My last “laptop computer” heats the whole room. It’s ended up being un-portable by the procedure of the battery getting fried, too.
I currently use a netbook (only for short amounts of time); as my “fixed” computer, I had a desktop in Scotland (which went to a graphic artist) and I’m now using the burned-battery laptop. I’ve gotten the “a DESKTOP!!!” thing, but curiously enough, it was from people who didn’t know how to burn a DVD, how to install software which didn’t come with their laptops…
I’m not going to touch on the school stuff, but here are my thoughts on laptop vs desktop.
I have a laptop. It’s not going anywhere. I haven’t moved it in so long, it’s actually stuck to the table now. I’m going to replace it with a self-built desktop fairly soon.
It’s a chore to take it with me anywhere. It’s too big, it’s too heavy, the battery’s too short-lived, the keyboard is not good, the trackpad is not a good substitute for a mouse, and despite its cumbersome size, the screen is too small. I paid a premium for mobility, and got an inferior product. The CPU is underpowered, yet the cooling fan is noisy. It’s hell replacing components, if they’re even possible to replace at all.
Funny story: A friend of mine works at a place where everybody’s been given brand spanking new laptops. My friend declined, he didn’t need it, and the tired old desktop was good enough for him. So, one fine morning when he arrives at the workplace, there are cops all over the place.
During the night, one single burglar had entered the premises and walked off with 25 very expensive laptops.
Because, you see, nobody actually took their shiny new status symbols home with them when they left in the evening. Nobody wanted the mobility, they just wanted the bragging rights. And no, not covered by the insurance. There was no list of the serial numbers. None of the laptops had locks securing them. :smack:
Mobility is not always a desired feature.
The stolen laptops have now been replaced. With 25 very expensive, brand spanking new … laptops. But this time, they’re secured with locks. The very cheapest, non-alarm locks that money could buy. Probably off the back of a truck.
That tired old desktop that my friend used? Still there.
I have both, I love my laptop for just having it by my side while watching tv (I spend a lot of time on imdb:)) or doing whatever, and it’s handy when I’m traveling. But I would NEVER use it for typing up papers (let alone a dissertation), I’ve my ancient desktop for that. Using an actual mouse and having a proper keyboard really makes all the difference.
So, your friend wound up stuck with the only computer some guy didn’t want even when it was free, and to top it off his desk wound up with the computer 25 people share on it?
I have a netbook as my primary computer right now and I love it, but I’m also seriously looking at getting a desktop as well. Working on papers/projects is just better on the larger screen of a desktop, since I tend to place windows side by side (most work I do involves a word document and an excel spreadsheet and/or Matlab, etc). I have multiple virtual desktops on my netbook, but it just isn’t the same.
On the other hand, the mobility is fantastic. I take this thing everywhere (e.g. I’m currently in the UK!) and I have access to all my stuff whenever I need it. I used to have a 15.4" widescreen laptop, and it was too heavy and cumbersome to really take anywhere. That screen would have been better for watching last night’s hockey game on, though!
I bought a netbook to replace an ageing desktop. I do video editing on it and it seems pretty competent - for rendering my video projects, it’s an order of magnitude faster than the desktop it replaced. The only real disadvantage I’ve felt is the slight lack of vertical screen area. <shrug>
I don’t play any demanding games, however.
Hells bells. When I first went to school we ALL had slates and slate pencils.
I’ve never been to a Uni lecture, all I’ve ever seen are seminars and public talk events, and there are usually laptops galore at those.
But I asked a friend of mine who has been something of a long term student, and he says what others here have said, that it’s rare as a note taking device at University/College lectures.
So I withdraw my assumption.
I’m a student who heavily uses both my laptop and desktop. In fact, lately, I’ve been using my desktop a lot more. The point is, if I’m doing work (read, “games”) at home I’ll be on my desktop. Desktops certainly aren’t dead. Their graphics and processor power can’t be matched by laptops, without A.) costing $6k or B.) burning a hole in your crotch. If I’m going to be doing work in a stationary place, why wouldn’t I use a faster machine that has a bigger screen?
What does screen size have to do with laptop vs. desktop issue? I’m typing this now on a laptop connected to a 30-inch display. Best of both worlds. And a large display makes a big difference in productivity, if it’s large enough to have two applications open side by side. For me, that threshold is either a dual-screen setup, or a single 24" display.
Getting back to the original topic - laptops are clearly superior in one aspect: power consumption. Which equals heat generation. I can’t stand how warm my room (home office) gets in summer if I leave the desktop computer running for more than a couple of hours.
That’s because your screen is too small :). I’ve never considered not buying a desktop, i don’t need to move my computer anywhere.
It was horrible! He had to play Solitaire and Minefield for 26 people!
I would like a desktop, but unfortunately I need the mobility. I go to college out of state so I bring my laptop home and back. I take it to office hours, group meetings, class, the kitchen, etc. It has a discrete GPU and plays modern games quite well. However, if I didn’t need mobility I would get a desktop for sure. Everyone has different needs and will have different opinions on this issue.
As a student, I would think a laptop would offer a LOT more convenience, flexibility etc. - depending on where you live, for example, you might be moving every couple of months and a desktop is a pain to move. Or you might go home for holidays etc.
But as an adult living in a house, where we don’t anticipate moving - oh, and with two kids - a desktop is great. The kids can’t lug the desktop to another room to hog it. I worry less about it getting dropped / destroyed. In theory it’s more upgradeable if needed. The keyboard and monitor are better, etc. I work on a company-provided laptop and while the physical flexibility is nice, the ergonomics aren’t great.
Have you ever worked with a larger screen?
It’s the one thing that I find essential for doing real work. I currently have a 24" monitor with a 17" next to it. The more screen real estate I have, the more productive I am. I need to be able to see when IMs come in (I work remotely, my IMs are purely work-related), I need to see when emails come in, and at any given time I have a virtual machine window up to work on the mother ship computer, a copy or two of visual studio running, maybe a text editor, maybe Word, maybe SQL Server. I use all of them interchangeably, and I don’t want to have to, for example, minimize visual studio in order to run a SQL Query.
If I had more room on my desk, I’d have more monitors.
Screen size = productivity.
That’s the thing. If I need to work from home, I upload stuff to a server, then just go home and work from there. I don’t need to tote a computer around with me all the time. My fiancee bought a laptop, it’s sits on her desk. She never takes it anywhere for the same reason. She can log into the remote server form home (using applications remotely even through a web-based interface) and doesn’t need to carry her work around with her.
I’ve had laptops for a while now, and nothing beats the price for being able to sit on the recliner with it. If I wanted to do that with a desktop, I’d need to buy a big enough monitor to compensate for the fact that it would be right in front of my face all the time so it would need to replace my TV as well.
Also, the most intensive gaming I do on it is World of Warcraft, and the most intensive software I use is Photoshop. I’m not the kind of person who downloads movies, music and TV seasons constantly so I don’t need the bigger hard drive.
And yeah, it comes in handy when I go home to visit family. 
That’s a silly attitude. There are many other reasons to get a laptop besides mobility. Compact size, low power consumption, less clutter (fewer wires to deal with), ease of shipping (e.g. if you’re living in a dorm and therefore need to move at least twice a year), etc.
A developer chipping in here.
Desktops are cheaper. They have better screens. The keyboard is more comfortable to work with. I can upgrade it. I can put on together DIY without paying a limb for it - and for gaming, those gaming laptops are cutthroats.
I do use laptop for my university days, mostly because I can do my projects in campus. But I pick a laptop any other day. It’s just less tiring and easy to work with. And so much cheaper.
And screen size is always an issue for a developer. There is never enough screen space; I wish I could have two on many days!
I have a desktop with a 23" widescreen monitor and a 19" regular monitor. I’ve had dual monitors for the last 5 years, and i don’t think i could ever go back to a single one, unless maybe it was one of those massive 30" displays.
Not only does the screen real estate make it easier to work and play, but the desktop has more processing bang for the buck, making it easier to run multiple programs at once and making processor-intensive tasks like video transcoding go much more quickly.
I only ever really need to do this sort of power-hungry stuff at home, so i have a netbook for when i need to work in the library or have access to email and internet away from home. It’s small, light, and comfortably performs general office, email, and internet tasks, as well as basic multimedia like listening to music or watching videos.