I have to get a new computer soon and am torn between the sleek notebooks with a DVD/CDR drive (about $1000) or a standard desktop with same features for about $300 cheaper.
Does anybody out there use a notebook as sole computer? Advantages? Disadvantages?
Oh, by the way, I use my computer mostly for writing and for internet and MSAccess programming. Not so much for games or music - although that might be something I will get into later.
I hate desktops, and am planning to upgrade to an iBook, myself. They take up less room, you can actually use them on your lap, and you can close 'em so the cat can’t throw up on the keyboard.
I have a laptop from my employer which is now the sole computer I use for work.
With a docking port and standard monitor and keyboard on my desk, I’d say it’s by and large a positive experience. I like having all my email and software on one computer; if I’m working at home and I need to look at a Java project, I can do this because I have VCEE on the laptop, rather than just on my desktop like I used to.
The only disadvantage is that it’s yet another thing to carry back and forth. Most days, loaded down with briefcase, computer, gym bag, and perhaps lunch, I look like I’m going on the road for three days.
I have often thought of making my next PC a notebook. I can’t really see the disadvantage of doing so. Is tere one, even if I primarily use my machine for games? For example, if I really dig Baldur’s Gate 2 and Freedom Force, is there a reason to stay with a desktop over a notebook?
Notebooks aren’t that great for games because the technology moves very quickly and I have yet to see a notebook with upgradeable video card.
I’ll second what Lorenzo said. I bought a top of the line notebook from Dell a couple years ago - paid something like $3300 for it. Within a year, I upgraded to a desktop because the laptop would no longer work adequately with the newest games out there. It’ll limp along… barely. Like Lorenzo said, the video card was the problem, and it wasn’t upgradable. And keep in mind, this was an expensive, top of the line unit. A lesser one wouldn’t have even lasted a year.
To expand further, I was told that typing on a notebook (and I do quite a bit of typing) can be uncomfortable compared to a regular keyboard…but it looks like the newer notebooks have nice little pads for wrists. Perhaps this was the case in older models?
I work primarily on a notebook.
The biggest advantage is, of course, protablity. I throw it in my backpack and take it home, and there I am–I don’t have to worry about making sure I have the same software and files on my “home” computer as my “work” computer. Also, I can work all over. If someone’s having trouble with something they’re doing on their desktop, I can just sidle on up with my notebook, plunk it down, and we can face-to-face with both of our machines right there. At home, I can work at the kitchen table. I can work on the couch. I can work up in my bedroom. I could (theoretically) work on the porch. (Weather hasn’t been amenable to that, though.)
The biggest disadvantage I’ve found is that the screen is too damn small. 14 inches ain’t satisfying me, baby! (Well, I’m getting along . . . I just couldn’t pass up the double entendre.) Bigger screen => more weight, though. I’m just glad I didn’t try to save the pound by going down to a 12 inch. The flipside of portability is, of course, that you actually want to carry the damn thing around. I was trying to lug it in my brief case and it was killing me. It was heavy, and awkward, and it was throwing my back out of whack. But getting a backpack has really improved matters. It doesn’t look as professional, but it makes it a lot easier to carry around. If you have to walk any distance with your machine, I highly recommend a rucksack.
Mine doesn’t have any wrist pads or anything, but I haven’t really had any carpal problems with any type of keyboard. If you’re prone to this kind of difficulty, I guess you need to chose your machine carefully.
I also can’t really comment on games. This machine is for work, and the fewer distractions I put on it, the better I am.
I used a laptop as my primary computer in my home office for about a year. Granted, I had it connected to a 21" monitor and my MS Office keyboard and mouse, but performance was fine. Although I didn’t have a docking station, it was fairly simple to disconnect and take it on the road when I needed to. For reasons I won’t go into (not related to the laptop’s performance), I replaced it this year with a Micron desktop; the laptop is now the secondary computer on my network, and my husband uses it. He prefers the laptop because of the small footprint; although I keep offereing to set him up with a monitor/keyboard, he says he’s happy with it (although he does use a mouse rather than the touchpad).
Another factor in the whole laptop vs PC debate is the Palm Pilot factor.
My mom had a laptop that became basically useless to her after buying a palm. Depending on what you are using it for many of the same needs are met. It is mobile and synchs with your PC when you get home - so in some ways it replaces a laptop.
I have a laptop that work gave me. I have to lug it around and it’s heavy. The light ones tend to be more expensive. They are also a pain to type on without a mouse, etc. If you go w/ a laptop I would recommend getting a docking station or at least a mouse/keyboard/monitor to hook it up to while at home. I have a PC at home that is better for gaming and such.
I question that you can get a laptop for only $300 less than a PC. I would suspect that the PC has much better CPU and RAM. You can buy a 120 gig HD and toss it in a PC no problem, but with a laptop upgrading is more complicated.
BTW, I also have an old laptop that I use solely for topo-map software. It goes camping and hunting and can be synched with a GPS reciever while in my car. It’s a good use for an old machine that can’t run any modern programs. And I wouldn’t cry if I dropped it in the mud, because it’s old.
A laptop keyboard is too small for me (you can put in an external one). Plus, its easier to change parts in a desktop. With a laptop of you want new drives, they have to be external & pretty much with all that stuff hanging around, it looks like a desktop 
Laptops, from what I have read, tend to be a bit slower due to heat constraints (try putting another fan in a laptop).
I do have a couple of laptops though, but as others said, they went out of date quickly.
I switched to a laptop this time last year, and would never go back. Mine is a fairly basic Hewlett Packard with DVD-ROM and (I think) a 13.1" screen, but it’s more than adequate for my needs - mainly web surfing, and occasionally typing up a letter. £899 GBP, so a fair bit more expensive than a comparable desktop, but I just considered it a Christmas present to myself.
Main reason I bought the laptop was because I was tired of being tied to the desk and chair. Now I just lie back on the bed, and rest it on my raised knees. Bliss! It’s nice to be able to take it with me when I’m away from home, too.
As for the keyboard and mouse, I got used to them pretty quickly. One useful feature to look out for is a touchpad mouse lockout; just press the button, and it solves the problem of accidentally brushing against the touchpad and moving the cursor while you’re typing.
Although my laptop is my primary computer, I have still kept my old desktop, simply as a backup. If the laptop ever goes tits-up, it will need to be sent away for service - keeping the desktop means I won’t be without a computer for two weeks should that happen.
As long as performance isn’t a big issue, notebooks are great. I have a desktop because for my music I need a PCI slot for an audio card and faster hard drives. Otherwise I use my dell laptop or a thinkpad from work for everything. They’re pretty amazing devices. If you always have to have the latest in everything, though, a laptop will get old pretty quick.
I’ve been using a Toshiba Satellite for three years come January, and it’s been working fine. I’m not much for games, but I used it for surfing, writing and working on my Web site. I tend to stick to what I’m used to, which is why I’ve got Dreamweaver 3.0, OfficeStar and WordPerfect 6.1. The keyboard problem doesn’t bother me since I’ve been typing all my life and I’m used to it. I love the portability, but I have to keep it plugged in since my batteries are running low.
Only problem is that I have a 4.1GB hard drive that stays about 3/4ths full. I could really use more space!
So I’d agree with the poster: if you’re not looking for the latest games, it’s worth buying a laptop.
Durability is also an issue with laptops. They are made of plastic with thin internal cables and other light-weight materials to keep the weight down and make them easier to carry. Unfortunately, this also decreases the odds of them surviving being dropped on a hard surface. Given that people are carrying them around from place to place, the odds of the laptop being dropped at some point are much greater than for a desktop.
The other critical failure point I have seen with laptops is the video cable. The thin, very fragile, video cable (looks like a piece of tape and is about as strong) is inside the hinge between the laptop and the video screen and gets quite a workout from the frequent opening and closing of the laptop. I have seen many of those video cables break over time and render the laptop useless except as a paperweight.
The company I used to work for decided several years ago to replace all their desktop units with laptops and saw a tremendous increase in the overall I.T. costs. Not only were the initial purchase prices much higher for the same computing power, but maintenance and repair costs went through the roof. Add to that the upgradeability issues already pointed out above, and they quickly decided that laptops were fine for their purpose, but desktops still have their place in the world.
Indeed. I bought mine on a Saturday… on Sunday, a new, updated model was on the store shelves for the same price. Doesn’t make any difference to me, because mine does everything I could possibly ask of it, but no doubt this would piss some people off.
As a fast typist, I’ve always been uncomfortable with laptop keyboards. At first, I could barely type half as fast on a laptop as I can on a regular keyboard. My speed went up a little bit with practice, but never got near what it was on a traditional keyboard.
I’ve also yet to see a laptop solution for moving the cursor that didn’t bug me. I wasn’t aware, though, of the touch pad lockout feature mentioned by kirk280980. That might change things. Also, anything is better than those stupid nubs. Play any Civilization-type game with one of those and your finger will have a huge dent in it within an hour. Gets painful after a while.
Durability, mentioned by Stana Claus, is another big factor. My laptop obtained a static route to null0 one day when it fell off my car seat and onto the parking lot. It was in a backpack instead of a padded case. 
The LCD screen now has a lovely spiderweb pattern that looks pretty trippy, but otherwise the laptop is useless unless I hook it up to a regular monitor.
Lastly, if you’re thinking about installing Linux, choose your laptop carefully. Many aren’t compatible, due to proprietary components.
This just in from MSNBC this morning…hmm…I never considered this problem when I posted the OP!
Hot laptop burns scientist’s penis
Friday, November 22, 2002 Posted: 9:35 AM EST (1435 GMT)
Story Tools
LONDON, England (Reuters) – Laptops have always been a hot item but a 50-year-old scientist did not realise to what extent until he burned his penis.
The previously healthy father of two remembered feeling a burning sensation after he had been writing a report at home for about an hour with the computer on his lap.
He noticed a redness and irritation the following day but it was not until he was examined by a doctor that he realised how much damage had been done.
“The ventral part of his scrotal skin had turned red, and there was a blister with a diameter of about two centimetres (0.8 inches),” Claes-Gorn Ostenson, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, wrote in a letter published in The Lancet medical journal on Friday.
Two days later, the blisters broke and the wounds became infected and then crusted but after about a week the unidentified scientist was “healing quite rapidly.”
Ostenson noted that the computer manual did warn against operating it directly on exposed skin but said the patient had lap burns even though he had been wearing trousers and underpants.
“This…story should be taken as a serious warning against use of a laptop in a literal sense,” he added.
Yes, they do get extremely hot sometimes. Because I sit here in the evenings wearing just my boxer shorts, I use a cushion to stop the computer burning my thighs or making me all sweaty and clammy. Just be sure not to block any air vents underneath the unit, otherwise it will just get even hotter.