Desktop or laptop? What size screen?

Bogna · Apr 27, 2013

I have three computers, two of which are laptops. The desktop is for gaming ONLY. The smaller of the two lappys (10.5 inch screen) is for traveling. The other laptop has a 16 inch screen and I hook it up to a 21 inch monitor for easier editing.

kuwisdelu · Apr 27, 2013

@ trackpad / touchpad haters

They can be quite nice. The problem is the vast majority of laptop manufactures use really shitty ones.

benbenberi · Apr 27, 2013

kuwisdelu said:
@ trackpad / touchpad haters

They can be quite nice. The problem is the vast majority of laptop manufactures use really shitty ones.

I always hated trackpads with a passion until I got my MB Air, with its lovely huge multi-touch pad -- it's a completely different user experience & lets me go without a mouse, which otherwise I never do.

(I am very fond of the Microsoft wireless mouse, esp. the recent iterations with the teeny tiny insert piece. It fits my hand very well. And years ago I had a couple of Trackpads that had the little eraser-like nubbin in the middle of the keyboard that worked ok as a mouse alternative. I think Lenovo still makes a few models like that, but not any of the cheap machines.)

katci13 · Apr 27, 2013

benbenberi said:
I always hated trackpads with a passion until I got my MB Air, with its lovely huge multi-touch pad -- it's a completely different user experience & lets me go without a mouse, which otherwise I never do.

(I am very fond of the Microsoft wireless mouse, esp. the recent iterations with the teeny tiny insert piece. It fits my hand very well. And years ago I had a couple of Trackpads that had the little eraser-like nubbin in the middle of the keyboard that worked ok as a mouse alternative. I think Lenovo still makes a few models like that, but not any of the cheap machines.)

I LOVE MB's touchpad. I don't have one anymore, but one of the reasons I was reluctant to give it up was because of that touchpad.

janelle · Apr 27, 2013

I use a 15" MacBook Pro, but I hope to get an iMack with an even bigger screen sometime.

JustinlDew · Apr 27, 2013

I have a desktop with two, I want to say, 21 inch screens. I use one to work on, and one to watch movies on while I work.
I also have a fifteen inch screen laptop I use when we travel.

FCameron · Apr 27, 2013

Since I'm also a travel writer, I use a Macbook Air, eleven inch, because it's so thin and portable.

However, in my home office, I connect the Air to a 27" Dell external monitor for editing, and use the small screen for notes.

I use two external TB drives. On one, I copy files and photos so I can reference without restoring from the other drive, that is used to backup the system and the external.

PEBKAC2 · Apr 27, 2013

I used a 17" laptop up until a month ago. I loved that thing. Nice screen real estate and nice size keyboard.

I switched to a new touch screen, 12.something inch screen, and I dislike it right now. The touch is very nice, but I can't stand the tiny screen and keyboard. I'm hoping I like it after getting used to it, but find myself avoiding it whenever I can.

If you can, go to best buy and get your hands on a few. See how the keyboards feel, how you like the screen size, the screen type, etc. I wish I had that option, but the laptops I had to choose from (it's a company machine, not my personal nachine) weren't broadly available yet, so I had to go by specs and some previews.

LessonsToLiveBy · Apr 28, 2013

I have two different setups. My main desk setup is a tower with two 24 inch monitors. Both 'pivot' to vertical. This is an incredibly useful feature so that you can get a lot of text on the screen and if you tend to go back and forth it really reduces scrolling.
Separately, I have a typical 14 inch laptop that I use when I'm traveling or working outside. The laptop has a docking station which allows it to be used with a larger pivot monitor.
When I'm working on the laptop I just copy the file I'm working on via wi fi to a NAS for backup.
The two monitor setup is also great for side by side draft comparisons, or if you work off an outline, for having the outline and the draft open simultaneously.

Becky Black · Apr 29, 2013

17 inch laptop at home - it never leaves my desk. Too heavy for me to carry around. And a 10 inch netbook for out and about and as a backup should something happen to the laptop.

I've used laptops and netbooks for pretty much all of my writing for about six years now. I prefer a smaller keyboard to the desktop size ones. I've even done a decent amount of writing, years back on a teeny fold out bluetooth keyboard that went with my Palm PDA. Though there were more typos than usual, even for me.

ylrebmik · May 18, 2013

I use a 15" laptop.

snc84 · May 18, 2013

I use a 17 inch Toshiba laptop that I love, mainly for the regular sized keyboard and number keypad. It also has a HDMI port and can easily plug into my tv and work on both the laptop screen and the tv at the same time.

milkweed · May 18, 2013

Desktop with two 24" screens, and like others here I carry notebooks/sketchbooks with me everywhere for my notes, etc. I've even taken notes on napkins and coasters.

I would love to have a netbook or a tablet for when I'm away from home.

PowerWriter · May 19, 2013

I like writing with full keyboard and full-sized monitor. My monitor is 22", I think. It's getting old. I run two desktops, one is a back-up system, an older E6750 core duo. My main rig is an AMD six core.

I also like writing with a fountain pen on good paper. There is something intimate about writing with a nice pen and nice ink. It's slow and meaningful, usually. The problem is then making it digital, and for this I use Dragon Naturally Speaking. It is not an efficient process, but it does force me to read it aloud. We should all read our work aloud, right? Two birds with one piece of software. I do not like to talk, and when I do, I'm quiet and muffled. I guess it helps my diction.

I should probably mention I suffer some visual imparement and not just from needing reading glasses, so a big screen really helps.

Wendy Jenae · May 19, 2013

I should probably mention I suffer some visual imparement and not just from needing reading glasses, so a big screen really helps.

I'm in the exact same situation.

I, too, like to write on paper first. It's cool to see others have the same practice. I hadn't thought of using Dragon though. I do like the idea.

I hate always sitting--tied to my desktop in front of my huge monitor in my dark office. I was thinking of buying a keyboard and trying to write on my iPad. I noticed no one has mentioned writing on an iPad. Is it because the iPad just isn't a good writing device or because most of us don't think of an iPad as a writing device?

Nightmirror · May 19, 2013

I have a 27' monitor for my desktop computer; I'm really proud of the computer itself because I assembled it from parts I ordered off newegg. I also have a 17' laptop, which was a poor choice of size in my opinion, but I got it before I put together my desktop sooo....yeah. I would prefer something a bit lighter for travel, and that's usually what I use my iPad for, but it's not the easiest thing to type on. What I write on depends on how I'm feeling. If I want to get a lot of work done or my WIP is in need of some serious editing, I'll usually work on my desktop. If I'm feeling lazy and want to relax on the couch, I stick to the laptop. The iPad is there because I don't own a phone--they're too small for me...maybe I just have a giant fetish or something, i don't know.

SevasTra82 · May 21, 2013

I bounce around. I type at work sometimes, in which I have two 27" monitors. At home i have a 17" laptop and a 13" net book. The wife usually has the laptop, but the net book is mine

Desktop or laptop? What size screen?

Bogna

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World

benbenberi

practical experience, FTW

katci13

creative genie

janelle

JustinlDew

Shortest Query Winner.

FCameron

PEBKAC2

Will crit for food.

LessonsToLiveBy

Becky Black

Writing my way off the B Ark

ylrebmik

snc84

milkweed

Abuses commas at will.

PowerWriter

Wendy Jenae

Autonomous & Nocturnal

Nightmirror

Not so happily ever after...

SevasTra82