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Comment by kajaktum | Hacker News Reader

Damn, I wished I had bought the mini-PC from them instead!

I really don't understand the appeal of laptops, it only makes sense for the people that is really on the move like university students or blogger. Even then, they only need cheap laptop for browsing (cue memory hod jokes). That or you prefer to do your work at public spaces like libraries or cafes.

What's the point of spending huge sums of money on a laptop that performs 1/3 compared to its PC equivalent? You're also stuck with that keyboard and monitor for the rest of its natural life.

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space - you have to have at least 1 dedicated desk for your desktop.

mobility - You can do your work in places other you workplaces/home. Change of scenery/environment is trivial. even inside your own house, you can work from your own bedroom, kitchen, lounge, garden, wherever you want.

Your last point is baffling, really. Just treat it like any PC. If you dont want to use the screen/keyboard/trackpad just connect what you want to the laptop.

Actually I dont see the point of mini PC. Theyre just desktop that you can lug without monitor and any input devices. What's the point of spending huge sums of money on a mini PC that performs 1/2.9 compared to its PC equivalent?

> Actually I dont see the point of mini PC. Theyre just desktop that you can lug without monitor and any input devices. What's the point of spending huge sums of money on a mini PC that performs 1/2.9 compared to its PC equivalent?

It's cheaper for the same specs; for example this StaBook with the 5800U is €1074, but their mini-PC with the same CPU is €786: €288 cheaper! You can also put a 2.5" SSD in it next to the MMC drive (my E585 also allows this, but many laptops don't). And for a lot of "serious work" I use my USB keyboard and HDMI screen anyway: the laptop doesn't really give any advantages here.

Right but you can get a faster full fat desktop for the same price that'll let you shove in 3.5" and 2.5" drives if you want, typically have higher RAM ceilings too, etc. Even in my tiny apartment the volume taken up by an ATX case isn't too much.

I don't need more RAM or drives though (these things support 64G RAM), and mini-PCs are just a lot smaller than a full desktop.

I haven't regularly sat at a desk using a computer in years. My most common locations are on the couch or in bed. Anything but a laptop would be incredibly awkward.

And yes, I do more than just web browsing. Mid-range gaming (no, I can't play the latest graphics-heavy titles on this kind of hardware, but I don't mind), development, etc.

I'm using this laptop in bed right now, and I took it over to my in-laws' house the other day. And yeah maybe I'll go to a cafe tomorrow, that sounds great.

What do you do if you have to work in the office and there's a meeting where you want to demo something? Or you want to quickly look up an email with something you want to show to others?

I travel constantly and get to do my job from a hammock instead of some ass-destroying desk and chair.

A desktop computer would be like a ball and chain against that level of freedom.

> I travel constantly and get to do my job from a hammock instead of some ass-destroying desk and chair.

I highly doubt that the ergonomics of the hammock setup you have going are any good. And by ergonomics, I mean RSI and other related posture injuries.

I'm in my 30s, been doing this since I've been 23, and absolutely zero issues related to that so far. Everyone I know who has RSI from this line of work seems to be unlucky mostly, so maybe it's just me, but I think it's mostly a matter of getting up and walking or running around for around 15 minutes for every hour of sedentary activity, stretches, underwater ocean swimming for the lungs... All things WAY more likely to give me an RSI just from stepping in the wrong place or whatever other exercise-related injury. Not like I spend hours in strange positions acting like I'm a three toed sloth

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