I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers • Hacker News Board

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#101

Post by WalterBright » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:07 PM UTC

gruez wrote: post #51

WalterBright wrote: post #16

I prefer a desktop because: 1. I like big, big monitors. 2. I prefer a full size keyboard. 3. I prefer a separate mouse. 4. I prefer big freaking disk drives installed. 5. I put the desktop under my desk, and with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse, there is much less of a snarl on my desk. 6. The desktop has an optical drive I still use. 7. The desktop has lots of USB ports and they're all in use. 8. I can repla…

Agree on most of the points, but... >6. The desktop has an optical drive I still use. for what? You're probably better off (in terms of both convenience and IO performance) to store it on a hdd/ssd as an iso and mount it.

1. Ripping a CD I just bought. Yes, I still buy CDs. So shoot me now.

2. Burning a bluray for backup. (I do backups on different media types just for insurance, and I like that blurays are write-once and incompetence and ransomware cannot fk with them.)

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#102

Post by Polylactic_acid » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:07 PM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #63

dmortin wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. I like big, big monitors. 2. I prefer a full size keyboard. 3. I prefer a separate mouse. You can have these with a laptop too. At home I use my laptop with an external screen, keyboard, mouse (the latter two are wireless), because it's much more comfortable.

It's hard to find a full size bluetooth keyboard. I think I went through every keyboard on Amazon and found only one. If you use a USB wireless keyboard, well, there goes one of the two USB slots on the laptop. It's not just the monitor being big, I want lots and lots of pixels. I'm currently running 3840*2160, and have a second monitor attached set up in portrait mode (so I can display a manual page while I work on…

Just use a usb hub. I have all my accessories on the hub and then when I finish work I move the hub usb to my desktop so my kb/mouse/mic are all switched over.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#103

Post by reshie » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:08 PM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #16

I prefer a desktop because: 1. I like big, big monitors. 2. I prefer a full size keyboard. 3. I prefer a separate mouse. 4. I prefer big freaking disk drives installed. 5. I put the desktop under my desk, and with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse, there is much less of a snarl on my desk. 6. The desktop has an optical drive I still use. 7. The desktop has lots of USB ports and they're all in use. 8. I can repla…

laptop docks so your not wiring everything every time and more ports. a desktop is a lot more modular but not mobile. with cloud sync(personal local or remote, or third parties) having two computers is less of a hassle. i see them with the same purpose but different circumstances but a laptop can play both roles with ease with the right setup.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#104

Post by maddyboo » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:08 PM UTC

curiousllama wrote: post #53

> I know that new "open" laptops are still available, but most of them--the System76's, the Purisms, etc.--are overpriced in my opinion This quote suggest to me the author is an integral part of the problem. Companies are ALWAYS trying to increase their profitability. If they can lock down the computer, they can drop the price while _increasing_ CLTV. That’s why System76 is more expensive. They’re NOT overpriced. The…

I came here to comment on this exact quote. "Overpriced" is such an odd word for the author to use in this context, it undermines their entire argument.

Are these laptops more expensive than a similarly spec'd mainstream alternative? Yes. However, as is the point of the article, you're really not buying the laptop for the specs.

Unfortunately, the desire for open source being rather niche, these companies do not benefit from the economies of scale a mainstream brand enjoys. AND these companies are not positioning themselves to profit from their customers recurringly through cloud memberships, app stores, microtransactions, and the likes.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#105

Post by bleepblorp » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:09 PM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #63

dmortin wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. I like big, big monitors. 2. I prefer a full size keyboard. 3. I prefer a separate mouse. You can have these with a laptop too. At home I use my laptop with an external screen, keyboard, mouse (the latter two are wireless), because it's much more comfortable.

It's hard to find a full size bluetooth keyboard. I think I went through every keyboard on Amazon and found only one. If you use a USB wireless keyboard, well, there goes one of the two USB slots on the laptop. It's not just the monitor being big, I want lots and lots of pixels. I'm currently running 3840*2160, and have a second monitor attached set up in portrait mode (so I can display a manual page while I work on…

I don't see a lack of USB ports as a complete dealbreaker for using a laptop. USB hubs work fine to attach large numbers of lower-speed USB devices to a laptop.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#106

Post by hyperdimension » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:09 PM UTC

smabie wrote: post #12

I much prefer desktops and don't even own a laptop at the moment, but what's with the fixation on UEFI? I'm not well versed in the technical differences between BIOS and UEFI, but I don't think it really matters? All these people like Richard Stallman and this guy make their lives harder as a method of virtue signaling. I'm convinced they get off on the masochism of making their life hard for the sake of "freedom." M…

You can accuse RMS for many things, but he definitively does not 'virtue signal.' He at least (from all public appearances anyway) practices what he preaches.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#107

Post by lima » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:09 PM UTC

jacobsenscott wrote: post #93

avalys wrote: post #21

I have been reading this same article for the past thirty years. Yet, I can still install and run whatever operating system and software I want on my laptop _and_ desktop, and I don't see any sign that that freedom will go away anytime soon. It is true that the billion-dollar media companies have decided a subscription model is more lucrative than a one-time-purchase model for the mass-market content they produce (mo…

You cannot install whatever operating system you want on your tablet, phone, or, soon, any mac desktop/laptop at all. The enthusiast/gamer market isn't enough to keep the intel/adm desktop market going. Soon the only place you'll be able to run a free operating system is on a rented vm in the cloud.

Not on Apple devices, but custom operating systems are alive and well on most non-Apple laptops, tablets, phones, servers, or even embedded systems with no signs of it changing. PostmarketOS is a great example.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#108

Post by ryukafalz » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:10 PM UTC

grayclhn wrote: post #90

WalterBright wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to find a full size bluetooth keyboard. I think I went through every keyboard on Amazon and found only one. If you use a USB wireless keyboard, well, there goes one of the two USB slots on the laptop. It's not just the monitor being big, I want lots and lots of pixels. I'm currently running 3840*2160, and have a second monitor attached set up in portrait mode (so I can display a manual page while I work on…

I plug my full sized USB keyboard into my monitor, along with my yubikey and wireless mouse dongle -- one USB C cord connects it all to my laptop. edit: two monitors is still a pain, though.

This is the dream setup. When you’ve got lots of USB-C devices, plugging in one cable and connecting to everything feels great.

I’ve got a USB-C dock hooked up to my TV too with a wireless KB/mouse combo connected into that, if I want to plug my laptop in on the couch.

Even works with your phone, if you've got one that supports it. Recent flagship Samsung phones with DeX do, but I'm really holding out for more external monitor support in Phosh so I can plug in a Librem 5 like this.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#109

Post by WalterBright » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:10 PM UTC

gruez wrote: post #68

t-writescode wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But how do you store it as an iso without making the iso in the first place?

1. the high seas 2. Failing that, just archive your existing discs and ditch the drive for good. It's the year 2020, and most (all?) software are distributed digitally, so you shouldn't need to get out your drive in the future.

I did archive all my CDs to HDD (gotta love 10Tb drives!! why buy anything less?), but I keep the CDs as backup in case (cough) the machine catches fire and burns up my hard drives (cough).

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#110

Post by daniel-thompson » Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 10:10 PM UTC

agloeregrets wrote: post #24

polskibus wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

12. High end desktop CPUs are noticeably faster than mobile counterparts (higher freq, more cache)

Is that actually true anymore? I mean, hardware wise they are not much faster, but cooling is a different story.

AFAIK mobile CPUs max out at 8 physical cores, whereas you can get 16 at the higher end of mainstream in desktops, and up to 64 in the enthusiast segment. Core count isn't the whole story, obviously, but an important consideration for many applications.