Some years ago, people frowned on the presence of a laptop computer in a dining establishment. Folks who wanted to use their lunch hours as a place to catch up on work from the office or some other project were discouraged from doing so by frowning staff and glaring customers in the local bistro.
In recent times, the attitude towards a laptop computer in a public eatery has begun to warm. The pleasant breeze indicating that a laptop might be as acceptable as the latest novel at an eatery table initially started to take shape in the local java stop.
Coffeehouses always seem to be a step or two ahead of more mainstream stops when it comes to the subject of what is appropriate conduct within a given setting. Today, it nearly is impossible to set foot into a coffeehouse without spotting at least one quietly sitting customer, with a piping latte at his or her side, engrossed in something or another on a computer screen.
Certain rules of etiquette seem to be taking shape in regard to laptop use in the confines of a coffee shop, and by extension a bistro or diner as well. While it now is perfectly permissible to pour over some vital work or continue penning a novel, booting up and playing a computer game usually is a step beyond the acceptable. Office work, writing a book, creating a poem or song, and the like are quiet endeavors that in no way hamper or interfere with a neighbor’s enjoyment of a joint. A challenging computer game generally is not the case.
The old adage that "my rights end where the other guy’s begins" might be reformatted a bit for laptop use in public places. Perhaps the best rule that can be applied to when it is appropriate to pull a laptop out of its case simply is this:
"My right to use my laptop stops where your latte begins."