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Single vs. Multiple Computer Setups

iMac and MacBook

As the price gap between notebooks and desktops closes, two computer setup have emerged. Clearly mobility is required these days and therefore a laptop (or mobile gadget) is integral to all computer setups, but the real question is: is the user’s notebook the one and only main computer or is the notebook auxiliary to something more static, such as a desktop or server (a “base station”)? Because computers are still outside most consumers’ impulse buying ranges, here are some pros and cons to consider regarding each setup:

Single Notebook Setup

Pros

  • Single virtual work environment follows the user everywhere (window layout etc.) so only one desktop environment needs to be maintained.
  • All critical data is centralized so scp-ing projects around isn’t necessary.

Cons

  • External hard drive must be used for bulk storage like movies and music. I’ve yet to meet someone who had a big enough notebook hard drive to store all their data. This is quickly changing though.
  • Risk of carrying around sensitive data is increased because notebooks are easily stolen. Most mobile users are used to this and never let their notebooks out of their sight.
  • More expensive resources (memory, hard drive, etc.) and upgrading can be harder.

Multiple PC Setup

Pros

  • Data is “always on” so even if the user doesn’t have their notebook, torrents can still be running and files can be accessed (ssh) from some other public computer.
  • Desktop state can be securely maintained by leaving the computer running.

Cons

  • Extra cost for a notebook and desktop is incurred.
  • Data is distributed and must be synced. Every project must be moved to the notebook for mobile use and then synced back.

Trend Analysis

The single notebook setup seems to be gaining popularity over the past five years as wireless connectivity has spread. Desktop sales have been plummeting and Apple has made it super easy to use the obligatory external hard drive for mobile backups.

The multiple computer setup seems to be making a comeback though. Apple released some pretty awesome new iMacs and the new MacBook Air. I would argue that the stripped down Air plus the iMac release is Apple’s attempt to facilitate the vintage multi-computer setup. The Air has caused quite a backlash in the blogging community and taking a deeper look reveals that the backlash seems to be coming from current MacBook users. The same users who use their MacBook or PowerBook as their main and only computer.

Notebook-as-main-PC users apparent downsides to the Air:

  • No USB port
  • No ethernet port
  • No optical drive
  • No Audio In
  • No FireWire

— Jim Whimpey

A “base station” user, such as myself, would see these “downsides” in a completely different light. When having a base station, I use my notebook for one thing: access the internet. Using my notebook as a thin client doesn’t reduce my usability while mobile because I’m able to use web apps and ssh to easily stay synced with my desktop. Having to keep synced at all does at some layer of indirection but it’s minimal compared to even a few years ago, before the explosion of web apps. The popularity of web apps definitely reduces the severity of the “synchronization problem.”

So what would cause a notebook-as-main-PC user to switch to the vintage base station setup?:

I love the permanent feel of a desktop computer, the way it’s never moved, the ability to leave peripherals like hard drives plugged in, move the keyboard without moving the screen, the lack of a crude drive noise when waking from sleep, the durable feel, there’s a lot to like. As well as just getting more computer for your money.
— Jim Whimpey

What setup do you use and why? What keeps you from using another setup?

    None Found
  • http://mdmsolutions.org/users/mikmorg Mike (aka Mikmorg)

    As a strongly computer-addicted long time developer, this setup is critical to me. For those on oxygen tanks, you may already know my situation.

    If, however, you’re still quite young, you may not. I use a three stage; server, desktop, ultra-portable. This has been the perfect combination for me for years. The server contains mass media, central repositories for development, public/private internet services, documents, finances, incremental backups, multi-user access for friends & family, etc.

    The desktop(s) keep certain folders synced to the server as needed, as my server is off-site from both work and home. For work, I have an external USB HDD that I use for storing music (as I require constant musical requiem while coding for hours), and my ultra-portable syncs to a very minimal subset (due to its extremely small HDD, running at 36GB – sizeof(Vista) = ~17GB), with current development projects, current documents, and finances when working on them.

    I do not store media on the laptop, as I don’t have space for such luxuries. For this very reason, plus maintaining the possibility of dual-boot, I am planning on buying a portable HDD to keep with me when doing more intensive work. This, of course, will by synced to the server as well. For now, media is streamed from the local desktop when available, or internet.

    To tie everything together, I run OpenVPN to keep a tunnel open from each desktop to the server, and use WPA from desktops to laptops. I used to use open wifi + OpenVPN for laptops, but Vista broke everything :P . I plan on using RADIUS with the server as the central user database, for when people come over. I used to have a network diagram, but my server is down (broken mobo since last week), so I can’t show you :( .

  • http://humani.st Luke Hoersten

    I use a similar setup. Notebook (where I don’t store anything) -> Server -> Desktop. It’s a nice way to abstract services and uses but it definitely comes with setup and maintenance overhead.

  • http://philharnish.tumblr.com Phil Harnish

    I think I might be a corner case. I think of my home computer as a “base station” and other people’s computers as the ‘notebook’ part. I own a couple laptops but they are simply not as convenient enough to take with me. With the level of connectivity already available out there I haven’t really needed a reason to buy a second, more portable computer (aka ‘laptop’).

    I think my next purchase will be a highly portable but significantly less powerful device: an iPhone or Eee or similar. Compared to an iPhone, a true laptop would likely only solve a few additional things for me and I inevitably wouldn’t have it with me.

    Which reminds me, Slashdot had an article which brought back to life the old idea that the world one day be full of thin client computers connecting to some sort of super computer.

  • http://humani.st Luke Hoersten

    I meant “base station” as anything static, such as a desktop or server (or both). Logan brought up a good point that some people use “base station” to mean a notebook “dock” which seems to be popular with corporations. Something I don’t see home users doing too much which is really what I wanted this article to be about.

    iPhones and Blackberries add a whole other dimension to the computer setup thing but I’d still consider those “gadgets” because I don’t think many people will completely replace all their computers with just an iPhone or something.

    The problem with thin clients is that they are usually still static… hardwired to the server. The idea of a thin client is only really useful if you can be completely mobile and still have your data synced up in the server.

  • http://saiyr.blogspot.com/ saiyr

    I use kind of a similar setup. My server is on-site, though, because it’s also my router (it’s a really, really powerful router; let’s just say it has an Athlon64 3000+ and leave it at that). It has similar functionality in hosting repositories/easy-to-access webspace. I do a lot of development on it as well, when it comes to non-C# programming.

    My desktop has everything non-programming related (and everything Windows programming related) and it’s more or less my everyday use computer. I don’t like using a laptop much due to size/lame keyboard. I also have 2 17″ LCDs for it. My desktop and laptop usually carry mutually exclusive data. I can X forward from my server as well, if I need/want it.

    I actually have two laptops that I use right now (one is borrowed from CS). I usually take my own laptop home with me, since I’ll be using it for extended periods of time. It has Windows and it’s bigger, which makes it easier for me to use. That laptop is a mess and it has stuff lying around everywhere. The other laptop is a 700m, so it’s tiny and easy to carry around. It runs Linux, so I can do local development when needed (which usually is connected to Subversion or Mercurial). There’s not much more than programming-related things on it.

    There’s nothing special about my network, though. Too lazy set any of that stuff up.

  • http://philharnish.tumblr.com Phil Harnish

    I suppose my point was I have removed the need for anything other than PC+gadget. I’m not suggesting laptops are obsolete, just unnecessary for my needs as a computer scientist. Every work environment I use has computers with connectivity which allow me to do any serious tasks I might have. For everything else, a gadget with the internet is more than enough. It’s possible that my situation might change in the near future but I really think this is where the world is heading. Like you said, in this day and age, where data is located isn’t the issue it used to be. The problem that needs to be solved now is developing better and better devices to leverage the connectivity.

  • http://humani.st Luke Hoersten

    Well put. I feel like the iPhone is really going to change our mobility requirements (i.e. no laptop needed) but right now, most people still don’t have an iPhone. Do you think you don’t need a laptop currently because you have computer labs in every building you use? What happens when you aren’t on a university campus?

  • http://theseventhinfinity.com Dan Harrison

    I’m definitely the odd one out when it comes to this as I can’t stand desktop computers (more precisely, I like the laptop scissor-style keyboards, and my preferred desk is an infeasibly sized wooden table). As a result, I don’t use my desktop for most stuff and only use the laptop when I’m out of my room, but rather use my laptop for everything and use my “desktop” (which is currently a 12″ powerbook with a broken screen and several external hard drives) solely for network available storage and as a poor man’s AirTunes.

    As a side note, my iPhone is fantastic, but would not work as a laptop replacement (for a techie). The three things biggest hurdles are the lack of a physical keyboard, the limited RAM, and the lack of a devel environment. The SDK release will only address the last one. Even when someone does write a Textmate port (or SSH/emacs/vim as they have with the hacked phones), the lack of pixels will still be an issue.

  • http://humani.st Luke Hoersten

    I was hoping more of the notebook-only users would comment but I think my readers are skewed :) . The reason I didn’t consider the iPhone in my initial analysis is exactly because of what you said. I consider “work” to be working on some kind of document at least some of the time. iPhones are not practical for that kind of work because of the lack of keyboard and workspace. Still they definitely fill a niche. I’d like to have constant access to my todo list and calendar.

  • http://theseventhinfinity.com Dan Harrison

    Yeah. The calendar is nice, but the experience still really needs that Apple touch. For example, I can create events on my iPhone that will sync back to iCal, but they all get put in one category. It’d be nice to have that be the default, but be able to assign them on the Phone if I wanted. Also, there’s no good way to handle syncing my mobile calendar with any online calendar (read Google Calendar), though I suspect/hope that someone will do this when the SDK gets released. Even a program that replaces the included calendar program would be okay as long as it synced with GC and had audible/vibrate notifications.

    I’m waiting for a native app for todo as well. EDGE is totally usable if you can avoid all the HTML/CSS/image overhead: MobileMail is delightful to use, while even something as basic as Todoist is not.

  • http://humani.st Luke Hoersten

    I’m a huge Todoist fan. Can’t live without it. have you tried Android on the iPhone or does that even work yet?

  • http://jimwhimpey.com Jim Whimpey

    I’m really loving my new desktop setup for all the reasons I mentioned. It’s just so durable and fast and there’s no hassle. I think one the major downsides of a portable computer as your only computer is the burden of having to protect your data in a physical sense. Not a day went by when I wasn’t shitting myself thinking I was going to drop it or have it stolen, etc. Shitting myself is a bit of an exaggeration, I’m a pretty relaxed guy but it’s definitely something that was on my mind.

    That said, I’ve just ordered what I consider the ultimate portable-as-a-secondary computer, 12″ Powerbook. It’s not powerful but it’s relatively cheap and ultra powerful. What I consider the perfect companion to a big screen, powerful desktop computer. It’ll be interesting to see how I find it.

  • http://humani.st Luke Hoersten

    Your posts definitely gave me a lot of content to work with which was nice. The shift from notebook-only to the desktop + notebook solution is an interesting move that many people don’t do. I think you’ve said this before, but I hope you keep your blog up-to-date with how your new setup is holding up to your workflow. Great posts by the way!

  • Roy Chanley

    I had my first laptop from the CS department last semester for a Tablet PC class. I got so used to having one that I bought one for this semester as well. Also, it’s much easier to take home on visits then my desktop.

    My reason for getting one was the convenience and portability of it. Labs on campus are all equipped with different OS’s and different software. If you have a laptop, however, then you know exactly what you have and where it is. Storage capacity is small, especially if you dual boot, but a laptop shouldn’t be the main storage hub anyways.

    For non-programmers, a laptop-only environment can suffice I’m sure. Laptops have no problem browsing the internet, office software, basic multimedia, etc. The main reasons for a desktop-specific environment are development, gaming, storage, and overall cost. Yeah, you can do all of those on a laptop, it’s just more expensive.

    As for programmers, desktops are almost always mandatory. The laptop is just there if you’re really that addicted to your computers :)

  • LKRaider

    I use a laptop only setup for development. It’s really great being able to take your stuff with you all the time. I don’t feel any need to use a desktop at all.

    And I backup stuff on external usb harddrives and offload old stuff when needed. Laptops are becoming preety good desktop replacement machines in terms of computing power and resources nowadays.

    PS: I use external keyboard and mouse when docked at home :)

  • http://sahild.com Sahil Desai

    My Setup:
    1 iPhone, 1 MacBook, 1 External 20″ Display (I’m in the market for a nice laptop-like keyboard, preferably cheap (if anyone has any recommendations, that would be great (I can’t believe I’m embedding parentheticals)))

    With regard to the iPhone, I really see it as a communication device (voice, email, calendar, address book, & quick interfaces to important info; for instance, maps, todoist, et cetera). That “real” internet stevey j. was talking about is quite a ways off, the iphone needs to have a unique web interface to truly be effective.

    Instead of talking about my current setup, I’m going to try to describe my ideal setup (with more emphasis on workflow, rather than data-access). I say this because I know for a fact that are a crapload of holes in the whole single-laptop setup for my workflow, plus I’m always willing to try new things (that’s what she said).

    One of the things that I think really matters, is the operating system. In my opinion, which is far from humble, (os x || linux) && laptop is really amazing. Windows on the other hand, I find lacks certain inherent methods of navigation. there are a lot more, but the things that really speed up my flow are expose, spaces, spotlight/quicksilver. I know vista comes with that new search thingy in the start menu, but how many people use it for launching or searching files (this is an honest question, i have yet to see anyone really using it)?

    So going back to the ideal setup. I’d say it would be very similar to what phil mentioned, pc+gadget. However, the fact that osx is not really prevalent in labs and society in general, i really need to have access to a full-fledged mac everywhere i go, which I is why i don’t like leaving it at home. I have recently started storing more of my data online, or at least syncing it so i have quick access in case im unablet to access my laptop.

    There was more I was going to say, but I’ve been writing this on and off for about 2 days, so I keep forgetting where I left off. I’ll be more succinct next time =P

  • http://www.club-penguin.org/ clubpenguincheatcodes

    I use a three stage; server, desktop, ultra-portable. This has been the perfect combination for me for years. The server contains mass media, central repositories for development, public/private internet services, documents, finances, incremental backups, multi-user access for friends & family, etc.

  • http://www.club-penguin.org/ clubpenguincheatcodes

    I use a three stage; server, desktop, ultra-portable. This has been the perfect combination for me for years. The server contains mass media, central repositories for development, public/private internet services, documents, finances, incremental backups, multi-user access for friends & family, etc.