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Microsoft Surface RT - I got one.

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Deozaan:
Necro-thread, ARISE!!

So I've got a Surface 2. I like it a lot! Only one big problem... it runs Windows RT!

I don't know what to do with the device because everything I'm used to using on Windows is made for the x86/64 architecture, but this is an ARM device. I can't do my usual Windows things. There's no Chrome, no Firefox. And most of the mobile apps I'm used to (on Android) aren't on the Windows Store. Not even a YouTube app!

Anyone here still have and enjoy their Surface? Can anyone recommend some good apps? Anything to restore some functionality? IDEs? Instant messaging? Gmail? A browser other than IE?

This thing would be so amazing if I could just run my usual Windows programs. . .

Innuendo:
Deozaan, the outlook is pretty bleak for you. Windows RT is officially dead as the word has come down from the mountaintop in Redmond.

This thing would be so amazing if I could just run my usual Windows programs. . .
--- End quote ---

Why, yes it would and...yes, those things are amazing when running Windows programs. Unfortunately, you have to pay a lot more money to get one of the Surfaces with the 'pro' moniker behind its name in order to do it.

I've never used an RT device and I'm not too familiar with them, but I believe Microsoft's entire philosophy with the RT platform was that anything that an RT device could run would be offered through the Microsoft app store. I don't believe there's any way to 'side-load' apps on those things. I'd love to be told I'm wrong, but I don't believe I am.

wraith808:
Deozaan, the outlook is pretty bleak for you. Windows RT is officially dead as the word has come down from the mountaintop in Redmond.

This thing would be so amazing if I could just run my usual Windows programs. . .
--- End quote ---

Why, yes it would and...yes, those things are amazing when running Windows programs. Unfortunately, you have to pay a lot more money to get one of the Surfaces with the 'pro' moniker behind its name in order to do it.
-Innuendo (May 09, 2015, 09:26 PM)
--- End quote ---

Actually, you don't these days.  There are several tablet options with full windows 8.1, and as I noted in another thread, I just purchased one for $79.

The surface 3 was just released, and it also runs windows 8.1.

I've never used an RT device and I'm not too familiar with them, but I believe Microsoft's entire philosophy with the RT platform was that anything that an RT device could run would be offered through the Microsoft app store. I don't believe there's any way to 'side-load' apps on those things. I'd love to be told I'm wrong, but I don't believe I am.
-Innuendo (May 09, 2015, 09:26 PM)
--- End quote ---

You can actually put things on RT tablets without the app store- but it's not exactly straight forward.

http://www.maketecheasier.com/install-windows-8-apps-without-storewindows-8/

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/uk_faculty_connection/archive/2012/04/03/installing-enterprise-metro-apps-without-using-microsoft-store.aspx

Deozaan:
Deozaan, the outlook is pretty bleak for you. Windows RT is officially dead as the word has come down from the mountaintop in Redmond.

This thing would be so amazing if I could just run my usual Windows programs. . .
--- End quote ---

Why, yes it would and...yes, those things are amazing when running Windows programs. Unfortunately, you have to pay a lot more money to get one of the Surfaces with the 'pro' moniker behind its name in order to do it.

I've never used an RT device and I'm not too familiar with them, but I believe Microsoft's entire philosophy with the RT platform was that anything that an RT device could run would be offered through the Microsoft app store. I don't believe there's any way to 'side-load' apps on those things. I'd love to be told I'm wrong, but I don't believe I am.-Innuendo (May 09, 2015, 09:26 PM)
--- End quote ---

[EDIT]wraith808 posted while I was typing up my response (I took a long time and got distracted in the middle of writing this). We both essentially said the same things.[/EDIT]

I've looked more into it and it seems that all editions of the Surface 3 run full Windows, even the non-Pro version. That's pretty cool.

You can side-load programs on here. Sort of. I got the Surface so I could test my Unity game projects on it. After a bunch of mucking about trying to figure out stuff, I finally got a demo project installed on the thing. Honestly, I'm still not sure how to package it all up into an "installer" (or executable) without using Visual Studio to deploy the program onto the device.

But it's now considered installed on the device and I can launch it from the same place as the rest of the applications.

As part of the process, I did also have to download Visual Studio Debugger program for the Surface, which I did straight through Microsoft's website, using an installer. Not the Windows Store. So, yes, I'm pretty sure you can install whatever you want on the device without needing to use the Windows Store. But the hard part is finding something that has been compiled to run on Windows RT (ARM). And that has to be the biggest flaw of the device. It's hard to find programs compiled for ARM and the Windows Store seems fairly sparse to me.

I realize I'm talking in circles now, but... The hardware is really amazing! There's a lot to like about the Surface. Even Windows 8.1/Metro stuff works decently enough on the touch interface. But the ARM architecture is its ultimate downfall. So I'm glad to see they've rectified that issue with all editions of the Surface 3. I'm just a little bummed that I happen to be stuck with the lame-duck Surface 2.

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