7 ms·

I care to differ (as a developer on a desktop). The reason for developing on a desktop is that my productivity is much higher with 3 screens, one of which is a

I care to differ (as a developer on a desktop). The reason for developing on a desktop is that my productivity is much higher with 3 screens, one of which is a 40 inch, a full 101 key keyboard and a mouse.

pbronez 6y ago
Yeah I’m with you. Laptops are great, but they sacrifice a lot for the form factor. Remove the constraint of needing an integrated screen, keyboard, touch pad and battery, and you can do much more. Sure you can dock it, but docked accessories are always second class citizens relative to the integrated stuff.
alistairSH 6y ago
Laptop user, I also have 3 screens. I do use the MBP's keyboard, but never felt like that cost me productivity. I use a normal mouse as well. The only reason I can think of the need a desktop is the extra CPU/GPU capacity you can get.
- jsjohnst 6y ago
  > The only reason I can think of the need a desktop is the extra CPU/GPU capacity you can get. Or RAM
  - llampx 6y ago
    You mean you don't like paying $500 for 8GB of soldered RAM?
    - jsjohnst 6y ago
      Nope, not what I’m saying at all (in part because your comment is hyperbolic and untrue). Some folks need more than 64gb RAM which is the highest amount most laptops have.
      - vetinari 6y ago
        He is not that off. Apple asks $200 for 8 GB, so he is at the same order of magnitude. For comparison, I've bought this week 16 GB DDR4 ECC (unregistered) sticks for 67 EUR per piece (before VAT).
        jsjohnst 6y ago
        Great, so you bought an different type of RAM in a completely different form factor and paid a different price. This is on “processor package” RAM and will thus have an entirely different price basis than a removable stick would, not even factoring in the Apple Tax. Furthermore, how is that relevant to the point _I_ was making about needing more than 64gb of RAM? If you both want to tangent, fine do so, but don’t try to put words in my mouth while doing it.
        vetinari 6y ago
        > Great, so you bought an different type of RAM in a completely different form factor and paid a different price. It is being called "using an example" or "illustrative example". For comparison, I've used a type of RAM that is traditionally much more expensive than you find in laptops. > This is on “processor package” RAM and will thus have an entirely different price basis than a removable stick would, No. 1) The same price is being asked for RAM in non-M1 models. 2) You could put any price tag you want, because the item is single-sourced, the vendor can pull a quote out of the thin air and you cannot find exact equivalent on the market. Therefore, for comparison, a functionally and parametric similar item is being used. > how is that relevant to the point _I_ was making about needing more than 64gb of RAM? You get a different product, that supports more RAM. > If you both want to tangent, fine do so, but don’t try to put words in my mouth while doing it. Could you point out, where I did that? I was pointing out, that your note about the GP being hyperbolic is untrue - he was in the ballpark.
        jsjohnst 6y ago
        > I was pointing out, that your note about the GP being hyperbolic is untrue - he was in the ballpark. Essentially as in the ballpark as $80 is, both are off by 2.5x. Claiming they are “same order of magnitude, so it’s not hyperbolic” is laughable. $100k and $250k are both same order of magnitude, but are radically different prices, no?
  - hakfoo 6y ago
    Or internal peripherals. If I want 20Tb of storage, and I don't want external chassis all over the place, I need a desktop with at least a couple of 3.5 bays.
pdpi 6y ago
All of which are available on modern laptops
jsjohnst 6y ago
> The reason for developing on a desktop is that my productivity is much higher with 3 screens Those requirements don’t dictate a desktop[0]. Also, the physical size of the monitor is irrelevant, it’s the resolution that matters. Your video card doesn’t care if you have a 40” 4K monitor or an 80” 4K monitor, to it, it’s the same load. The reason I still have a cheese grater Mac Pro desktop at all is because I have 128gb RAM in it and have tasks that need that much memory. [0] I’ve connected eight external monitors to my 16” MBP (with laptop screen still enabled, so 9 screens total). I don’t use the setup actively, did it as a test, but it very much works. The setup was as follows: TB#1 - 27” LG 5K @ 5120x2880 TB#2 - TB3<->TB2 adapter, then two 27” Apple Thunderbolt Displays @ 2560x1440 TB#3 - eGPU with AMD RX580, then two 34” ultrawides connected over HDMI @ 3440x1440, two 27” DisplayPort monitors @ 2560x1440 TB#4 - TB3<->TB2 adapter, then 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display @ 2560x1440 So that’s almost 50 million pixels displayed on around 4,000 square inches of screens driven by a single MBP laptop.
- llampx 6y ago
  How was it to move (or find) the cursor? (I kid, I kid)
  - jsjohnst 6y ago
    You kid, but it legit was an issue. I’ve used at least 3 monitors (if not 1-2 more) for over a decade now, so I’ve experience there, but going up to 9 even for a short while, it was definitely an issue.
utxaa 6y ago
at work, when at the office, they are always pushing screens on us. keep thinking is some pork deal with dell. my whole team either plugs in a laptop to one screen, or just works straight on the laptop. maybe we're not cool.
- llampx 6y ago
  Its probably the ergonomics police.
- speleding 6y ago
  A quick Google will turn up several serious usability studies that show more screen real estate == higher productivity. It depends a lot on the type of work, of course, but for development a larger screen would mean less scrolling and tab switching => less context switching => so your brain gets more done.

pbronez 6y ago

Yeah I’m with you. Laptops are great, but they sacrifice a lot for the form factor. Remove the constraint of needing an integrated screen, keyboard, touch pad and battery, and you can do much more. Sure you can dock it, but docked accessories are always second class citizens relative to the integrated stuff.

alistairSH 6y ago

Laptop user, I also have 3 screens. I do use the MBP's keyboard, but never felt like that cost me productivity. I use a normal mouse as well. The only reason I can think of the need a desktop is the extra CPU/GPU capacity you can get.

jsjohnst 6y ago
> The only reason I can think of the need a desktop is the extra CPU/GPU capacity you can get. Or RAM
- llampx 6y ago
  You mean you don't like paying $500 for 8GB of soldered RAM?
  - jsjohnst 6y ago
    Nope, not what I’m saying at all (in part because your comment is hyperbolic and untrue). Some folks need more than 64gb RAM which is the highest amount most laptops have.
    - vetinari 6y ago
      He is not that off. Apple asks $200 for 8 GB, so he is at the same order of magnitude. For comparison, I've bought this week 16 GB DDR4 ECC (unregistered) sticks for 67 EUR per piece (before VAT).
      - jsjohnst 6y ago
        Great, so you bought an different type of RAM in a completely different form factor and paid a different price. This is on “processor package” RAM and will thus have an entirely different price basis than a removable stick would, not even factoring in the Apple Tax. Furthermore, how is that relevant to the point _I_ was making about needing more than 64gb of RAM? If you both want to tangent, fine do so, but don’t try to put words in my mouth while doing it.
        vetinari 6y ago
        > Great, so you bought an different type of RAM in a completely different form factor and paid a different price. It is being called "using an example" or "illustrative example". For comparison, I've used a type of RAM that is traditionally much more expensive than you find in laptops. > This is on “processor package” RAM and will thus have an entirely different price basis than a removable stick would, No. 1) The same price is being asked for RAM in non-M1 models. 2) You could put any price tag you want, because the item is single-sourced, the vendor can pull a quote out of the thin air and you cannot find exact equivalent on the market. Therefore, for comparison, a functionally and parametric similar item is being used. > how is that relevant to the point _I_ was making about needing more than 64gb of RAM? You get a different product, that supports more RAM. > If you both want to tangent, fine do so, but don’t try to put words in my mouth while doing it. Could you point out, where I did that? I was pointing out, that your note about the GP being hyperbolic is untrue - he was in the ballpark.
        jsjohnst 6y ago
        > I was pointing out, that your note about the GP being hyperbolic is untrue - he was in the ballpark. Essentially as in the ballpark as $80 is, both are off by 2.5x. Claiming they are “same order of magnitude, so it’s not hyperbolic” is laughable. $100k and $250k are both same order of magnitude, but are radically different prices, no?
- hakfoo 6y ago
  Or internal peripherals. If I want 20Tb of storage, and I don't want external chassis all over the place, I need a desktop with at least a couple of 3.5 bays.

pdpi 6y ago

All of which are available on modern laptops

jsjohnst 6y ago

> The reason for developing on a desktop is that my productivity is much higher with 3 screens Those requirements don’t dictate a desktop[0]. Also, the physical size of the monitor is irrelevant, it’s the resolution that matters. Your video card doesn’t care if you have a 40” 4K monitor or an 80” 4K monitor, to it, it’s the same load. The reason I still have a cheese grater Mac Pro desktop at all is because I have 128gb RAM in it and have tasks that need that much memory. [0] I’ve connected eight external monitors to my 16” MBP (with laptop screen still enabled, so 9 screens total). I don’t use the setup actively, did it as a test, but it very much works. The setup was as follows: TB#1 - 27” LG 5K @ 5120x2880 TB#2 - TB3<->TB2 adapter, then two 27” Apple Thunderbolt Displays @ 2560x1440 TB#3 - eGPU with AMD RX580, then two 34” ultrawides connected over HDMI @ 3440x1440, two 27” DisplayPort monitors @ 2560x1440 TB#4 - TB3<->TB2 adapter, then 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display @ 2560x1440 So that’s almost 50 million pixels displayed on around 4,000 square inches of screens driven by a single MBP laptop.

llampx 6y ago
How was it to move (or find) the cursor? (I kid, I kid)
- jsjohnst 6y ago
  You kid, but it legit was an issue. I’ve used at least 3 monitors (if not 1-2 more) for over a decade now, so I’ve experience there, but going up to 9 even for a short while, it was definitely an issue.

utxaa 6y ago

at work, when at the office, they are always pushing screens on us. keep thinking is some pork deal with dell. my whole team either plugs in a laptop to one screen, or just works straight on the laptop. maybe we're not cool.

llampx 6y ago
Its probably the ergonomics police.
speleding 6y ago
A quick Google will turn up several serious usability studies that show more screen real estate == higher productivity. It depends a lot on the type of work, of course, but for development a larger screen would mean less scrolling and tab switching => less context switching => so your brain gets more done.