from Hacker News

Use a developer desktop setup instead of a laptop

by juniperplant on 12/27/22, 9:31 PM with 48 comments

• by loloquwowndueo on 12/27/22, 10:13 PM

  While the article makes some good points I still prefer having a laptop with a decent desktop setup (docking station with external monitor and wired networking, mouse, keyboard; the laptop sits on a stand and doubles as a second display) my two main reasons are : I only need to manage a single machine (I have little time or patience to look after a flock of computers) and when I do need to travel I just unplug the laptop and off I go.

• by solraph on 12/28/22, 12:12 AM

  I think this was true ten years ago when laptops could not effectively drive two monitors, and had some serious deficiencies in the processor/ram/HDD space. I would put up with the duplicate desktop/portable system so that I had sufficient power when writing code.

  These days, my work laptop happily drives a pair of QuadHD monitors, and even suffices for light gaming. I have yet to max out all the cores and ram. On top of that, I no longer have to deal with having two systems and all the data shenanigans that goes along with that.

• by peatmoss on 12/28/22, 2:33 AM

  A desktop computer that you leave at the office in 2022 is the height of status and luxury.

  My first job out of college was for a government agency where everyone had an assigned desk with a desktop PC. The people at the top of the org chart all had laptops with docking stations so they could be mobile. Of course they almost never were mobile, but their laptop was a physical reminder that they were more important than the rank and file, because they could be off to meetings in D.C. any time!

  Years later, I have a corporate laptop that I am forced to schlepp back and forth to work if I choose to go into the office. I usually don't choose to go to the office, because the office is an open plan, hot-desk model. Pack it in, pack it out. There are no pictures, desk toys, ergonomic keyboards, or anything personal—just a standing desk with the same generic keyboard, mouse, docking station, and monitor that are magically reverted to their standard position within minutes of you leaving the area.

  Packing up for the day and leaving the factors of production at the office along with any expectation of telepresence sounds... opulent. I maintain that a desktop isn't a computing form factor, but is instead a place and a lifestyle.

• by kbelder on 12/27/22, 11:57 PM

  I'm surprised most of the comments here are in favor of laptops. I find them deficient in almost every way outside of portability (which, admittedly, is a huge positive). The best laptop keyboards are worse than a cheap desktop keyboard, the trackpads are always worse than a mouse, the monitor is deficient, they have no expandability, the ergonomics are horrible, and so on. I've always felt my productivity was way down on a laptop.

• by gumby on 12/27/22, 11:31 PM

  Article makes a bizarre assertion that a mouse is more productive than a trackpad. Anything that moves my hand from the home row reduces productivity. I can use my thumbs on the trackpad in most cases were a mouse action is absolutely required.

  Well, I suppose the assertion could be true of non-apple trackpads.

• by Leimi on 12/28/22, 12:01 AM

  I'd agree on the upgrades and repair arguments.

  From an ergonomic/setup side, of course using laptops doesn't prevent you from using a dock, with external monitors, external keyboard and all. In fact a docked laptop that you can pick up in seconds when needed is way easier to deal with than two machines.

  About the cost, do like we nerds do: buy refurbished thinkpads. For most software dev, having the latest i9 is not necessary. Old thinkpad workstations are perfect as desktop replacement machines and are somewhat upgradeable. I'm sure this doesn't scale that much but small-scale companies can do this without any trouble. Worked perfectly in a previous company I worked for. People were actually pretty happy we didn't buy 2000€ new stuff while 700€ already-on-the-planet stuff was more than enough.

• by conk on 12/27/22, 10:48 PM

  The proposed desktop+low cost laptop doubles the number of devices th IT org needs to maintain and secure. Sounds like a nightmare when I’m sure some laptops will sit powered off for months or could walk away without an employee realizing they are missing.

• by GianFabien on 12/28/22, 12:03 AM

  The choice of development system and configuration is a matter of personal choice.

  Personally, I find laptop screens too close and I need my reading glasses. Whilst with the three desktop LCDs they are further away and I don't need the glasses.

• by alanwreath on 12/28/22, 1:43 AM

  I work at a remote (except for quarterly in person) company. The thought has entered my head more than once, especially given that when we are in a group setting, someone in management always says “close your laptops”.

  I wonder if laptops were more appropriate when remote wasn’t so commonplace. You’d be lugging your laptop to work and then back home (to be available? Or do more work? Not sure what was wanted here but it’s a tangent for sure) now it makes more sense to prioritize an effective machine and not one that costs boatloads just for more RAM. Seriously, Apple could finally find more devs springing for their MacPros.

• by adamparsons on 12/28/22, 12:40 AM

  Meanwhile, I’ve not owned a desktop for about 5-6 years now. I invested heavily into a good docking station setup that eventually evolved into an eGPU setup. Means I own one macbook for dev work, and play games on boot camp with the GPU. Not as cheap but the convenience has been really nice.

  Work computers I’ve been given over the years plug into that same docking station when I WFH and my ergonomics don’t change. I have one cable that goes into the work or personal machine depending on time of day.

  I’m saddened by the fact that I’ll have to downgrade to a dumb dock when I receive an apple silicon Mac, as these don’t support eGPUs

• by ovao on 12/28/22, 2:36 AM

  I’m probably an atypical case here, but the article lost me at the very first line:

  > Don't get hung up on a laptop for software development, even if you work best from the couch

  It’s not that I work best from the couch, but it’s that it’s refreshing to get away from the (standing) desk occasionally. When I need to be highly focused on what I’m doing, I appreciate my desk setup, but if there’s some light architectural design (read: diagramming) work or if I’m just drafting emails, I’m not hindered by being on the couch on a 16” display. In truth, I find it helps me decompress after standing got a few hours dealing with a problem with some intensity.

  I’m aware that the article doesn’t make the point against working from a couch specifically, but ignoring potential employee benefit when thinking about what kind of machine to issue to employees does kind of miss the mark.

• by xupybd on 12/27/22, 10:22 PM

  I like my work laptop. I have an ergonomic desk setup with a dock. If I need to demo something I can pick up my laptop and go to a meeting with my environment already setup and ready.

  I'd like a better performing computer but my laptop is super fast.

• by Grustaf on 12/27/22, 11:43 PM

  For a lot of people, speed just isn't relevant. An M1 or M2 macbook air, even the old intel MBA, is plenty fast for lots of developers.

  Cost is also often a non-issue. Let's say a desktop can save you $500 or so, or even $1000. That's at most $2.5 a day if you keep it for two years, it just isn't relevant to a developer making 50, 100 or 200 k a year.

  When it comes to screens and ergonomics, that's largely subjective. For some tasks, I do prefer a large screen, for others it doesn't matter. But I always prefer a macbook keyboard with the built-in trackpad, super convenient.

• by lakomen on 12/28/22, 2:12 AM

  I didn't read it because of the cookie nag screen which has legitimate interests all enabled and there's no reject all button.

  Idc if the content on the site is zero point energy that solves world hunger and teleportation and whatnot. I am TIRED, no, FED UP of dealing with this.

  Fix your cookie banners and your data collection. Stop spying on me.

• by dave4420 on 12/27/22, 10:27 PM

  Another option would be a cheap laptop (with a proper external monitor, keyboard etc) coupled with a cloud desktop. I feel like I don’t fully understand all the pros and cons of that approach though.

• by gregjor on 12/28/22, 12:20 AM

  I value mobility over a trendy mechanical keyboard and loud speakers. Working from wherever I want, carrying a nice laptop anywhere, that beats any of the questionable advantages of a desktop. What do real “developers” do that they need the equivalent of a 747? I just need ssh to a decent server.

• by tlhunter on 12/27/22, 11:03 PM

  For giggles I just tried booting into Linux on my gaming desktop. The screen goes black and I'm basically stuck. Linux works great on my dev laptop. My how the times have changed.