How attached are you to your mobile device? (2025 Edition)

[Scott5114]

I will say that text messages don't feel like a secure platform (and email is only marginally better) based on the scams and phishing attempts that get through to me. Not a fan of text-based 2FA either, but some places don't give you an alternative.

That's a little like saying the postal system isn't secure because you get junk mail, isn't it?

[ZLoth]

Worth noting, my desktop PC at work was replaced with a laptop.  The idea seems to be that would take the laptop home with me so I could do work away from the office or on work travel.  Why would want to do my work from home during my off time when I haven't had to for past twenty-four years?

I've had a work laptop for multiple years. Most of the time, it was hooked up to a docking station so that I could use a 27 inch monitor, regular mouse, and full-size keyboard. Due to Covid and Adult Caretaker, I've had to work from home since 2020. I don't like it because it blurs the border between work and home environments. Yes, there have been times where I had a work emergency, plus it was my turn to work on-call overnight. Unfortunately, I had a bad manage4r who did not respect any of my work boundaries. His reputation is... not good.... around the company because of what he did to me.

[MikeTheActuary]

Why would want to do my work from home during my off time when I haven't had to for past twenty-four years?

Business continuity planning.

When COVID lockdowns hit, the US division of my employer was able to adapt with minimal headache, because it was the norm for employees to have laptops, and the network engineers had planned for the potential for everyone to be using the corporate VPN.  The lockdown announcement was, essentially, "take your laptops home, and here's how you can forward your desk phone".

Our Canadian division, however, wasn't so lucky.  Desktop PCs were the norm, as only folks who needed to travel, or who had been identified as particularly critical for business continuity purposes had been assigned a laptop, so there was a whole process of procuring laptops, scaling up the VPN, etc.

Even before COVID, there were a couple of times where a local office was shut down for various reasons (9/11, Sandy, the late October blizzard in Connecticut), and we were able to continue functioning without much of a disruption because most employees were on laptops.

Any serious computing/experimenting I do is with my 2 laptops for the most part.

FWIW, more often than not, I travel with two laptops -- one for work, and one for not-work. The work laptop is locked down, for corporate security reasons, making it impossible to keep up with personal email, etc....and even if it weren't, I prefer to keep my non-work stuff completely separate from work stuff.

Besides that, as I noted above, I prefer having a real keyboard over having to tap stuff out on a phone display.

If a trip is just for a day or two, I'll leave one or both laptops at home.  Otherwise....

Due to Covid and Adult Caretaker, I've had to work from home since 2020. I don't like it because it blurs the border between work and home environments.

However, as someone who has taken care of a disabled wife for over 20 years, and who spent a few years working part time from another city to help/keep an eye on a parent...it's been a godsend.

Also, now that I work primarily with people in the UK and India....I would hate needing to commute into an office for the occasional 6am meeting.

[Rothman]

I think I can count the times I've gotten spam text messages on one hand.

[1995hoo]

I will say that text messages don't feel like a secure platform (and email is only marginally better) based on the scams and phishing attempts that get through to me. Not a fan of text-based 2FA either, but some places don't give you an alternative.

I've always found that method particularly nonsensical in the case of mobile banking apps. If someone's stolen your phone and gotten access to your password, then sending a code via text message does nothing whatsoever to enhance security.