

Your Next Computer Should Be a Desktop - wslh
http://www.wsj.com/articles/your-next-computer-should-be-a-desktop-1439316558

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markbnj
I'm a software engineer, and I'm sure there are many other professions which,
like my own, require powerful machines and lots of screen space. I run two 24"
monitors and would love to have a third. I could see myself with a powerful
laptop if I was able to come home and dock it to my monitors, keyboard, and
mouse.

I'm sure that's possible for most systems now if you jump through the hoops,
but I haven't had a strong motivation since it has gotten cheaper and cheaper
to keep stuffing upgraded components into my ten year-old Coolermaster case.

For most people, I think it will continue to move in the direction of laptops
+ possibly external monitor for work, phones/tablets for play.

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jseliger
I'm not a software engineer but I do think the "Death of the desktop" is an
overrated story ([http://jakeseliger.com/2011/10/09/desktop-pcs-arent-going-
an...](http://jakeseliger.com/2011/10/09/desktop-pcs-arent-going-anywhere-
despite-the-growth-of-phones-and-tablets-because-theyre-cheap/)). Desktops
remain useful for the usual reasons (screen size, cost-per-factor _x_ , etc.).
I'm also struck by how many people tend to use laptops on the same desk at the
same time most of the time.

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mrlyc
I prefer desktops. It seems to me that laptops are the digital equivalent of
the old three-in-ones consisting of turntable, radio and cassette. If you
wanted, say, a good turntable, you ended up paying more for the other
components too as upgrading only one component was almost impossible. When one
broke down, the whole thing had to be sent in for repair.

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pavel_lishin
This article sort of assumes that if you're working on a laptop, you're
working on nothing but the laptop. At home, I plug it into a huge monitor on
top of a standing desk, with a keyboard and mouse. At home, I plug it into a
large monitor, again with a keyboard and mouse. I'm not hunched over the
damned thing at the coffee table.

A desktop does get you more bang for your buck, but it also doesn't travel
with you, and it takes more effort to synchronize your environment across two
machines. I use one laptop for work and hobbies; I'd be annoyed if I had to
set up a sync mechanism for both machines.

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whistlerbrk
I prefer desktops. When I leave the office I don't want to take my work with
me. When I've had them (desktops) I've always felt a better/healthier
segmentation in my life.

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pavel_lishin
What do you do when you're on call, and something breaks down?

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whistlerbrk
shell keys are on my phone and I have JuiceSSH installed.

Beyond that: never never never never deploy on a Friday. Even if it's a copy
change, just don't do it as a matter of policy.

~~~
pavel_lishin
I agree on no-Friday-deploys. One of my bosses a few jobs ago insisted on it,
until I flat out refused to do it, or to deal with the fallout after the
(n+1)th time that we had to come into the office at 8am on a Sunday morning.

