laptop or desktop?

It will depend on your needs. For the same amount of money you can get better specs in a desktop but then you will have to spend money on accesories and other stuff. Desktop is more futureproof but laptop will give you portability. In my opinion if you wanna game then go for a desktop but if you need it for general use then go for a laptop.
Keep in mind that for max profit for money you will have to build a pc yourself, prebuilt desktops are a waste of money.

desktop.... laptops are portable but i can bring my mac mini with me anywhere

Can always consider a very cheap laptop that just streams your desktop when you're out and about

I have both. A desktop has modularity and you are able to interchange parts, which isn't possible with modern laptops(older laptops used to allow you to change out smaller parts, like your ram or your storage). Laptops give you the ease of transportation. For me, I use my macbook for school and i play games on my macbook. Needing a better graphics card for a desktop results in needing to change it out as games and hardware progresses, but with laptops, I think its best to buy when you are only needing low power tasks(like in my case, schoolwork). In a perfect world, its best to have both!

PS. having a macbook and an iphone combo is great. if you are in the apple ecosystem already, get a macbook, the continuity is wonderful.

desktop, been using one for years and can say id rather this then a laptop

Definitely I choose deskto, a desktop with a couple of monitors has been my environment for years.

It depends. For programming in general, any current computer can do the job, so if you travel a lot, a notebook is better, but if it's a home office or the company provides a work notebook, I would go with a desktop.

This is for programming in general. For game development, for example, I would consider a desktop. Only in cases where mobility is really very important would I consider a gaming notebook

I agree with the others, it really comes down to the use cases you need to cover. Desktops usually offer higher performance for the price but of course the trade off is mobility/portability, so if that's important then there's really no alternative to a laptop.

Depends on situation, and what you are going to use it for. We would need to know more about your work or lifestyle like if you consider gaming a necessity or not.