There are many reasons. Lets go through the list.
- Reliability. Working with computers in my life I have seen that at any time a computer can fail. Since my income depends on having a working computer, it makes sense that I would have more than one computer.
- Curiosity. I get bored with things and like learning something new everyday. Yesterday I installed nomachine which allows me to connect to the other computer and the screen looks almost identical. It really is a pleasure to have multiple operating systems to use.
- Testing. I test software all of the time. Since I do this, it can cause computer issues. If I have a problem with one computer I can quickly switch to another computer without the client noticing.
- Games. By having different operating systems you can really enjoy some great gaming performance. I shared earlier how my Thinkpad with Nobara had better game performance than the MSI that was 3 times more expensive. It had cutting edge NVIDIA support and it looked great playing games in steam.
- Projector compatibility. I shared earlier that the projector that I have has better colors on the Thinkpad with Linux. Now with nomachine, I am seeing an emulated Mumu android environment in Windows, displayed on a Linux system on a projector in HDMI. I love that!
- Education. This goes back to the curiosity. Some things help me in my professional life, and some enrich my personal life. My curiosity had directly helped my education. When I have multiple OS systems it allows me to do things that I couldn’t do otherwise. It saves me money on hardware dongles and cables, and simplifies my environment.
- Environmentalism. When I have multiple computers it is true that I am using more energy, but I am also using both of them to be more efficient and save money for companies. If spending $20 more in electricity a month helps me save a client multiples of that, then it is completely worth it. For example during a meeting I was searching on my second computer for a solution for a new problem they shared and found it. Then I shared during the meeting the solution, and now it is something that they are looking at. We have opportunities with our clients to save them both time/money and that can directly help the environment.
- Tools. By having different kinds of computers and software I view them as tools that can help me make more critical decisions for myself and others. For example, the Linux computer went with a friend to Japan and that was helpful because it was light and small. The MSI computer was heavy and would not have been travel friendly. Different kinds of computers have different purposes, and when you match the right kind of tool to the client they can be incredibly productive.
- Fun. I enjoy technology and its fun to have different things. Besides the educational aspect, I enjoy my job and I find it fun to see what is possible. I consider it a privilege to work in IT and I am so grateful that I have this opportunity.
- Health. I shared that my eye doctor said I need to focus on larger things instead of straining to see on small screens. By having a projector screen my eyes have no longer been red and sore and I feel great. There is no price you can put on health and having two computers that can output to a projector is very healthy and helpful thing.
Its your money, but once you get two laptops and use them both everyday you don’t want to go back.