Not if you want maximum earnings rate and mine in a Haz RES or double hotspot, where there's plenty of platinum all around. Just move to the next rock and laser up another 30T. Anybody can mine how they want. You don't need to do it in an optimal way. Some people like variety. My goal is always to optimise. Plus, it's easier to watch films/TV/YouTube while your mining when you only use lasers.
Totally agree.
For me, the fun IS in designing a ship that can do it's job in the most efficient way.
Build something, figure out what problems it has, modify it and go back out and see if it's better.
That's why I gave up on the T10.
I was quite happy to be flying a big, lumbering slug of a ship because it was as good as it could be... except that it kept killing prospectors and there was nothing I could do to resolve that issue.
Also, I have an X56 HOTAS and I've got the fire button mapped to the trigger and mapped to an on/off slider control so when I'm mining I can just flip the slider and my lasers fire continuously.
As well as helping with QoL (youtube videos on my tablet) it's genuinely useful 'cos it means I can twiddle my HUDs, to flush refinery bins, check cargo or look at contacts etc, without having to keep my finger on the trigger.