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This discussion is the result of the power of the personal computer. No doubt it is an amazing potential.
And because of that software was written which allowed it to be the hub of an on board navigation network handling all sorts of tasks simultaneously and effortlessly. And the PC can do all sorts of other useful things.
This all sounds wonderful, so what the downside?
The laptop or PC is power hungry. It is not designed for environments where recharge is not readily available and they use a lot of power to do all that number crunching.
Next comes the salty and very humid environment where they are being asked to perform. They are not designed for these aggressive environments as a rule. When they are, they are much more expensive.
Next there is the user interface issues. Laptops and PCs are not meant to work in pitching, heaving and unstable platforms. Even when secured, the user interface makes executing commands with a mouse difficult.
And finally, when you put all your eggs in one basket you risk loosing them all if the basket breaks. The same argument applies to some MFDs networks.
Purpose made instruments which are stand alone and can be networked to communicate and have their data processed and displayed is handy. A laptop, PC or a MFD can do this.
My position is a laptop is almost essential these days if you want to be "connected" to the world... the internet and all that. This means that most live aboard cruisers will have one. But should be the network hub and a navigation instrument in itself?
My opinion (worth nothing) is that it should not. It can be a supplemental one and this may mean of course extra expense.. but all redundancy costs MORE. redundancy is a prudent thing to have for your navigation... paper charts then digital ones and then PC based. Don't make it the primary device... and if you do, you'll want to have a spare.
jef
sv shiva
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