Your choice of vocabulary is a bit odd.

A laptop can be a full fledged computer. Chromebooks are specialty devices that lack the functionality of a standard desktop or laptop computer. I’m not sure if the term “netbook” is still used these days, but that’s how I would describe a Chromebook. It’s not a full laptop.

I prefer a full laptop, not a Chromebook. I am not a power user, so it can run all of the games I play on it just fine (high end modern games will not work obviously). I can take it with me anywhere and it was a lifesaver for note taking in grad school. If I’m traveling, I can just stuff it in my backpack and go.

At home, I keep my laptop connected to a keyboard, mouse, and an additional monitor, giving me dual monitor support. It’s easy to bring that desktop comfort you’re used to to it.

I can’t use a laptop for work (graphics intensive, need a powerhouse) but I would if I could. I love being able to use it literally anywhere I go—at my desk, in bed, on the toilet, on vacation, on the bus, at a cafe, etc—and…

I installed a headless Debian OS, added a keyboard-focused window manager and I don’t have to futz with the trackpad nor find a place to put an attached mouse. It also is a much slower drain on the battery. Best of all worlds.

I use it for web-browsing, word-processing/spreadsheets, checking email, making memes, coding, managing my home network, controlling my headless SBC, and modding. Also occasionally for cyber CTFs or remoting into my desktop at least to do so.

Completely depends if you need to carry it around.

For best of both worlds: Docked laptop with full monitor and maybe keyboard. You can find monitors everywhere for cheap.

Moved from pc to laptop about a decade ago and I don’t think I could ever go back. It seemed so normal back then to spend all my time in one room at my desk.

But now, yeah I can spend time at the desk and I can even plug the laptop in to external everything and it’s just like having a pc. But ALSO I can laze around on the couch watching TV with my other half while I play Deep Rock Galactic, or I can lounge in the sun in the conservatory and still edit video, or I can pick up and take it on a trip somewhere and still have access to everything I need without having to fiddle with a phone.

The only downside of a laptop is the cost compared to a similar spec pc. But when I think of going back I think of being chained to a desk in that one room and just…nah.

If I had to choose only one, it would be a desktop. The experience of using a machine with a good keyboard/mouse and large monitors can’t be beat, plus it’s much cheaper for the same quality of hardware. The main downside is that it’s not portable. Whether I’m working or gaming, I’m confined to that one desk. I can’t work on the couch, in the park, in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, or anywhere else I might find myself that day.

The ideal setup is to have both. A desktop for when I can be at my desk, and a cheap laptop that I can use to remote into said desktop. That way, you get the convenience of a laptop with the power of a desktop at a much more reasonable price.

My setup is two laptops (home and work) but 90% of the time they are just used connected via usb-c to my desk in the front room.

Pull out one wire and swap between work and home setup.

I have a laptop for work, it’s useful for that purpose because it’s portable. I’ve owned several personal laptops over the years and rarely used them because I just don’t need one. If I traveled more I’d consider buying one.

I was desktop-only during my whole college studies and gotta say, I really enjoy the freedom that working from a laptop gives you (especially being a remote worker). I like the fact that I can now dedicate my desktop setup for gaming and entertainment, it keeps work and daily life separated :)

PC for most of my work, laptop for when I just need to access things from elsewhere. Although, I would never touch a Chromebook. Tried it, was very underwhelmed. IMO chromebooks defeat the purpose of a laptop. What’s the point of portability if you need wifi to use it?

I require both. Laptop is a real laptop and not a Chromebook.

Thank you I’m am really enjoying reading all the answers, I was fairly sure most people would have and like laptops etc not being tied to a desk is a bonus. Also yup I didn’t word things well but thanks for answering in the spirit of my question. Its great seeing the answers coming in on here and seeing the surveys data.

Haven’t used my desktop in ages, has been completely replaced by my personal and work laptops.

Lightweight/low-power laptop (aka chromebook) + homeserver seems ideal, IMO. Especially if you have gigabit upstream at home, and know how to set up a VPN.

Ideally, I’d use a high-performance stationary computer as a workstation and a laptop as a terminal (for small work and SSH access).

However, it would by more expensive, not power-efficient, you would always need an internet connection for your laptop, a static IP address and you will need to handle power outages/unexpected shutdowns for your computer.

In regards to focus and typing speed, laptops seem to do it best for me. My laptop is usually in sleep, and my desktop off, so it’s much faster to bring it from sleep and do what I need to do. A laptop, too, was my first computer, so I feel fairly comfortable with the experience unless I really need a mouse. Desktops are insanely comfortable, though, and I guess primarily that’s what I’d use, but thankfully I can do about equal things on both outside of gaming, so it’s mainly about how I’m feeling at the time.