Have you tried the fork VSCodium? It strips out some of the telemetry and makes it more FOSS.

I owned one for a while. It was great. But Apple will eventually drop Intel support and these can then become well-built Linux laptops.

I second Waypipe. It tunnels over SSH, and while you have to run a command for it, it’s still much easier than X forwarding.

Processors of that age still exist in special builds, like tougher ones for automotive use with lots of heat and vibration, or radiation-hardened ones for space use where you can’t dispatch a technician. But for consumers use, they’re long dead.

Another KiTTY user! Can you share that setting?