Aren’t all laptops PCs?

Oh, rereading, I see you’re talking about netbooks specifically, which, yeah, are kind of not really PCs.

I prefer PCs for most things, no real preference for desktop or laptop as long as I can use a mouse; I usually do desktop because they’re cheaper to build and usually quieter.

Netbooks are fine for classwork, browsing, and webdesign in most cases.

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.

Laptop - it does everything a computer needs to do in one compact, easy to handle package. Even the cheapest of laptops is faster and more powerful than what the vast majority of people need these days, and since virtually everything is web based, I don’t even own a computer. I use my phone/tablet for everything. Work supplies the laptop.

PC is short for personal computer, which includes both laptop and desktop form factors.

But to answer the question, I generally prefer a desktop because you can upgrade them and work on them more easily.

“the keyboard and touchpad make me angry”
I think you need to try this out with an open mind. Plenty of people use laptops as their only computer, only with trackpad. Plenty others just toss a Bluetooth mouse in their bag and use that.
I get using a PC, but a laptop does have its advantages.

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.

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.

I like the concept of laptops but I hate using them. When I’m away from my house I don’t need a computer. I’m barely able to find a use for my phone when I’m out and about.

Laptop by far, it’s not even close. There’s practically no advantage to a PC I’d be missing at all. I can quickly grab it and bring what I’m meddling with anywhere I go quickly, and the battery makes it so I can jump between my desk, couch, or down the street. If I need to run an external peripheral for some strange port, I have a Thunderbolt external PCIe enclosure at my desk.

That said, I wouldn’t consider a Chromebook a practical replacement. Not because it’s a laptop, but because a lot of what I fiddle with is just easier on a normal OS.

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.

Desktop 1000%. They are just more ergonomic in every way. A laptop without a mouse is basically torture. For lots of typing a laptop without a full size external keyboard isn’t pleasant. For viewing anything laptops screens are too small and generally poor quality, so you need an external screen, or better, 2 or more. So now you have a docking station with all your peripherals plugged in to, being powered by a machine that if it were a desktop would be at least twice as powerful and have much longer life through upgradability.

For the odd task that requires portability then laptops obviously have uses. But I’d rather have a cheap laptop just for that job rather than pretend an expensive laptop is a good desktop replacement.

I live offgrid in a campervan, which places limits the amount of power and interior space I can devote to computing. So a vanilla laptop for me.

the keyboard and touchpad make me angry

External kb/mice are allowed. :-) Using a mechanical kb with my laptop right now.

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.

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.

I prefer working at a desk with a full sized keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Often these days I end up using a laptop for this though. Mostly because being stuck in the “computer room” at all times isn’t fun.