Do you prefer desktop or laptop ?

[Love4Boobies]

Better hardware, better cost efficiency, multiple display outputs, expandability, etc.

I'd say that none of these really apply these days anymore. The hardware is more or less the same (maybe not exactly, since laptops are more difficult to cool---but the difference is not significant). The cost is pretty much the same; in fact, laptops are often cheaper than their desktop equivalents because they have a much bigger market. Both can have multiple display outputs. As far as expandability goes, yes, laptops are more limited (you can't change the video, audio, or network adapters)---but who cares? You'll likely throw the thing to the bin in a couple of years anyway.

The laptop is, however, in interesting times: It will be interesting to see how laptop/tablet hybrids develop (How long will it be before most laptops have the main electronics in the screen, rather than the keyboard, and have detachable keyboards?)

There are all sorts of other revolutions going on, too, such as physical buttons morphing out of touchscreens and Samsung's uber-thin flexible displays.

[DavidCooper]

I wish they'd hurry up and provide a third option. Sitting for hours a day at a computer nearly killed me, and standing while working at a computer's causes similar health problems with pains in my lower legs. I'm only able to work on a computer now for two to three hours a day instead of the ten to twelve I used to do. I need a machine I can use while walking around: wearable screens in front of my eyes (which could give high resolution with very low power consumption, so it's the right way to take things anyway), and a new way of typing which isn't based on ancient mechanical typewriter layouts. Please will someone start building these things and liberate us from primitive gadgets that tie us down and destroy our health!

[Love4Boobies]

instead of the ten to twelve I used to do.

I don't want to imagine what kind of a life you've had.

[Owen]

Better hardware, better cost efficiency, multiple display outputs, expandability, etc.

I'd say that none of these really apply these days anymore. The hardware is more or less the same (maybe not exactly, since laptops are more difficult to cool---but the difference is not significant). The cost is pretty much the same; in fact, laptops are often cheaper than their desktop equivalents because they have a much bigger market. Both can have multiple display outputs. As far as expandability goes, yes, laptops are more limited (you can't change the video, audio, or network adapters)---but who cares? You'll likely throw the thing to the bin in a couple of years anyway.

My current laptop is 2.5 years old. I expect to get another 2.5-3 years out of it at least (with minor upgrades - 4x the RAM and a bigger - possibly hybrid - HDD coming soon as a "mid life extension")

Laptops are only as cheap as desktops if you buy models with apocalyptic build quality (e.g. most Acers) which start to fall apart after a year anyhow. Models with better build quality, keyboards which aren't painful to type on, and trackpads which are more comfortable to touch than an electric fence just add to the price. Then there is the matter that laptops with the performance capable of replacing even a moderately inexpensive desktop (e.g. mine) all fall into the "Desktop replacement laptop" category - which universally are huge, heavy, and have attrocious battery life (thereby requiring the ownership of another laptop to actually take places - and raising the question - "why did I spend the extra money to buy a laptop I leave on my desk?")

[JackScott]

Ten to twelve would be easy to do.

I work a strict 9 to 5 regime, so I do 8 hours work every day. Then I come home. Even if I'm not doing anything in particular on the computer I probably still do another hour on the computer just checking mail and Facebook and chatting to friends. If I have something I want to do (like, say, write an operating system) that would easily add another couple of hours, bringing me up in the region of 10 to 12 hours.

I personally spend at least 50 hours a week in front of a computer, and if I have a project going it can be much more (probably, just guessing and estimating, around the region of 70 or 80 hours). I've put a lot of effort into making those hours comfortable. I've bought the most ergonomic keyboards and mice money can buy, and set up my desk/chair/etc for proper ergonomics. As soon as I can afford it (unfortunately no time soon) I'll be buying one of those $1500 Ergon chairs. To paraphrase Jeff Atwood, programmers aren't thinkers first, we're typists first. Making typing and mousing comfortable is my first priority work-wise.

Currently I'm having terrible trouble with RSI (or/and related injuries) in my wrists, right elbow and neck/shoulder region. Why? I'm at a conference, and not having a desk to use means that I'm crouched over a laptop which gives me terrible posture. The laptop isn't the problem (with an external keyboard, monitor and mouse, anyway), it's the lack of a desk which causes (my, at least) bad posture and health problems.

[dozniak]

To paraphrase Jeff Atwood, programmers aren't thinkers first, we're typists first.

I'm a thinker first. I can type wherever I am and I'm always moving around, never sit before the computer longer than 1 hour in one place. I make breaks every 45 minutes, stretch, and then move to another location - the joy of having laptop is in not having to unplug and then replug everything every time I want to switch places. No RSI or similar so far (it's been at least 5 years since i started using laptops exclusively).

[Love4Boobies]

Laptops are only as cheap as desktops if you buy models with apocalyptic build quality (e.g. most Acers) which start to fall apart after a year anyhow. Models with better build quality, keyboards which aren't painful to type on, and trackpads which are more comfortable to touch than an electric fence just add to the price.

I was amused by your (not unjustified) rant.

One of my laptops (Acer) I have to open up every couple of months, otherwise it overheats. In fact, because of all the heat + the weight of the screen, the plastic on the left side, where the hot air comes out, simply gave out so I had to change the case. It happened again. And I had to change the keyboard twice as well (admitedly, the second time was my fault for dropping some tea on it). And I've lost some of those little rubber supports that are meant to increase friction and keep the laptop elevated on even surfaces (I don't know what they're called). And, in a couple of small areas, the screen became cloudy. It's 3 years old.

[bewing]

I keep my machines around a lot longer than most people. Getting 13 years of use out of a PC is typical. Laptops just don't have the lifetimes that I want. To get that kind of lifetime, I have to upgrade my machines a time or two -- a better screen, a better disk, a new video card, .... Things you just can't do to a laptop.

I also find it extremely useful to swap disks in and out of my machines. I really don't understand how everyone else can survive not doing it. I keep all my desktop cases wide open so that I can swap stuff in and out as easily as possible.

If I traveled more, I suppose a cheap laptop might somehow maybe be slightly useful for accessing the internet or something. I can't imagine trying to get real work done on one. And for traveling maybe I'll just get a damned tablet someday.

[Love4Boobies]

I also find it extremely useful to swap disks in and out of my machines. I really don't understand how everyone else can survive not doing it. I keep all my desktop cases wide open so that I can swap stuff in and out as easily as possible.

Well, that's something you can definitely do with a laptop.

I can't imagine trying to get real work done on one.

Ergonomics?

[bewing]

To do what I do, you need to swap 3 drives in at a time, and control which one is the boot drive. That is *not* easy on a laptop. I also want to be able to swap those drives between *all* my machines -- and the laptop drive form factor messes with that procedure, too.

And yes, if I need to attach a good external keyboard, a good external mouse, and a good external screen to work productively on a laptop then I might just as well be using a desktop. So you can call that a matter of ergonomics.

And to the previous commenter about trackballs: I've used an optical trackball for years, and I really like them. Optical ones do not get clogged up with muck. For some crazy reason, the mechanics of some trackballs can still "stick" though -- it seems like it should be impossible, but I know it happens regularly with some trackballs.

[Antti]

My personal computers are: two laptops (PC), desktop (PC), and tablet (iPad). Last one being used quite much when reading articles or other texts. When doing "real work", I use the desktop. I used laptops exclusively for a while but then I wanted "simpler" hardware without any extra features (e.g. builtin Bluetooth, WLAN, webcam, etc.) I do not even have a CD/DVD drive. Basically just a motherboard + CPU in an otherwise-empty computer case.

When I am at the office, I use a laptop with an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. It is like a desktop and that kind of setup works quite well. I think it is quite common because it is so easy to bring laptops to meetings etc.

Everybody sit there typing on their laptops and nobody pays attention to the meeting.

Exactly.

[linguofreak]

And yes, if I need to attach a good external keyboard, a good external mouse, and a good external screen to work productively on a laptop then I might just as well be using a desktop. So you can call that a matter of ergonomics.

On a 15-incher at least, I find I only need an external mouse, which doesn't hamper portability as much as the other two items. Now, my current usage habits are very desktop-like (I don't move the machine around much), but during the year I spent in Germany, being able to take my laptop with me and work on the train was very convenient.

[BMW]

To paraphrase Jeff Atwood, programmers aren't thinkers first, we're typists first.

I'm a thinker first. I can type wherever I am and I'm always moving around, never sit before the computer longer than 1 hour in one place. I make breaks every 45 minutes, stretch, and then move to another location - the joy of having laptop is in not having to unplug and then replug everything every time I want to switch places. No RSI or similar so far (it's been at least 5 years since i started using laptops exclusively).

So you're not a programmer

[BMW]

I just observed myself and I noticed my wristjoint is laying in place on the table where all movement is dictated from the handpalm. So no arm movement for me.

Same here actually, except when I'm playing an FPS. You tend to run out of wrist movement pretty quickly when tracking someone with your crosshair in Wolfenstein : Enemy Territory (A highly recommended game).

Recently I've learned to do precise editing in GIMP using mac touchpad though, so all is relative.

Ohhhhh don't remind me of the days when I did precise image editing with a touchpad. I end up rolling my finger over the trackpad to get precise movements, then I run out of finger-roll, so I lift my finger, resulting in totally ruining the mouse position.

[Love4Boobies]

I do a lot of my turing from my phone, i.e., a Nexus 4, which has a 4.7" screen with a resolution of 1280x768 (320 ppi). In fact, I'm replying from it right now.