9 ms·

There exists a good solution. It is called a desktop. I turned my company provided laptop into an almost full desktop with external monitor, keyboard and mouse

There exists a good solution. It is called a desktop. I turned my company provided laptop into an almost full desktop with external monitor, keyboard and mouse, speakers, a USB microphone, USB camera. At this point I am wondering why do I even have a wimpy ULV processor to write code 8 hrs a day. The sheer amount of time I could save by switching to even a basic 4 core 45-65w Desktop class CPU. Saving pennies on the dollar.

gcatalfamo 6y ago
Yes, in theory. But I end up not liking having to sit at the desk for "everything computer". Sometimes I just want to work while sitting comfortably on the couch.
- plun9 6y ago
  You could get a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo and use a TV/projector as a display.
  - dhosek 6y ago
    That doesn't really work for me with my fading vision in my senescence. My monitor that I work on is a super-wide screen monitor about 2 feet away. The optimum TV-watching distance is much further for me.
- dingaling 6y ago
  > Sometimes I just want to work while sitting comfortably on the couch. Grab some paper and a pencil and use it as non-screen time. Else you can find yourself spending too long on a poor posture on furniture that's designed for lean-back, not lean-in.
  - nwienert 6y ago
    I have a minor issue with my lower spine, not crazy but actually sit at desk 0% of the time as a result. Laptops on the couch are quite cozy and sustainable.
    - emkoemko 6y ago
      you have spine issues so you think using a laptop is a good idea? "sustainable" no its really bad for you long term.
      - nwienert 6y ago
        You have no idea what I have yet couldn’t help moralizing on pure assumption? Everyone’s different. Stop bowing to the church of desks.
- draklor40 6y ago
  I never get work done at the couch. Youtube, surfing, browsing, yes. Work ? No. I like a work desk. Keeps work and other stuff separate. Got a height adjustable desk. keeps my back from going bad before I hit 40.
- reader_mode 6y ago
  Get something ultra portable and RDP over LAN
- bootlooped 6y ago
  I think there's a benefit in having physical separation between work and non-work areas of the home. Certainly this is going to be of different value to everybody.
neogodless 6y ago
When I'm working, most of the time I'm on my desktop, with a ~5 year old web cam attached to a monitor. For a while, I wondered if software was just making "me" look good (quality, not my face, ha!) but I had someone do a screen shot. And my $50 web cam is 5x better than basically every Macbook web cam for video chat. And my desktop is a ~2 year old 8-core, 32GB machine. Not a monster but excellent power plus 27" and 32" monitors, and an ergonomic chair, keyboard and mouse. The webcam mic works well, too, even in conjunction with my external speakers. I can game on a laptop (with a decent laptop stand and flat surface for a mouse) but I certainly wouldn't want to do 8 hours of work on it. (Or a laptop on a table/desk, which isn't the right height or a good keyboard setup either...) Long-winded way of saying I agree with you. But I did buy all of my desktop gear - nothing was work supplied.
- tomjen3 6y ago
  I have a 13 year old Thinkpad with a webcam and an M1 Macbook Air. I have been meaning to compare the recording from their webcams, but I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't that big of a difference. I also have a nice external USB webcam that I normally use, but when you run that through Zoom or Google Meet the quality is degraded tremendously, to the point where I don't think it make sense to upgrade your camera, until you are able to use better video software. As for audio, I tested both the microphone in my external webcam today and a Rode Lavier, and the webcam had a distinct room sound to it, that the Lavier didn't.
- draklor40 6y ago
  bought mine as well from my pocket. except laptop , nothing was supplied by work. Have to apply for a tax break for all the stuff I bought this year.
- AtlasBarfed 6y ago
  32" monitor? You know you can get a 43" 4k TV that is half-decent for a monitor for 200-300$? And 8ks are coming... 2000$ for a 65" 8k, but of course the HDMI port support is glacial and grossly overpriced. But a curved 8k 65" for high-dpi will be my next big desktop build.
bitwize 6y ago
> At this point I am wondering why do I even have a wimpy ULV processor to write code 8 hrs a day. The sheer amount of time I could save by switching to even a basic 4 core 45-65w Desktop class CPU. Sounds like someone who hasn't heard of the M1 Macs. They smoke all but the beefiest of desktops.
- uncledave 6y ago
  I’ve got an M1 Mac mini. That it does. But it still doesn’t run a bunch of software I need so I’m sitting here thinking about replacing it with a mid range windows box.
- draklor40 6y ago
  Work doesn't offer a M1 Mac. Not everyone can afford to by an M1 mac. I already invested some money in a laptop last year. not gonna write off a big chunk of that and spend MORE on top of that. Most of my work is on Linux based OSes. Theoretically I can use a Mac, but I hate Macs. I hate Apple's approach to software (all locked down, but beautiful). Really like hacking stuff with my OS and I want to be able to replace, atleast basic parts of my computer. With my current work and personal laptops, I can open the back, replace the RAM, SSDs and even the keyboards (at a stretch).
uncledave 6y ago
I’m with you on this. I’ve been working remotely for many years now and I started using laptops initially (thinkpad T series ) so my house didn’t get cluttered with work things mostly and I could waltz into the office. Roll on time and I discovered that laptops are a complete nightmare and I am never using one again. They are expensive, hot, slow, noisy, fragile, have poor connectivity options, needy, unreliable and terrible for your health. Also there is no office now thanks to covid so I now work from one location always. The expensive XPS I’ve just been shipped by my company is another one which persists these problems further. It will never be used as a laptop but as a desktop and a wart I can’t get rid of. I would be happier with a recycled corp i5 desktop with 32gb of ram and 500gb SSD. Edit to add that my personal computer is a M1 Mac mini. I include MacBooks in my list of criticism, including the M1 units. I have had numerous really bad experiences with Apple laptops.
WalterBright 6y ago
For me, the desktop is primary and the laptop is a peripheral. 1. big monitor, even multiple monitors 2. full size keyboard 3. no trackpad always being accidentally touched 4. terabytes of disk space 5. wired connection for privacy, reliability, and speed 6. separate mike that costs more than 5 cents. Unplug it when not in use 7. ditto for camera 8. pipe the sound through your real stereo 9. lots and lots of memory 10. high performance, don't worry about heat cooking your junk 11. not likely to get stolen 12. no worries about dropping it
- noahtallen 6y ago
  1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12 are also solved by plugging your laptop into all of these external devices. ;) And many monitors now have a USB C dock built in to make charging and peripherals much easier. IMO, the allure of the desktop is mostly its power (4 and 10). Laptops can be used with all the same peripherals, including the large, high-res monitors, and can be portable when you want.
  - alekq 6y ago
    Besides power, the arguments for the desktops are also price, simple(r) upgrades and repairs.
    - WalterBright 6y ago
      It also seems that once you festoon the laptop with replacements for its components - monitor, keyboard, mouse, disk drives, camera, mike, etc., what have you got? An expensive desktop that performs poorly. > repairs I've replaced a couple screens on laptops. It's a fair amount of work, and in the meantime your laptop is dead while you await the arrival of the new screen. I keep a spare monitor around, and when a monitor dies, I just switch to the spare, and order a new spare. The same for many components, like keyboards, etc. I can't afford my machine to be out of action for days. When I buy a new desktop, I really just buy a new mobo, CPU, and graphics card. The rest I re-use from the old desktop. It makes such upgrades pretty cheap.
m463 6y ago
There are NO laptops that are OSHA approved. The ergonomics of a laptop will hurt you little by little. The screen is low, so you look down, meaning your back and shoulder muscles are used to hold your head in position instead of balancing it on your neck Generally, a laptop keyboard is positioned at the wrong height. It usually on a table (maybe for eating) which is higher so your arms do not hang down with your elbows at a right angle. You are probably holding your arms in position with muscles. The keyboard generally has a hard plastic or metal wrist rest which is low and probably cold. It would be much better to have your hands supported by something soft and warm and which puts your wrists and hands in the right relationship with the keys. Now this all changes (not necessarily for the better) if you say sit on the couch or in bed. I will not cover other rooms in the house. On the other hand, you can take your laptop outside and get some vitamin D. So yeah, desktop.
phendrenad2 6y ago
PRoblem: My desktop is for my own work, nights and weekends, contributing to open-source. I'd need a second desktop for company work, and some kind of KVM switch to go between them. But yeah, when I was working in an office, I would specifically request a desktop PC from IT for at-my-desk work. Laptop was just for taking notes in meetings.

gcatalfamo 6y ago

Yes, in theory. But I end up not liking having to sit at the desk for "everything computer". Sometimes I just want to work while sitting comfortably on the couch.

plun9 6y ago
You could get a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo and use a TV/projector as a display.
- dhosek 6y ago
  That doesn't really work for me with my fading vision in my senescence. My monitor that I work on is a super-wide screen monitor about 2 feet away. The optimum TV-watching distance is much further for me.
dingaling 6y ago
> Sometimes I just want to work while sitting comfortably on the couch. Grab some paper and a pencil and use it as non-screen time. Else you can find yourself spending too long on a poor posture on furniture that's designed for lean-back, not lean-in.
- nwienert 6y ago
  I have a minor issue with my lower spine, not crazy but actually sit at desk 0% of the time as a result. Laptops on the couch are quite cozy and sustainable.
  - emkoemko 6y ago
    you have spine issues so you think using a laptop is a good idea? "sustainable" no its really bad for you long term.
    - nwienert 6y ago
      You have no idea what I have yet couldn’t help moralizing on pure assumption? Everyone’s different. Stop bowing to the church of desks.
draklor40 6y ago
I never get work done at the couch. Youtube, surfing, browsing, yes. Work ? No. I like a work desk. Keeps work and other stuff separate. Got a height adjustable desk. keeps my back from going bad before I hit 40.
reader_mode 6y ago
Get something ultra portable and RDP over LAN
bootlooped 6y ago
I think there's a benefit in having physical separation between work and non-work areas of the home. Certainly this is going to be of different value to everybody.

neogodless 6y ago

When I'm working, most of the time I'm on my desktop, with a ~5 year old web cam attached to a monitor. For a while, I wondered if software was just making "me" look good (quality, not my face, ha!) but I had someone do a screen shot. And my $50 web cam is 5x better than basically every Macbook web cam for video chat. And my desktop is a ~2 year old 8-core, 32GB machine. Not a monster but excellent power plus 27" and 32" monitors, and an ergonomic chair, keyboard and mouse. The webcam mic works well, too, even in conjunction with my external speakers. I can game on a laptop (with a decent laptop stand and flat surface for a mouse) but I certainly wouldn't want to do 8 hours of work on it. (Or a laptop on a table/desk, which isn't the right height or a good keyboard setup either...) Long-winded way of saying I agree with you. But I did buy all of my desktop gear - nothing was work supplied.

tomjen3 6y ago
I have a 13 year old Thinkpad with a webcam and an M1 Macbook Air. I have been meaning to compare the recording from their webcams, but I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't that big of a difference. I also have a nice external USB webcam that I normally use, but when you run that through Zoom or Google Meet the quality is degraded tremendously, to the point where I don't think it make sense to upgrade your camera, until you are able to use better video software. As for audio, I tested both the microphone in my external webcam today and a Rode Lavier, and the webcam had a distinct room sound to it, that the Lavier didn't.
draklor40 6y ago
bought mine as well from my pocket. except laptop , nothing was supplied by work. Have to apply for a tax break for all the stuff I bought this year.
AtlasBarfed 6y ago
32" monitor? You know you can get a 43" 4k TV that is half-decent for a monitor for 200-300$? And 8ks are coming... 2000$ for a 65" 8k, but of course the HDMI port support is glacial and grossly overpriced. But a curved 8k 65" for high-dpi will be my next big desktop build.

bitwize 6y ago

> At this point I am wondering why do I even have a wimpy ULV processor to write code 8 hrs a day. The sheer amount of time I could save by switching to even a basic 4 core 45-65w Desktop class CPU. Sounds like someone who hasn't heard of the M1 Macs. They smoke all but the beefiest of desktops.

uncledave 6y ago
I’ve got an M1 Mac mini. That it does. But it still doesn’t run a bunch of software I need so I’m sitting here thinking about replacing it with a mid range windows box.
draklor40 6y ago
Work doesn't offer a M1 Mac. Not everyone can afford to by an M1 mac. I already invested some money in a laptop last year. not gonna write off a big chunk of that and spend MORE on top of that. Most of my work is on Linux based OSes. Theoretically I can use a Mac, but I hate Macs. I hate Apple's approach to software (all locked down, but beautiful). Really like hacking stuff with my OS and I want to be able to replace, atleast basic parts of my computer. With my current work and personal laptops, I can open the back, replace the RAM, SSDs and even the keyboards (at a stretch).

uncledave 6y ago

I’m with you on this. I’ve been working remotely for many years now and I started using laptops initially (thinkpad T series ) so my house didn’t get cluttered with work things mostly and I could waltz into the office. Roll on time and I discovered that laptops are a complete nightmare and I am never using one again. They are expensive, hot, slow, noisy, fragile, have poor connectivity options, needy, unreliable and terrible for your health. Also there is no office now thanks to covid so I now work from one location always. The expensive XPS I’ve just been shipped by my company is another one which persists these problems further. It will never be used as a laptop but as a desktop and a wart I can’t get rid of. I would be happier with a recycled corp i5 desktop with 32gb of ram and 500gb SSD. Edit to add that my personal computer is a M1 Mac mini. I include MacBooks in my list of criticism, including the M1 units. I have had numerous really bad experiences with Apple laptops.

WalterBright 6y ago

For me, the desktop is primary and the laptop is a peripheral. 1. big monitor, even multiple monitors 2. full size keyboard 3. no trackpad always being accidentally touched 4. terabytes of disk space 5. wired connection for privacy, reliability, and speed 6. separate mike that costs more than 5 cents. Unplug it when not in use 7. ditto for camera 8. pipe the sound through your real stereo 9. lots and lots of memory 10. high performance, don't worry about heat cooking your junk 11. not likely to get stolen 12. no worries about dropping it

noahtallen 6y ago
1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12 are also solved by plugging your laptop into all of these external devices. ;) And many monitors now have a USB C dock built in to make charging and peripherals much easier. IMO, the allure of the desktop is mostly its power (4 and 10). Laptops can be used with all the same peripherals, including the large, high-res monitors, and can be portable when you want.
- alekq 6y ago
  Besides power, the arguments for the desktops are also price, simple(r) upgrades and repairs.
  - WalterBright 6y ago
    It also seems that once you festoon the laptop with replacements for its components - monitor, keyboard, mouse, disk drives, camera, mike, etc., what have you got? An expensive desktop that performs poorly. > repairs I've replaced a couple screens on laptops. It's a fair amount of work, and in the meantime your laptop is dead while you await the arrival of the new screen. I keep a spare monitor around, and when a monitor dies, I just switch to the spare, and order a new spare. The same for many components, like keyboards, etc. I can't afford my machine to be out of action for days. When I buy a new desktop, I really just buy a new mobo, CPU, and graphics card. The rest I re-use from the old desktop. It makes such upgrades pretty cheap.

m463 6y ago

There are NO laptops that are OSHA approved. The ergonomics of a laptop will hurt you little by little. The screen is low, so you look down, meaning your back and shoulder muscles are used to hold your head in position instead of balancing it on your neck Generally, a laptop keyboard is positioned at the wrong height. It usually on a table (maybe for eating) which is higher so your arms do not hang down with your elbows at a right angle. You are probably holding your arms in position with muscles. The keyboard generally has a hard plastic or metal wrist rest which is low and probably cold. It would be much better to have your hands supported by something soft and warm and which puts your wrists and hands in the right relationship with the keys. Now this all changes (not necessarily for the better) if you say sit on the couch or in bed. I will not cover other rooms in the house. On the other hand, you can take your laptop outside and get some vitamin D. So yeah, desktop.

phendrenad2 6y ago

PRoblem: My desktop is for my own work, nights and weekends, contributing to open-source. I'd need a second desktop for company work, and some kind of KVM switch to go between them. But yeah, when I was working in an office, I would specifically request a desktop PC from IT for at-my-desk work. Laptop was just for taking notes in meetings.