Does anyone use a laptop other than for gaming?

Nedd Ludd

Active member
OK, it's a tongue in cheek remark. It would seem that the majority of members are most interested in gaming. When laptops first took off (early 90s) they were used almost exclusively for business. The telecoms company I worked for used the Compaq range with docking ports for when you were in the office. The more brainier nerds used a Sunspark which was of course Unix based. There was a certain snobbery about this because the normal rank and file did not understand Unix and did not know what route was and completely screwed up the kernel’s IP routing tables .

From the posts today, it would seem that most people are only interested in gaming and are not aware of the powerful tool at their finger tips. The number crunching that can be obtained is amazing and I remember (again in the early 90s) thinking how fast excel was as I watched the business plan figures spooling over for a few minutes when we inputted new data. Now, as soon as you hit return, the cells change quicker than you can blink.

Not sure if I would like to be a young nerd today rather than the micro computer addicted (yes it was a recognised illness) nerd I was of yesteryear. Then it was all black magic to be gazed at in wonder. Today it is taken for granted.
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
From the posts today, it would seem that most people are only interested in gaming and are not aware of the powerful tool at their finger tips.
I think that they're probably acutely aware of the powerful tech they have in front of them, they just choose to utilise that power in a different way.

It's a generational shift, the technology is always advancing and becoming more affordable, many people have more expendable income than they used to and gaming has become a HUGE business.

Fifteen years ago, I'd have laughed my head off if someone suggested to me that in the future thousands of people would pay good money and cram into large venues to watch other people play video games... but here we are.
 

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I think that they're probably acutely aware of the powerful tech they have in front of them, they just choose to utilise that power in a different way.

It's a generational shift, the technology is always advancing and becoming more affordable, many people have more expendable income than they used to and gaming has become a HUGE business.

Fifteen years ago, I'd have laughed my head off if someone suggested to me that in the future thousands of people would pay good money and cram into large venues to watch other people play video games... but here we are.
And when you consider a phone these days probably has more computing power than a desktop pc did 15 years ago, heck i could even hook mine up to an xbox controller and play games such as Halo on it.....................
 
D

Deleted member 41971

Guest
And when you consider a phone these days probably has more computing power than a desktop pc did 15 years ago, heck i could even hook mine up to an xbox controller and play games such as Halo on it.....................

a fitbit probably has more computing power than a ps1

crazy times
 

Nedd Ludd

Active member
I was just churning my grey cells a bit and thought there is a section of the public that rely totally on their laptop for business....Digital Nomads. These creatures can be seen frequenting dimly lit bars and cafes staring into the screen and typing away. Up until the Wuhu Flu, countries of choice were Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. These countries do not actually like DMs as they do not pay any tax and do not have work permits relying instead on tourist visas. Sadly Covid has affected nearly all of us but on the plus side, more time has been spent working from home, again using the laptop for business. So in reality, I have contradicted myself and there are probably more business users than gamers.
 
D

Deleted member 41971

Guest
n the plus side, more time has been spent working from home, again using the laptop for business.

I think for a percentage of people working from home won't be what they think it will be, they have one vision while the businesses have a totally different one.
 

DarTon

Well-known member
Must admit I can't really imagine wanting to game on a laptop. The whole point for me is to have those big screen(s), a full size keyboard and a mouse. I want either multiple screens of 27" or bigger or a tablet/convertible ultraportable with max size 13" screen. The 15-17" screen that gaming laptops have just seems the worst of all worlds.
 

KriSta

Silver Level Poster
Must admit I can't really imagine wanting to game on a laptop. The whole point for me is to have those big screen(s), a full size keyboard and a mouse. I want either multiple screens of 27" or bigger or a tablet/convertible ultraportable with max size 13" screen. The 15-17" screen that gaming laptops have just seems the worst of all worlds.
I`m not actually using the 17"3 screen on my laptop when on my desk , I`m using my 35" UltraWide monitor . Only when travelling I would use the laptop screen.
 
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