[gnicholas]

These look really interesting! I need a laptop to be able to travel (both locally and long-distance), but I spend most of my time working at a desk in my home. It would be great to have a more powerful desktop computer, but I have no idea how to juggle multiple Macs. I imagine myself going to start a presentation somewhere and realizing the file is on my other computer. Ditto for browser tabs.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to juggle multiple Macs?

[sofixa]

For browser tabs browser sync is pretty much a solved problem ( no idea how well Safari does this, but Firefox and Chromium-based browsers have been good for years). For files, it'd require some discipline and tooling - using a cloud sync service like Dropbox or OneDrive or whatever, and always putting important files in places where it'd be synced. Also, with a remote access service ( Chrome Remote Desktop? Wireguard VPN + VNC? Whatever works best for you) you could keep access to your desktop remotely from your laptop if you need to grab a file last minute.

[gnicholas]

Does browser tab sync require signing or something? I feel like I've never seen this (but if I had, I would have ignored it, since I don't have another computer to sync my tabs to!).

[sofixa]

Yep, you have to create a profile in your browser of choice.

Note: it doesn't magically copy all tabs, but history is shared, and on Chrome there's a "tabs on other devices" bit where you can see open tabs on your other logged in devices. (Including from mobile)

[porterde]

Apple iCloud does it all seamlessly (depending how large your files are) https://www.apple.com/uk/icloud/

[jbverschoor]

Well actually iCloud is pretty slow with syncing, and at notifying even local file changes.

[samuelstros]

Do you really need multiple Macs?

Ever since USB C came about, I just have one MacBook which acts as desktop (and laptop). USB C requires just one cable to charge my MacBook and transmit video. Aka I plug in the "power cable" and boom I got a desktop PC. (The monitor has an integrated USB hub).

[gnicholas]

I lean in the direction of not needing more than one. I’m just trying to figure out how I would even weigh the pros and cons fairly. Seems like there are ways to address most of my issues, but I don’t think the tradeoff would be worth it.

[peakaboo]

Dropbox solves this. I run multiple Linux computers and have my Downloads, Code and Docs folders synced between all computers. Works flawlessly.

[gnicholas]

I get how Dropbox works well for folders and files, but what about web browsing? I keep tabs open so I remember to do things, and for research purposes. For example, if I'm going to a meeting I might open up a dozen tabs with LinkedIn profiles, wikipedia pages, etc. If I do that on a desktop computer, can I get that synced over to my laptop, so I can review those tabs when I'm on my way to the meeting?

[peakaboo]

Yes that's all built into Firefox sync. It sync your tabs and bookmarks and much more across computers and phones automatically. You can also send specific tabs from your phone to your computer and when you sit down on the computer, the tab opens. :)

If you are on chrome, I'm not sure if there is something like that but it should exist some plugin...