I have started working on the improved calendar modelling as alluded to in the previous post.
However, this all came to a grinding halt when my trusty development machine of 8 years finally gave up the ghost. It was a first generation Surface Book Pro:
I loved everything about this machine. It had a touch screen that could be detached and used as a tablet – complete with stylus.
It also had one of the best screens and keyboards I have ever had the pleasure of working with. The uncommon 3:2 aspect ratio was perfect for coding too – wide enough to see everything, but also deep enough to see many lines of code at once.
One of the best things about this laptop is that it kept my coding honest. It housed an old Intel dual core I5-6300U processor, 8gb of RAM and it had a very poor GPU – an Nvidia 940M. These low specs forced me to think about Sojour’s performance – something that can be neglected when working on a super-machine!
What went wrong with it?
The battery….
A few weeks back I noticed the laptop couldn’t sit flat on the table top anymore. It was a noticeable issue, but I couldn’t see anything physically wrong with the Surface Book, so I carried on using it.
It’s only in recent days that the expanded battery’s size has started to create a large bulge in the base of the laptop. This bulge has got to the point where it has forced the base away from its mounting points, hence the crack shown above.
The general consensus on the internet is to stop using it right away! It now represents a fire hazard and a fume risk if the battery blows.
Further research also indicated that battery bulge problems are a fairly common issue with Surface Books.
There is no need to worry about Sojour’s source code, it is perfectly safe and sound!
A new laptop has just been ordered from Lenovo as the Surface Book’s replacement.
Once I receive it, the new laptop will need a little TLC to integrate it with my development environment, but once that is done, I’ll be good to go again!
In the meantime, farewell Surface Book! – You have been a sturdy and reliable companion for over 8 years! You will be missed!
Have Fun!
RobP
Sojour 