Why not a laptop?

My son has the futile ambition of dragging me into the 21st Century. He enthusiastically recommends laptops. His profession requires that he be in close touch with his base at all times.

As an Elegant Fossil, I have no need for a piece of expensive equipment that could be moved from place to place. I'd have to carry it and guard it and I'd get very little use out of being constantly in touch.

I have both a desktop and a laptop but the desktop hasn't been turned on in over 6 months. I've taken to using the laptop only for whatever reasons.

As long as you have USB ports (which pretty much every machine has today) add-ons aren't a problem and setup is, IMO, easier since everything is already built into the laptop.

The biggest drawback IMO, is that you are stuck with whatever video card the laptop comes with. Memory can be expanded, hard drives can be replaced with larger ones (or you can add an external drive) so those aren't as much of an issue. Laptops tend to be less powerful than a desktop you'd buy for the same $$ but unless you are a serious gamer I don't see that as a major issue. For my typical uses the laptop works just fine. The laptop hardware is harder to repair yourself if it does break however (and parts tend to be more expensive).

the biggest drawback in laptops for me is the physique. I had constant headaches and backaches from crouching over the laptop for hours, looking down into the screen.
Now I have an external monitor (set at eye level), external mouse and external keyboard - thus converting my laptop into a desktop essentially.
If you travel much, get a laptop. But if you'll use it mostly at home, I would go with a desktop myself. It's cheaper, too.

my laptop is my life. I run my dj and karaoke software from it and am able to be connected to both the people I need to be and want to be no matter where I am. Since I am often away from home this is important. I am getting ready to buy another one to set my youngest boy up and begin his training as a dj/kj.

Just make sure and get one with adequate usb ports and get a good padded case and treat it gently.
As with all computers, the more juice the better. I run an external hard drive. I have two 250 gigs, a 500 gig and I'm getting ready to add a !T.

I recommend them whole heartledly.

That's pretty much the answer I needed, Fishin'.

Oh yes, Dag. If I go that route, it'll definately have an external mouse. If I'm going to need an external keyboard and monitor, though, that might be a deal breaker. One of the things that make them attractive is the lack of clutter on the desk.

Yes, but you can have two monitors.

Work on the right... A2K on the left.

well, i ended up with more clutter on the desk.
if you're ok with the laptop screen, you can just put the laptop on something to elevate it to eye level - but you'd still need external keyboard to type and a mouse... At work, I stare into the computer for 8-12 hours at the time, so I wanted a bigger screen that's easier on the eyes. Depends on how much time you spend on the computer. If it's only an hour a day or so, you don't need all that extra stuff. But if you do and you value your back and eyes, then yes.

I had a Compaq laptop through most of the second half of the '90s through 2004. It was the handiest thing. I could surf, take notes and chat from anywhere. It had two big drawbacks for me. The first was the diminishing life of the batteries. They didn't hold the charge long enough to be all that useful as a mobile laptop for work and I found myself looking for an outlet to plug into more often than not. The second drawback was the weight of the thing. Are they still that heavy? Has there been a vast improvement on battery life?

If the money's right, they can be very light. Those lithium ion batteries shouldn't have the memory problems of nicad, though I didn't know what kind of batteries you were using.

laptop is the way to go
you spend enough and buy a $1000 and up laptop they are usually as good as desktop's but limited in some ways, I prefer a laptop for my personal computing and a desktop for work

Roasted nuts.

That does it for me, DrewDad. Desk top it is!