English
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Did the Surface Pro last? Oct 6, 2019

Dan Lucas wrote:
For my part I will be buying a new PC anyway in a couple of years, so fingers crossed that it holds out until then.

Hi, Dan. Hope this post finds you well. Did your Surface Pro ever last you the years? I'm thinking of buying the Surface Pro 6. Hope to hear your update!


 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:41
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Surface Pro 4 touch screen issues Jun 17, 2020

ritatranslates wrote:
Hi, Dan. Hope this post finds you well. Did your Surface Pro ever last you the years? I'm thinking of buying the Surface Pro 6. Hope to hear your update!

I'm sorry Rita, I never noticed this post. I have returned to this thread to report that, after three years and four months of heavy daily use, there appears to be a fault on the left-hand side of the Surface's screen.

This seems to manifest itself as "ghost touches", so that it appears that the mouse has been clicked in that area, even though I have done nothing. I haven't yet managed to establish definitively whether this is indeed a software issue or a hardware issue, but it seems like the latter.

Accordingly I have disabled the touch screen in Device Manager. As 99.99% of the time I use the Surface as a desktop replacement (i.e. I use a separate monitor, mouse and keyboard), this is not the devastating flaw that it would have been if I were using it as a tablet and needed the touch screen to interact with it.

Still, this unwelcome development has made me aware that touch screens are just another thing that can go wrong. It has also reminded me that it is almost impossible to repair or service the Surface, due to its monolithic construction.

So, lovely and lightweight machines though they are, I suspect I will not be getting one of the newer Surface models when I next upgrade my PC. I'm thinking I might return to a light-ish Thinkpad, maybe an X1 Carbon. (I gave my big old Thinkpad W520, which I believe I bought in early 2012, to a relative of mine and it is still in daily use. The battery failed recently, but as they don't use it as a laptop and it's always plugged into the mains, that hasn't made any real difference.)

For now the Surface Pro 4 is still perfectly useable as a desktop replacement, and I'm hoping to get another 6-12 months out of it.

Regards,
Dan


 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
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Ghost touches are somehow a Windows devices with touchscreens thing Jan 4, 2021

Literally 3/4 of the windows touchscreen that me or my family have owned developed ghost touches and needed touch settings disabled to remain useable (although admittedly, my father's 3yo Surface is still hanging on). The glitches all developed on "parked" laptops that saw little use and no abuse.

Literally NONE of our many Android devices got ghost touches, even the very heavily molested daily use ones with thousands of hours clocked, dents all over, and cracked screens.

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Literally 3/4 of the windows touchscreen that me or my family have owned developed ghost touches and needed touch settings disabled to remain useable (although admittedly, my father's 3yo Surface is still hanging on). The glitches all developed on "parked" laptops that saw little use and no abuse.

Literally NONE of our many Android devices got ghost touches, even the very heavily molested daily use ones with thousands of hours clocked, dents all over, and cracked screens.

Make of this what you will.
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Surface Pro 4 - ist it possible to run Trados 2017 properly on a Surface Pro?






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