the only thing I like about lap tops is that I can use them while still in bed (easily) but I definitly hate touch pads.

I can access my desktop, all it's files, and 70-90% of it's power from any place in the world given at least a smartphone (wouldn't even have to necessarily be mine). Now that's REAL portability.

Desktop and an ultraportable for travel.

?I can sit in the recliner and watch TV -- My Desktop is a TV How do you watch sports? Do yuo have a family?

?No need to be isolated from family in another room -- If you're on your PC, you aren't really with your family anyway. there are more forms of isolation than physical True. But I can still kibitz, use periferial vision with the kids, practice selective hearing skills, etc.

?No need for a desk (saves space) -- How can you function without a desk No matter how hard you try, it isn't easy to completely escape any and all paperwork. For my work, I usually go to a coffee shop wiht the laptop. I don't have much paperwork; what I have fits in a backpack

?Portability -- Not nearly as portable as a netbook/tablet/smartphone I'm old, dont confuzzle me with that there new technology ON a sidebar and to show my ignorance, who well to the netbook and tablet do for games?

?Still powerful enough to play games -- Not most of them, and not without significantly hindering portability and range of freedom without the power cord, detracting from the main reason to have a laptop Yep, I own a beast, and am rarely from a power source.

?easily thrown in the lake if the cops come -- So you know, that doesn't work out well. Encryption is the best bet as it allows for plausible deniability whereas destruction of evidence is a crime in and of itself Hush, this was for humor and to see if anyone was paying attention :slap:

?great for taking notes in a classroom -- I've never been fond of this (I've always felt I learned better writing out my notes than typing them), but I once again point to netbooks and certain tablets like the Asus Eee Pad We were issued laptops and it worked well for me. I thought MS notebook was great...just wished the school that I taught at had it.

?When teaching, easier to wheel in a cart of laptops than get the kids to a computer lab -- Not for many of my classes Also: remote desktop/thin clients makes this moot when properly deployed Erm, walking across half of the school with a bunch of middle schoolers every period isn't the best. Not sure where you're going with the thin client remark, but if you're saying something small that runs basic surfing and "office" programs, I whole-heartedly agree.

It seems like you're kind of adding a third category of "small device" opposed to a laptop. I've seen you do it before. I appreciate it as it's good learnin. We might go with something smaller at some point, but we know one thing, we aren't going to get a desktop again

Both. I use the desktop I built when I'm at home, and I use my Dell laptop when I leave my house.

Note: I am not saying there is no place for a desktop, just that a desktop is an incredibly versatile tool, and to completely swear off of them and their versatility is quite hampering. Most people don't realize just how "portable" their desktop is in the modern era of fast Internet and ubiquitous computing. I'll probably never buy a laptop again simply because of how portable my desktop is (actually: the only reason I have a laptop is I REAAAAALLLY didn't want to install MS Office on my desktop for reasons of principle, but needed it for a class)

Edit: On the subject of children: a desktop in the livingroom for their use is much more easily managed then a laptop. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for trusting your kids, but there are other people on the Internet who may take advantage of their unsupervised computer usage.

@defron

Stuff for me to digest, grazzi :foodndrink:

'night!

edit: odd, I hit reply on your post, and it woldn't take :shrug:

Well, I do have both a laptop and a desktop, and while the laptop has come quite in handy when I needed it, the desktop is where I spend most of my time. I'd have to vote desktop also because I enjoy the process of building computers, and you just can't do that with laptops.

That said I'm a little obsessed with small form factors. I've been trying to build the smallest desktop I possibly can, not really for portability as much as aesthetic, and I do come back to laptops as "well look at how small THAT is" from time to time. They're too expensive for what you get though sometimes.

Aye,our wee ones are still at a good age, and our computer is in full view in the public living room. There's a good screen-facing-public homework place for it as well for when they get a bit older. Can't wait for the privacy battles :rolleyes: I've seen too many kids not doing what they're supposed to be doing with both laptops and desk-bound systems.

The school that I taught at had 2 computer labs (one large for tech ed, the other small) and 4 "airport" carts with 25 laptops each. The carts were great:
- allowed flexibility of timing in case something went long or short while teaching
- let kids do homework or missing assignments if they finished early
- could be taken down to the commons area for students during study hall
- allows computer based tests in the classroom where all of their memory cures are
- no need for more classroom area/building.

Now if these carts could use smaller devices, that'd be great :nod: I just don't know about the tech, and the district won't be getting anything new in the next few (perhaps 5-7 thanks to our new govenor) years.

Oh yeah, one thing I forgot about laptops: they're a god-send when travelling by sea. With the quality of most ships' on-board entertainment, you really need an external HDD loaded up with movies and games to stave off boredom-induced insanity.

Since one of my hobbies is building systems and another is Folding@Home (hardware dependent), I say desktop. Portability is sometimes required, so I also have a laptop (writing on it now).

I'd been planning on building a new gaming/entertainment rig, but just ordered http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7124324&SRCCODE=WEM2649BY&cm_mmc=email-_-Main-_-WEM2649-_-tigeremail, instead. If the screen is too small, I have a 28" monitor I can hook it to.

For hardcoe gaming, definately desktop.

I have 2 laptops for my parents and just bought a new tablet PC for my portable use. Will get myself a pocket WiFi plan soon on my next payroll so I can use cloud whereever I go.

I voted for laptops, but I have two different standards.

If I want raw power for things like multimedia projects or to do serious PC gaming, I won't use a laptop for that.

Most everything else....the laptop is superior, and the key bonus is that it can run on battery power. If you live in the boondocks and can have power failures, a generator WILL charge a laptop...maybe keep it running under full load. A PC might be more problematic. You certainly can charge a laptop while using a generator for powering other things.

Don't always like working on a laptop keyboard or display, but you can plug in external displays and keyboards if you're at home or the office.