Well, I would say yours is not a desktop setup ;-)
I mean, desktop usage is meant for people who work with computers. They spend several hours a day in front of them and therefore require ergonomic chairs and the like. If you want to use your laptop on your couch, that is completely okay, but you are probably not doing some of the things people at desks are doing (like decrypting compilers errors etc.).
> I mean, desktop usage is meant for people who work with computers
Practically everyone works with computers.
> They spend several hours a day in front of them and therefore require ergonomic chairs and the like.
That includes almost everybody.
> like decrypting compilers errors etc
I do that on my couch.
Desktop setup is a computer set up for desktop use, AKA, _for regular people everyday use_, that come bundled at most with some productivity suite (usually Office or Office clones).
Xmonad is not desktop ready, on the contrary, it harms Linux penetration on the desktop segment.
Ubuntu is a desktop setup, Fedora is a desktop setup, ElementaryOS is a desktop setup (etc. etc. etc.)
If you are compiling, you are already a pro user.
A desktop user doesn't fight with the default configuration, a desktop user adapt to the default configuration.
They might change the desktop background and WM theme, and that's all.
I mean, desktop usage is meant for people who work with computers. They spend several hours a day in front of them and therefore require ergonomic chairs and the like. If you want to use your laptop on your couch, that is completely okay, but you are probably not doing some of the things people at desks are doing (like decrypting compilers errors etc.).