It’s infuriating how fast we went from “if you have a computer because you can afford one at all” to “if you have a computer because you even bother to use one in the age of smartphones”
Laptop keyboards are, as someone said, like running barefoot on cement: you can do it for short periods, but if you do it for a long time you start feeling the effects. I need to use a full width keyboard to be confortable programming. And not any full width keyboard; I need the ones where the keys are sculpted and their curvature varies (like the inside of a sphere) depending of the position of the keyboard. That way I can have a good feedback of the position of my fingers, again, without needing to watch the keyboard. If I’m going to connect a full keyboard to a laptop, I may well get a full desktop computer.
Why a desktop:
if something craps out, is easier to change individual components in a desktop.
my current desk is overcrowded and also is not designed to house a laptop and an additional monitor
I despise using laptops for gaming and for anything that doesn’t require mobility. My serious computing is static, not mobile. My work provides me a laptop, but I can easily work from home, and also they don’t provide desktops. For my own machine, my choice is desktop, period.
I am a touch typist and laptop keyboards are fine. I haven’t tried keyboards with weird curvatures but most desktop keyboards are too wide if you don’t have big hands.
I can see the first point about repairability but it’s not really something you can’t do without and is the price to pay for mobility (which is something that could be considered essential). If you use a laptop with full peripherals, it can act as a desktop when there is no space but you can’t do the opposite :p
@Blaze is right, that most people’s personal computer scope of usage doesn’t reach far beyond scrolling through Facebook and paying bills once a month. A phone is perfectly well fit for that. Tech-savvy nerds of Lemmy such as myself or you have more requirements and scenarios where they need a more comfortable, powerful and capable device.
Not an Android, but calibre is a good solution if you have a computer at hand
It’s infuriating how fast we went from “if you have a computer because you can afford one at all” to “if you have a computer because you even bother to use one in the age of smartphones”
I see where you come from, but mobile phones are much better devices than computers for most of the people:
On Lemmy most of the people are desktop enthusiasts running Linux, but it makes sense that other people moved on
Moving on doesn’t make sense to me. Just use both.
After my sister’s college laptop died, she only had a phone for over a decade and got by just fine.
I work in IT and I enjoy programming. No way I can live without a computer (a desktop computer, in particular).
I get the computer part but why a desktop in particular? Especially for programming it shouldn’t make a difference.
You obviously are not a touch typist. I am.
Laptop keyboards are, as someone said, like running barefoot on cement: you can do it for short periods, but if you do it for a long time you start feeling the effects. I need to use a full width keyboard to be confortable programming. And not any full width keyboard; I need the ones where the keys are sculpted and their curvature varies (like the inside of a sphere) depending of the position of the keyboard. That way I can have a good feedback of the position of my fingers, again, without needing to watch the keyboard. If I’m going to connect a full keyboard to a laptop, I may well get a full desktop computer.
Why a desktop:
I am a touch typist and laptop keyboards are fine. I haven’t tried keyboards with weird curvatures but most desktop keyboards are too wide if you don’t have big hands.
I can see the first point about repairability but it’s not really something you can’t do without and is the price to pay for mobility (which is something that could be considered essential). If you use a laptop with full peripherals, it can act as a desktop when there is no space but you can’t do the opposite :p
in my case is repairability and lower cost
Let me introduce you to spreadsheets, video-editing (advanced, not just simple), music notation, and many other forms…
@Blaze is right, that most people’s personal computer scope of usage doesn’t reach far beyond scrolling through Facebook and paying bills once a month. A phone is perfectly well fit for that. Tech-savvy nerds of Lemmy such as myself or you have more requirements and scenarios where they need a more comfortable, powerful and capable device.
I use Linux as my main OS.
I still see that people around me use their phones for almost everything.
The tasks mentioned above make sense on a work computer, but most people leave the work computer at work and use their phones on their free time.