OSDev.org

Hi everyone,
Do you prefer working on desktop or laptop and why ?!


for me , i like desktops very much , i feel that they are stronger , and always stay cool , you can keep them running for days without problems and you can change in its hardware .

Hi,

Mezo40 wrote:Do you prefer working on desktop or laptop and why ?!

For laptops, I find touchpads annoying (e.g. several "strokes" to drag something from left of screen to right of screen) and the screens too small. I prefer a desktop, with a full sized keyboard, room to swing a mouse and at least 2 decent sized monitors.

However I think my preference for 2 decent sized monitors (e.g. rather than one larger monitor) is caused by the way modern GUIs are designed. Normally I run all applications as "full screen" and having 2 monitors means I can see 2 full screen applications at the same time. With a single larger monitor I'd want a "maximise to half the screen" option and I'd get annoyed trying to adjust window edges manually all the time.


Cheers,

Brendan

I was just recently writing a window manager, that made everything fullscreen. Alt+Tab and Alt+ShiftL to shuffle back and forth between windows, Alt+Esc to close the window in focus, and Alt+Enter to launch a terminal. For now I'm using another window manager, but I hope to come back to writing and using mine. The experience using it was quite nice. The only problem is that sometimes there are too many windows to shuffle through to get to something. But I did not consider it a window manager problem - some programs, like a music player, or a BitTorrent client could run in background, and I'd prefer them that way. It's a matter of finding alternative software, for me. The idea for this wm came from that same observation, that most of the time, I'm using one program in fullsceen. I plan to implement splitting the screen for two windows, when I get back to it. The thing I like the most about this kind of UI, is the maximum screen real estate.

As for the laptop vs desktop, I prefer the desktop because of the more convenient keyboard and a mouse instead of a touchpad. A bigger screen is nice, but that's the last of the three. Also, I experiment with one of my keyboards, by removing some buttons and trying to see if I miss them, while using the pc, just to see what I really need.

Brendan wrote:With a single larger monitor I'd want a "maximise to half the screen" option and I'd get annoyed trying to adjust window edges manually all the time.

This feature is indeed existed on windows 3.1 (and possibly other brand OSes) - its called "tile windows", for some unknown reason such feature is dropped.

Since quite a long time, I am laptop-only user. ATM, I have 17'' one, with full keyboard (only arrow keys are in a bit weird place, but after using it for a while, I really like it), and I am mainly using external mouse, so I don't know why you seem to be stuck at "laptop = no real keyboard and no real mouse" stereotype. Now, laptops are far more useful, especially when you need to move from place to place on - roughly - regular basis, or when you are a student, like myself. And you can be lying on your bed and still use the computer!

Hi,

bluemoon wrote:

Brendan wrote:With a single larger monitor I'd want a "maximise to half the screen" option and I'd get annoyed trying to adjust window edges manually all the time.

This feature is indeed existed on windows 3.1 (and possibly other brand OSes) - its called "tile windows", for some unknown reason such feature is dropped.

It also exists in Windows 7 - just drag the window to the far right or left of the screen.

I definitely go for dual-monitor desktops where possible (I think I'd find 3 a bit much!). I have a laptop but hate it. I always plug it in to a desktop monitor, mouse and keyboard where possible which seems to defeat the object! If I commuted on public transport more, I'd probably find a place for the laptop again, though.

Cheers,
Adam

Mezo40 wrote:Do you prefer working on desktop or laptop and why ?!

I prefer desktop because of the amount of available computing power and stability. Also, I can upgrade the hardware without a second thought.
The computer I am using to write this post (my one and only pc) has been running for 2 months continuous with a few restarts per week.

Brendan wrote:For laptops, I find touchpads annoying (e.g. several "strokes" to drag something from left of screen to right of screen) and the screens too small.

Just because a laptop has a touchpad doesn't mean you need to use it. I never, ever, *ever* take my laptop anywhere without a real mouse. As for screen size, I generally find a 15-inch laptop screen sufficient.

That said, I'm fairly neutral as to laptops vs. desktops.

mbp laptop.

no mouse, mac's touchpad is awesome.

For me Laptops
Reason:
#1 if the power goes out I don't lose work
#2 I can take it with me if I wish. I'm not stuck in one spot.

I have a keyboard, mouse, and second monitor hooked to my Laptop so I do have a Desktop like experience when I'm working in one spot.

I do think Desktops cool better though than Laptops though.

Model: Lenovo g770, RAM: 4 GB, HDD: 500 GB, processor: i5 quad core, OS: Ubuntu 12.10.

I bought my last desktop (actually a tower model) 2003 and after that I've always bought laptops. Laptops give me the performance I need in a quieter and smaller package and can't think of buying a desktop again.

Well, during the 60s a computer filled an entire room, soon your only computer might be in your pocket. Maybe after 10 years I will remember the days when I had to lug around an entire laptop of 3-4 kg.

Both desktop and laptop have their charms. I'm using a laptop right now since I'm moving around quite a lot. When that's not happening, a desktop with more ergonomic screen and control sizes is preferable.

I have a 13" business laptop that comes with a docking station, which I've kitted out with a few extras. This means I get the best of both worlds:

As a laptop, I have a very portable laptop with a 120GB SSD, 1TB hard drive (where the optical drive used to be), 16GB of RAM - more powerful than a lot of desktop systems, still with 3 hours battery life and light enough to carry.

Once it's in the docking station, I have access to two external monitors (giving me 2x 22" and 1x 13") and an ergonomic desk, keyboard, mouse and all the associated desktop gear (external hard drives, printers, etc).

Brendan wrote:Hi,

For laptops, I find touchpads annoying (e.g. several "strokes" to drag something from left of screen to right of screen) and the screens too small. I prefer a desktop, with a full sized keyboard, room to swing a mouse and at least 2 decent sized monitors.

However I think my preference for 2 decent sized monitors (e.g. rather than one larger monitor) is caused by the way modern GUIs are designed. Normally I run all applications as "full screen" and having 2 monitors means I can see 2 full screen applications at the same time. With a single larger monitor I'd want a "maximise to half the screen" option and I'd get annoyed trying to adjust window edges manually all the time.


Cheers,

Brendan

I totally agree... I use a laptop with a decent keyboard and mouse attached.

JackScott wrote:I have a 13" business laptop that comes with a docking station, which I've kitted out with a few extras. This means I get the best of both worlds:

As a laptop, I have a very portable laptop with a 120GB SSD, 1TB hard drive (where the optical drive used to be), 16GB of RAM - more powerful than a lot of desktop systems, still with 3 hours battery life and light enough to carry.

Once it's in the docking station, I have access to two external monitors (giving me 2x 22" and 1x 13") and an ergonomic desk, keyboard, mouse and all the associated desktop gear (external hard drives, printers, etc).

About all recent companies I've worked at have adapted this model. They buy laptop + docking station + keyboard + mouse + monitor and that gives them essentially the best of both worlds. Laptop performance is decent enough for most people unless it is really computationally intensive. So the laptop is the new desktop for many companies.

Now everybody can bring their laptop to the meetings. Everybody sit there typing on their laptops and nobody pays attention to the meeting.