My Father-in-Law has graciously allowed me the use of his desktop computer (a Vista based Dell) while we're visiting for Christmas. I sincerely appreciate it, and have found it to be quite sufficient for the task. It has also brought some thoughts to mind.
The most notable thought is that it would be nice to have a familiar work station no matter where I find myself, i.e. a laptop.
I've never been a fan of laptops 'cause I never really thought of them as being serious computers. To me they were always aimed at people who valued portability over speed, power, decent sound, and a full-sized keyboard. Four things that are remarkably important to me.
However, sitting at a strange desk using a different (though admittedly full-sized) keyboard on an unfamiliar computer has made me realise that portability has value. There is something to be said for being able to sit down and write without having to reorganise things to get comfortable. There's something to be said for placing your fingers on keys so familiar you can type in the dark. There's something to be said for an operating system (and programs) you know with settings tailored to you liking.
In short, laptops today are powerful enough to word-process, fingers can adapt to keyboards, and I already own nice headphones. So for the purpose of writing laptops are pretty cool, and gaming can be done on your real computer. ^_^