Ask HN: Laptop or Desktop?
What portion of you all use a laptop versus a desktop and why? Ever since I got a laptop I've had recurring neck pain and issues from not being strict with desk setups and using laptops here and there instead of at a table. There is no good way to use a laptop without a stand and external peripherals. It makes sense for students and traveling professionals but not really for most people I think. Thinking I will go back to a full desktop now. Bonus: Mac or PC or GNU/Linux or BSD.
I used to have lots of neck pain and back pain. Tried all sorts of things from standing desks to Aeron ergonomic chairs.
Now I strictly use a laptop, no more multi-monitor setup, no ergonomic keyboard, no standing desk, I have poor posture, and, I have no more back and neck pain.
Turns out that my anxiety was wiring my pain neurons together with certain pressures. Basically I was scared, and at some point the neurons that fired together wired together. It's a similar mechanism in the brain as somebody that has phantom limb pain.
What really helped me with this was the Boulder back pain study, which studied people using functional MRI machines and analyzing the pain region of people's brains. And using Pain Reprocessing Therapy and then analyzing with the functional MRI scans again. And many of the people who had a level 4 or higher pain for 5 years or more, got down to a zero or one. So I read that study, and I read the book on the study which is called The Way Out, and there's a film on the study as well called Pain Brain Film, and there's a podcast called Tell Me About Your Pain. I basically binge watched, listened and read all of this stuff and eventually unlearned my pain.
And now I have wonderful freedom with a laptop anywhere in the world! I can sit on a park bench or a s*** chair, or on a comfortable couch, I still have poor posture. I don't try to sit up straight anymore. And I don't have any chronic back pain or neck pain anymore.
My compilers prof said #1 thing about this career. Take care of your back. He messed his up from years of poor posture hunched over looking at screens.
I don't really understand the choices. Is a laptop that is normally docked on a desk considered a desktop for the purposes of your question?
For work I use a work provided laptop, mostly folded on my desk with an external monitor and keyboard and mouse.
At home I use a Macbook Pro.
Because of the RAM cost rises and desire to run LLMs locally, I have considered a mac mini or some other desktop mac instead of upgrading my macbook pro. (Since loading it with 64GB of Ram now has a purpose is probably didn't for me before.)
The most important thing for posture is to have a good office chair (herman miller Aerons are cheap used) and lift weights at the gym. A regular deadlifting (once per week) builds a strong back and core and keeps your posture in check.