In the wake of the launch of SimCity, I have been thinking more and more about my aging desktop and laptop computer fleet. I bought a new laptop in June of last year, but it is decidedly mid-range, computationally, and it is likewise not very good at… well, a lot of things. In fact, I'm so incredibly ambivalent toward the machine that it could fall into a pile of molten lava tomorrow and all I'd think is something along the lines of "gee golly willakers, I really will miss the SSD I put in there." I used the word "desktop" but that's sort of unfair because I don't have any traditional PC towers, at least none that I'd intended to use that way. I have a mac mini, which doesn't have Windows installed on it, and I have a cheap PC desktop, which is just that – a cheap AMD-powered PC desktop I got for a ridiculous deal, intending to stuff hard disks in it for NAS purposes.
So with that in mind, I set out to think about what kind of desktop computer I might buy in the near to mid-distant future. It'll certainly happen after an impending trip to Sweden, but just for fun, I was looking at desktops and pricing that's available today.
But, I was concerned a little bit about whether or not I would ever use a desktop computer. This thought struck me as a little bit odd, especially because I remember several time periods in the past, when I was honestly far more mobile, where I would spend a pretty significant amount of time at my desktop computer, or even just at my desk, even if I only owned or used a laptop. I think that there are a lot of factors that go into this, including the fact that I don't really have a single machine I love using in that space, and the space itself is pretty bad. The desk I have is currently incredibly cramped and the area is incredibly disorganized and cramped.
I've spent well over a year living here and for a long time I couldn't figure out what was wrong, until I really thought about it and realized that in almost every other place I've lived, I've either had far fewer computers and things to go with the computers, or I had two or more desks put together so I could do things like put my laptop's dock in the corner of the pair of desks, have flatdell or TECT nearby, have a place to pile books and things, and also have space to do actual work, like take apart a computer, write on some paper, or fill out forms.
My current room is physically big enough to place both desks next to one-another, but doing so would remove my ability to use one or more of the windows in the room, which really helps combat the room's low ceiling and horrible dingy textured yellow/beige walls.
Maybe the other important factor about my current house is that because there are four of us in total and the rest of my housemates spend a lot of time in the living room, so in the interest of not feeling like a hermit, I'll usually leave a laptop on the dining room table or near the couch and hang out in the living room unless I'm specifically working on something, am out of the house, or am sleeping.
It's an interesting reference or step on the way to where I'd eventually like to be, which is that I'd one day like to have separate sleeping and working spaces, but it's certainly the case that I can't keep my primary work space in the living room right now, and even if more than one of the housemates does. I am going to be moving a little bit later on in the year, almost certainly before I upgrade or buy a new desktop computer, so it's likely that my living space will change a lot in its overall composition. I may be able to get a bigger desk in the new living space, for example, or I may have the opportunity to set up both desks next to one-another in the style of the old apartment.
How does this tie into my desire to own a desktop computer? I think the desirable of desktop computers is made of two parts – the first is that the computer itself is a more appealing (and maybe even more familiar) form factor. The computer itself is nicer because it's more flexible, faster, easier to use, whatever the case may be. The second is that the space is nicer and is set up in a way that's good for work from the outset. My apartment was set up in such a way that I had an excellent workspace, and most actual workspaces I've been to have been great, sufficient at the absolute worst. I'll see what the next home I live in is like before making a judgment on the type of computer it can accommodate.