View Single Post
  #5  
Old January 10th 19, 05:05 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,alt.windows7.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,881
Default laptops

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

In message , Bill in Co
writes:
[]
If I ever went out and bought one of these nice new svelte laptops, like
I've seen on display at some stores here, I'd probably just scrap the latter
two.

I wonder if anybody gets so used to a laptop that it ends up replacing their
desktop for almost everything they need to do (for home or limited work use,
I mean).

I bought my first laptop (W9x era), intending to use it only when
travelling or in other situations where my tower machine couldn't be
taken. (I also didn't think I'd get on with a trackpad.) It became my
main machine - I was going to say rapidly, but it might have been
gradually. I have since used laptops for all my computing needs - my
desktop machines going initially weeks then months between being turned
on, and I think it might be over a year now. (And I have got very used
to a trackpad: I have a mouse, but rarely plug it in - of late, mainly
for when the trackpad [driver] misbehaves rather than needing the
differences.)

I'd say my main initial concerns re laptops fell into three areas:
limited keyboard, all-in-one-ness, and (in practice) no slots.

Limited keyboard - I was fortunate in that my first laptop still had the
sixpack; I _did_ find the second laptop irritating in having home and
end combined with something else and needing the Fn key. (Fortunately
this one has brought them back.) Also the lack of a numeric keypad (you
get one on _most_ 15" or more laptops anyway these days) meant I
couldn't use the Alt-numpad codes I'd memorised for things like the +/-
symbol, but in practice I've found a little utility called AllChars
actually easier (the sequences are easier to remember!).

All-in-one-ness - i. e. if one part fails, you have to junk the lot.
This hasn't been as much of a problem as I thought: things that have
failed - disc drive was easy to replace; a screen wasn't _too_ hard; and
a wireless card, I just used an external one. (That was on someone
else's machine that had lots of USB and she didn't use them anyway; had
it been me, I might have replaced the card - fiddly, but not difficult.)
The one case that _is_ irritating is where - I think - the internal
power supply (that takes the 19V or battery and gives the internal
supplies) has failed and thus rendered the laptop dead, whereas I think
most of it is actually alive.

No slots (I say in practice because, although in theory laptops can have
them, [a] many don't [b] the standards for laptop expansion slots change
with bewildering rapidity) - I think I was fortunate in that my
transition to laptops coincided with a large move of peripherals that
had previously used cards, to USB. This has continued, accompanied by
changes in desktop slot standards, from PCI (IDE was already dead) to
PCI-E and later, as well as graphic card slots. These changes in both
laptop and desktop slot standards have mostly _not_ been
backward-compatible, unlike USB. My transition has probably also, if I'm
honest, accompanied my changing outlook with ageing: I have less
_desire_ to use things that need plug-in cards (and aren't available via
USB).

Another advantage of laptops is that they have a poor man's UPS: brief
power outages don't crash them, even if the battery's in a poor state,
and can move from room to room without shutting down.

I can see that a proper desktop, with a big keyboard and monitor, still
holds its attraction for those with a settled lifestyle, _or_ who are
willing to switch between devices when they travel or visit. Also, for
those needing special machines - number-crunching, gaming, and so on.
For me, the ability to now take this my main computer wherever I go (not
relying on syncing services) means I can't see me ever going back to a
desktop as my main machine: in fact other than lethargy and nostalgia
I'm not sure why I keep my desktop. But - this is just me; YMMV, and I'm
certainly not saying anyone _should_ change. I just thought I'd answer
Bill-in-Co's question from my own experience.

JPG
---

How about a three-way referendum, allowing second choices?


When travelling, a Chromebook is more than sufficient. No matter what
portable computer I take, almost all (perhaps all) of what I need to do
while travelling will incur a web browser. E-mail, remoting to work,
buying tickets, checking restaurant hours, getting directions and
mapping, finding entertainment, ordering stuff, and just about anything
I do while travelling is done via a web browser and that's what a
Chromebook does. If I don't have the Internet while travelling (via
wifi, cable, or cellular data), it doesn't matter what I bring since it
won't be usable to me. My choice is one of convenience, not of
functionality. I have a laptop, netbook, and Chromebook along with my
smartphone and none are convenient nor comfortable nor speedy for
entering a lot of text or doing much beyond using a web browser. The
human interface of these portable devices suck. You could use a docking
station to connect to a better monitor, keyboard, and mouse but that's
only needed if you cannot afford a decent desktop PC.

At home, the Chromebook collects dust. There is no way it or a tablet
or a laptop (even those loaned to me from work) are robust enough in CPU
and GPU to do my home-based computer work. I see no reason to struggle
to perform compiling, graphics editing, documentation, or other tasks
using an underpowered laptop or less.

I can afford a robust desktop along with convenient portable computers
and a decent smartphone. If you can afford just one choice, what you
choose depends on whether you really need to tote something with you
when moving around. My smartphone suffices for most portability needs.
The Chromebook is for everyone in the group to share and is better for
keyboarding than the crappy touch keyboard on a smartphone. On
vacation, the resorts have their own computer rooms and you can find
lots of Internet cafes or even libraries, so you could afford to forego
bringing your own. If you can afford more than one choice for a
computing platform, pick those that match your needs under varying
conditions, and that likely results in choosing more than one computer.

When I'm at home, I use Charmin Ultra Strong in mega rolls. When I'm
away from home, I use whatever cheap toilet paper the store, resort, or
other place provides. That doesn't mean I prefer the cheap stuff. It's
simply convenient but not preferred. Using a Chromebook, laptop, or
netbook is like you toting along the cheap toilet paper because it is
lightweight (both in weight and in computing power). It is possible to
use PCs of others (Internet cafes, libraries, resorts) but that relies
on someone else to provide the cheap toilet paper.

I could tote a screwdriver in my pocket and use it for various purposes,
like as a hammer, pry bar, ice chopper, door wedge, and even as a
screwdriver. However, at home I have the proper tools for the jobs. I
would hardly equate a single screwdriver to the multitudes of toolboxes,
tool cabinets, pegboards, and benches with all my tools. I also carry a
couple of Gerber mini-multitools in my pockets. Very handy when away
from my cache of tools at home but nowhere near the same functionality.
I could use the serrated saw in the minitool to cut a hole in sheetrock
but I have much better tools for that at home, or even in my car in a
toolbox. I have tools of convenience, tools that are portable, and
tools best for the job because I can afford to choose. I'd hate to be
so poor as to choose just one and try to use it under all scenarios.
Ads