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I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

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Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#261

Post by read_if_gay_ »

38911BBF wrote: post #217

I sometimes answer questions in the tech-help reddits to get a feel for the kind of IT-problems everyday users are battling with. The amount of people asking if they can upgrade the CPU, GPU, SSD/HDD or memory in their new-ish laptops is disheartening. Most of the questions concerns the CPU og GPU where the answer is no 99.99% of the time these days. 90% of consumer grade laptops have the RAM soldered to the mainboar…

This is a good point. Tangentially related, it’s especially ironic how much Apple talked about the environment in their recent iPhone 12 announcement when they pretty much started the trend of unupgradeable electronics, and aren’t about to stop.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#262

Post by smolder »

dmitryminkovsky wrote: post #204
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…

How often do you use an optical drive and for what?

Can't speak for OP but I know some people use optical disks for cold storage backup, as they're reasonably cost effective there.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#263

Post by easton »

djhworld wrote: post #82

I really wish the technology was there for a thin client laptop that can hook up to a more powerful desktop machine, GUI and all, sharing hardware etc. I've tried VNC and other remote desktop solutions but the but the performance has always been abysmal, it's a niche idea and obviously comes with the network requirement, but I think it would give the best of both worlds when you need the portability of a laptop aroun…

Parsec is good at performance, you might loose a bit of picture quality on lower-end connections but the latency is top notch.

RDP is also fantastic (text is sharper), as long as you don’t need to play movies or games or something.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#264

Post by klyrs »

balfirevic wrote: post #210
WalterBright wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not any one thing is a dealbreaker. It's the combination. Once the laptop is festooned with hubs, external drives, cables everywhere, might as well just buy a desktop.

I think it just comes down to how important you find the convenience of using the same machine when you're at your desk and when you're not. I used an external monitor, keyboard and mouse when at the desk, even when I only owned a laptop. But I also use the laptop a lot on the couch, not just for traveling - so I wondered if I would find it annoying to have a separate desktop machine. So far it's been well worth it.…

I've gotten used to the convenience of a laptop, but I'm never happy with them. Now that I'm working remotely, the lappy just doesn't cut it. But I want to veg on the couch with my laptop once and a while. My solution is to use my older laptop as a thin client for my desktop.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#265

Post by II2II »

38911BBF wrote: post #217

I sometimes answer questions in the tech-help reddits to get a feel for the kind of IT-problems everyday users are battling with. The amount of people asking if they can upgrade the CPU, GPU, SSD/HDD or memory in their new-ish laptops is disheartening. Most of the questions concerns the CPU og GPU where the answer is no 99.99% of the time these days. 90% of consumer grade laptops have the RAM soldered to the mainboar…

The lack of an upgrade path wouldn't be as much of a concern if laptops actually shipped with decent specifications to begin with.

One thing that caught me off guard was the number of low end models with 4 GB of RAM and pricier models limited to 8 GB RAM. With Windows using nearly 2 GB on boot and a chunk being used for the GPU, that doesn't leave much for applications. Having a non-upgradable CPU is not a huge issue in my opinion, except the performance of low end models is astoundingly abysmal. I doubt that many of them could keep up with my 8 year old desktop, which was not a high end build at the time. Not only is the hardware disposable, in many cases it is intended to have a very short life.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#266

Post by WalterBright »

incompatible wrote: post #257
WalterBright wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The graphics card caught fire. Fortunately, I was at my desk at the time and couldn't help but notice the heavy smoke boiling out of the machine. I pulled the plug pronto which halted the fire, and put the machine out on the concrete patio till it stopped smoking. Curious, I plugged it in again and the fire started again. REmoving the cover showed the graphics card and a section of the mobo was burned to a crisp. I h…

"Curious, I plugged it in again and the fire started again" This reminds me of an old joke: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/46sere/a_p...

It wouldn't be funny if it weren't true!

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#267

Post by cwhiz »

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 might be able to on your specific laptop and desktop, but that isn’t universally true. It’s not true at all of video game consoles, mobile phones, tablets, smart electronics, and other computing devices.

The percentage of “open” devices has been trending downward.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#268

Post by Polylactic_acid »

sudosysgen wrote: post #229
Polylactic_acid wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if you root. General purpose computers can run alternative OSs.

To be fair, quite a few Android phones have unlockable bootloaders. You go to the manufacturer's website, download a utility or request a code, and you can then also install whichever OS you want.

In my experience realistically even if you can unlock the bootloader, the hardware is still so proprietary that you have no hope of ever installing an alternative OS it because by the time you reverse engineer it all the phone is already 10 years old.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#269

Post by EdPF »

kccqzy wrote: post #89
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…

This is exactly my takeaway. The author is simply dishonest. He wants freedom but doesn't want to pay for it, or pay companies that support it.

As someone who worked a couple of decades for a company selling GPL-ed development tools, I was always mystified by a similar case. It was the developers who wanted to develop proprietary software and were upset that they would have to pay subscriptions if they wanted to distribute their software without the GPL "restrictions".

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#270

Post by xiphias2 »

II2II wrote: post #265
38911BBF wrote: post #217

I sometimes answer questions in the tech-help reddits to get a feel for the kind of IT-problems everyday users are battling with. The amount of people asking if they can upgrade the CPU, GPU, SSD/HDD or memory in their new-ish laptops is disheartening. Most of the questions concerns the CPU og GPU where the answer is no 99.99% of the time these days. 90% of consumer grade laptops have the RAM soldered to the mainboar…

The lack of an upgrade path wouldn't be as much of a concern if laptops actually shipped with decent specifications to begin with. One thing that caught me off guard was the number of low end models with 4 GB of RAM and pricier models limited to 8 GB RAM. With Windows using nearly 2 GB on boot and a chunk being used for the GPU, that doesn't leave much for applications. Having a non-upgradable CPU is not a huge issue…

I feel the same with SSD, although it's replacable. Often it's cheaper to buy the smallest SSD option, throw it out and buy a new 2TB SSD instead of asking for it integrated.
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