5 ms·

>Is coding in cafes and visiting conferences that big a use case Is that really the only place you use your computer? I'm a consultant, working part time at a

by Tehnix 10y ago

>Is coding in cafes and visiting conferences that big a use case Is that really the only place you use your computer? I'm a consultant, working part time at an office, and I am doing a masters and generally just enjoy coding as a hobby. My use case is something like: I develop on my couch, I develop at home, I develop on the train, I develop in the dining room, I develop in my own room, I sometimes write some quick code while on the bus during my commute, and I write code at my university. I also bring this same computer to work and use it to develop there. Oh, and I also sometimes enjoy gaming with my friends at their place, with the same computer. Why on earth would I restrict myself to a stationary computer when I can have a portable one that I can take everywhere I want with no hassle? In my circles the only people that have a stationary computer are people that use it for gaming, and even then they still have a laptop on which they do everything else.

falcolas 10y ago
I personally can't imagine using my work-provided computer for anything other than work. Too much potential for my employer to claim my hobby projects, for viruses to compromise client IP, for otherwise perfectly legal activities done on company property to terminate your employment. The risk / reward ratio is just too high.
- Zelmor 10y ago
  Virtualbox.
  - falcolas 10y ago
    Virtualbox doesn't solve the problem of performing non-work related tasks on a corporate computer. It would help resolve some of the concerns about sandboxing data, but only some.
    - Zelmor 10y ago
      It leaves no traces on the host, so your work is invisible. Just encrypt it and there you go.
- Tehnix 10y ago
  I can certainly see that as a valid point, but my laptop is (fortunately?) my own. I wouldn't really want a company issued one, since I have no intention of ever spreading my workflow to multiple machines. As for viruses I honestly haven't had one since I last was using Windows as my main OS around 2007. EDIT: Of course, I'll acknowledge that not everyone can be in the position of dictating what they use for work and requirements my force you to.
pier25 10y ago
> Why on earth would I restrict myself to a stationary computer when I can have a portable one that I can take everywhere I want with no hassle? A couple of reasons come to mind. 1) Price and value. With the exception of all-in-ones and the 2013 Mac Pro, desktop computers can be upgraded, repaired, and you get a lot more for what you pay than a laptop. Also a desktop machine usually lasts a lot longer than a laptop. 2) Flexibility. Laptops are now more than ever closed systems with soldered parts. Which means that (like an iPad) you don't usually have many options available. 3) Power. This is an obvious one, but to get performance you still need a huge laptop or a desktop. I recon none of these points will make much sense if you absolutely need mobility, but as someone that has both a desktop and laptop I see value in both form factors.
seren 10y ago
> Why on earth would I restrict myself to a stationary computer when I can have a portable one that I can take everywhere I want with no hassle? I don't see this mentioned often but the ergonomics of a laptop are rather poor, you'll end up with RSI much quicker that with a desktop. And this can become quite debilitating. I don't think this is an issue for a couple of hours usage a day, but I would not want to spend all my computer time on a cramped keyboard with my head down.
- Tehnix 10y ago
  I don't know what you mean about the keyboard, since I would literally use the same keyboard size if I were to have an external one (I'm on a Macbook Air, and would use the bluetooth mac keyboard). Never had a problem and I'm using my laptop quite extensively for everything. The head down thing though is valid. It can be mitigated by having a stand or a monitor. I mostly deal with it by just taking a small break every now and then, although that's more related to sitting down than my head position.

by Tehnix 10y ago

falcolas 10y ago

I personally can't imagine using my work-provided computer for anything other than work. Too much potential for my employer to claim my hobby projects, for viruses to compromise client IP, for otherwise perfectly legal activities done on company property to terminate your employment. The risk / reward ratio is just too high.

Zelmor 10y ago
Virtualbox.
- falcolas 10y ago
  Virtualbox doesn't solve the problem of performing non-work related tasks on a corporate computer. It would help resolve some of the concerns about sandboxing data, but only some.
  - Zelmor 10y ago
    It leaves no traces on the host, so your work is invisible. Just encrypt it and there you go.
Tehnix 10y ago
I can certainly see that as a valid point, but my laptop is (fortunately?) my own. I wouldn't really want a company issued one, since I have no intention of ever spreading my workflow to multiple machines. As for viruses I honestly haven't had one since I last was using Windows as my main OS around 2007. EDIT: Of course, I'll acknowledge that not everyone can be in the position of dictating what they use for work and requirements my force you to.

pier25 10y ago

> Why on earth would I restrict myself to a stationary computer when I can have a portable one that I can take everywhere I want with no hassle? A couple of reasons come to mind. 1) Price and value. With the exception of all-in-ones and the 2013 Mac Pro, desktop computers can be upgraded, repaired, and you get a lot more for what you pay than a laptop. Also a desktop machine usually lasts a lot longer than a laptop. 2) Flexibility. Laptops are now more than ever closed systems with soldered parts. Which means that (like an iPad) you don't usually have many options available. 3) Power. This is an obvious one, but to get performance you still need a huge laptop or a desktop. I recon none of these points will make much sense if you absolutely need mobility, but as someone that has both a desktop and laptop I see value in both form factors.

seren 10y ago

> Why on earth would I restrict myself to a stationary computer when I can have a portable one that I can take everywhere I want with no hassle? I don't see this mentioned often but the ergonomics of a laptop are rather poor, you'll end up with RSI much quicker that with a desktop. And this can become quite debilitating. I don't think this is an issue for a couple of hours usage a day, but I would not want to spend all my computer time on a cramped keyboard with my head down.

Tehnix 10y ago
I don't know what you mean about the keyboard, since I would literally use the same keyboard size if I were to have an external one (I'm on a Macbook Air, and would use the bluetooth mac keyboard). Never had a problem and I'm using my laptop quite extensively for everything. The head down thing though is valid. It can be mitigated by having a stand or a monitor. I mostly deal with it by just taking a small break every now and then, although that's more related to sitting down than my head position.