On Tue, 20 Dec 2016 01:05:20 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message , Gene Wirchenko
writes:

[snip]

2) The touchpad is awkward to use.
a) My hands are very dry, and I occasionally cause a click when
my finger is just above -- but not actually touching -- the touchpad.
Other clicks can happen when I am moving the pointer.

With many touchpads, there are adjustments for both of these.

Not on mine that I have found.

b) I am accustomed to point and click. On the touchpad, I lose
my hand position when I click. With a mouse, I can click without
losing the position.

Don't you tap-tap? I, at first, thought I'd never get used to a
touchpad, but am now very used to it. I use a mouse at work. On the
whole, I switch between them without difficulty; occasionally, I find
something that one does better than the other, but I think it's about
the same number for each.

No. I am accustomed to move, click, move, click, move, click. It
is fast. Tap-tap loses my precise positioning and is slower.

3) WiFi is much slower than my desktop system's ADSL.
A lot of laptops still have an ethernet port - but of course have wifi
as well. (Actually, I've never found wifi to be the limiting factor -
more likely the processor power, or occasionally the external internet
connection speed. But I can see the wifi _could_ be the limiting factor
for some people.)

It is what is available at hotels. It is noticeably slower. It
affects my workflow.

[snip]

No argument. Lappy's main advantages are portability and ubiquity.

Yes.

I am reminded of a definition of golf attributed to Ambrose
Bierce. Paraphrase: Golf is a game where the idea is to hit a little
ball into a little hole with implements that are ill-suited to the
purpose.

Laptops are a form of computer golf.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko