4 ms·

I keep my laptop with me at all times in a public place. If I go to the toilet, I pack up my laptop and take it with me. It's not worth risking £2.2k of equipme

by swombat 16y ago

I keep my laptop with me at all times in a public place. If I go to the toilet, I pack up my laptop and take it with me. It's not worth risking £2.2k of equipment (plus all the hassle) for the convenience of not losing your seat. Worth noting that I don't work in coffee shops too often.

davidw 16y ago
+1 for paranoia. It's not just the price of the laptop itself: * Downtime if I have to replace it. * Hassle of getting something similar (US keyboard) over here in Italy. * Worry of having passwords/ssh keys/etc... out there.
- dkersten 16y ago
  But you have to admit, £2.2k is an expensive laptop! How do Apple get away with this!
- mrtron 16y ago
  Time machine negates the downtime of getting back to where you are at. It has dramatically reduced my lost laptop phobia.
  - stcredzero 16y ago
    Been there, done that. You're still going to lose a big chunk of a day.
    - mrtron 16y ago
      It shows the quality of the product when you can be back up and running in about 4 hours. Completely back to where you were at last backup while you go get a coffee. That is a huge win for anyone who lives with their laptop as their primary tool.
- rbanffy 16y ago
  > Hassle of getting something similar (US keyboard) over here in Italy. I have a similar problem in Brazil. Only once Dell offered me an apology for not having a Brazilian keyboard on one of their laptops. If I want a laptop with US layout, I have to either import one or buy a compatible keyboard in the gray market.
- dagw 16y ago
  Hassle of getting something similar (US keyboard) This is one thing Apple does very right. Apple is the only company that will happily sell me a laptop with a US keyboard here in Sweden. In fact they have it as a standard option in their web shop and doesn't cost anything. From every other brand I've looked it was either a flat out "No" or an expensive a complicated procedure.
  - barrkel 16y ago
    This is ironic. In the same way that Apple is closed system and hence hardware is normally more expensive than PC's standardized hardware, laptops are integrated systems and the fragmentation means only a handful of parts are generically substitutable. Apple wins by having proportionally less fragmentation. Most laptop keyboards are little replaceable trays connected to the motherboard with a ribbon cable. If the keyboards were easily available to purchase independently, you could probably do it yourself; but they're not.
  - Vitaly 16y ago
    it is definitely not like that here in Israel. And this is the reason we are buying laptops from US. The local hebrew compatible keyboard is just horrible. with a very small Enter key, displaced "~" etc.
mootothemax 16y ago
Absolutely agree. There's a reason that bikes don't last long when locked up in busy city centres; given that laptops are even easier to steal and fence, why wouldn't you keep it with you at all times?
thibaut_barrere 16y ago
I second that. There's no way I'd leave my laptop, apart if I'm home, or if I need to go to the toilets at a trusted client office. Even when I'm at clients, I keep it at lunch with me, as losing it would really be a hassle. Also I keep what I consider sensitive data into a Knox volume (http://agilewebsolutions.com/knox http://agilewebsolutions.com/knox), which has been working fairly well for me.
ojbyrne 16y ago
Ditto. I have a backpack full of expensive gear (DSLR, Lens, Laptop, iPad, phones). It's easy to just stick the laptop in its compartment, put the backpack on my back and go.
dgallagher 16y ago
I do the same, but leave a bottle of water, napkins, or half-eaten food at my seat. I've never once had someone take it from me.
- benatkin 16y ago
  Me too. A power adapter is another thing I'll often leave there.
pasbesoin 16y ago
I'll leave a book and some unimportant papers -- and maybe my jacket over the seatback, depending upon weather -- to retain my table. The laptop, bag, phone, etc. go with me to the john. Worst case, I'm out the price of a book and/or jacket. The machine and data remain safe. Even then, I may ask a trustworthy-looking neighbor to keep an eye on my spot. And I return the favor whenever asked. P.S. Leave also a pad or piece of paper with some writing on it, with a pen/pencil on top. People are much less likely to assume the table is abandoned. EDIT: P.P.S. From the more paranoid side: Don't leave an unfinished drink that you intend to finish upon return, especially if you are part of what is considered a target demographic. I would guess incidences are much lower in cafes, but I take this lesson from my family who grew up in much tougher neighborhoods. You don't want someone slipping something into your drink. I learned to get my drink straight from the bartender -- watch him/her open a bottle of beer for you if you really have your doubts -- and don't turn your back on it or leave it unattended. (I guess this could apply to food, as well.)
stcredzero 16y ago
I use a "Shuttle 2.0" case. Since you can work on the laptop with it inside the case, it's very easy to take it to the bathroom. Leave books and the power supply and ask a neighbor to watch your stuff. http://amzn.com/B000XV8EJU http://amzn.com/B000XV8EJU

by swombat 16y ago

davidw 16y ago

+1 for paranoia. It's not just the price of the laptop itself: * Downtime if I have to replace it. * Hassle of getting something similar (US keyboard) over here in Italy. * Worry of having passwords/ssh keys/etc... out there.

dkersten 16y ago
But you have to admit, £2.2k is an expensive laptop! How do Apple get away with this!
mrtron 16y ago
Time machine negates the downtime of getting back to where you are at. It has dramatically reduced my lost laptop phobia.
- stcredzero 16y ago
  Been there, done that. You're still going to lose a big chunk of a day.
  - mrtron 16y ago
    It shows the quality of the product when you can be back up and running in about 4 hours. Completely back to where you were at last backup while you go get a coffee. That is a huge win for anyone who lives with their laptop as their primary tool.
rbanffy 16y ago
> Hassle of getting something similar (US keyboard) over here in Italy. I have a similar problem in Brazil. Only once Dell offered me an apology for not having a Brazilian keyboard on one of their laptops. If I want a laptop with US layout, I have to either import one or buy a compatible keyboard in the gray market.
dagw 16y ago
Hassle of getting something similar (US keyboard) This is one thing Apple does very right. Apple is the only company that will happily sell me a laptop with a US keyboard here in Sweden. In fact they have it as a standard option in their web shop and doesn't cost anything. From every other brand I've looked it was either a flat out "No" or an expensive a complicated procedure.
- barrkel 16y ago
  This is ironic. In the same way that Apple is closed system and hence hardware is normally more expensive than PC's standardized hardware, laptops are integrated systems and the fragmentation means only a handful of parts are generically substitutable. Apple wins by having proportionally less fragmentation. Most laptop keyboards are little replaceable trays connected to the motherboard with a ribbon cable. If the keyboards were easily available to purchase independently, you could probably do it yourself; but they're not.
- Vitaly 16y ago
  it is definitely not like that here in Israel. And this is the reason we are buying laptops from US. The local hebrew compatible keyboard is just horrible. with a very small Enter key, displaced "~" etc.

mootothemax 16y ago

Absolutely agree. There's a reason that bikes don't last long when locked up in busy city centres; given that laptops are even easier to steal and fence, why wouldn't you keep it with you at all times?

thibaut_barrere 16y ago

I second that. There's no way I'd leave my laptop, apart if I'm home, or if I need to go to the toilets at a trusted client office. Even when I'm at clients, I keep it at lunch with me, as losing it would really be a hassle. Also I keep what I consider sensitive data into a Knox volume (http://agilewebsolutions.com/knox http://agilewebsolutions.com/knox), which has been working fairly well for me.

ojbyrne 16y ago

Ditto. I have a backpack full of expensive gear (DSLR, Lens, Laptop, iPad, phones). It's easy to just stick the laptop in its compartment, put the backpack on my back and go.

dgallagher 16y ago

I do the same, but leave a bottle of water, napkins, or half-eaten food at my seat. I've never once had someone take it from me.

benatkin 16y ago
Me too. A power adapter is another thing I'll often leave there.

pasbesoin 16y ago

I'll leave a book and some unimportant papers -- and maybe my jacket over the seatback, depending upon weather -- to retain my table. The laptop, bag, phone, etc. go with me to the john. Worst case, I'm out the price of a book and/or jacket. The machine and data remain safe. Even then, I may ask a trustworthy-looking neighbor to keep an eye on my spot. And I return the favor whenever asked. P.S. Leave also a pad or piece of paper with some writing on it, with a pen/pencil on top. People are much less likely to assume the table is abandoned. EDIT: P.P.S. From the more paranoid side: Don't leave an unfinished drink that you intend to finish upon return, especially if you are part of what is considered a target demographic. I would guess incidences are much lower in cafes, but I take this lesson from my family who grew up in much tougher neighborhoods. You don't want someone slipping something into your drink. I learned to get my drink straight from the bartender -- watch him/her open a bottle of beer for you if you really have your doubts -- and don't turn your back on it or leave it unattended. (I guess this could apply to food, as well.)

stcredzero 16y ago

I use a "Shuttle 2.0" case. Since you can work on the laptop with it inside the case, it's very easy to take it to the bathroom. Leave books and the power supply and ask a neighbor to watch your stuff. http://amzn.com/B000XV8EJU http://amzn.com/B000XV8EJU