Dave’s (my) environment
Apparently there’s interest about the environments we’re all working in. First the eye-candy, these three picture’s are what I consider the main parts of my working environment.
- The "geek" section of my book shelf (and, yes, there is also a non-geek section - it’s good to have a balance!). It’s a good reference, some good reads, some half read (awaiting my time), and it’s always growing. Books from Algorithms to [dare I admit it] Visual Basic with much in between (and, yes, alphabetically ordered).
- Servers and other hardware, well, the current ones.. there’s been a few over the years! I’ll run through them quickly:
- Mac Mini (only really use for Safari testing)
- SMC router
- DEC programmable switch (thanks Gary - one day I’ll get round to setting this up)
- APC Powerstack UPS - that needs replacing.. I can’t have both servers on and running through it at the same time!
- IBM xSeries 330 (hopefully the future dev-server for my own app!) running Gentoo linux
- Custom built 4u server / desktop, also running Gentoo with KDE as a desktop, RAID, SATA, aeroplane engine.. no, that’s just the fans! This is where I do most of my browser testing, Internet Explorer (ies4linux), Opera, Konqueror, etc.
- (in lower picture) IBM t30 laptop which has both Windows and Ubuntu Linux using GNOME as a desktop. This is where I do all my communications (email, skype, sip, im) from, keeping them on a separate machine limits the distraction.
- (in lower picture) Motorola E680 - a linux phone (also waiting for my time!), for daily usage I’ve got a Motorola v3.
- Desk space, this is a temporary setup all due to change (rack enclosure, Herman Miller Aeron chair, etc) in 2 months or so, but the main part of all this is my keyboard, a Goldtouch Adjustable keyboard, RSI is not something to ignore and this keyboard really helps!
When working I spend most of my time in bash and vim, followed by Thunderbird and Akregator. There’s always music playing - can’t work without music, top of the list to get me coding is at the moment are:
- Raga Against The Machine’s Renegades
- Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate’s In the Heart of the Moon
- Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison
(how depressing, none of them play anymore!).. I’d be interested in what gets other coders coding, music? coffee? a good environment? On that note, time I started coding..
I like listening to music over my bluetooth headphones (Logitech) while sitting at the coffee shop. I really can’t do a lot from my office, there’s acutally to few distractions… if that makes any sense.
I think it’s awesome that you develop almost solely on Linux. I just made the switch to Mac and am really, really happy to be out of XP. Really happpy.
Comment by Brandon — May 26, 2006 @ 7:19 pm
Personally, I go for coca-cola, the option to smoke, and then rock, heavy heavy rock for coding/producing. (Lots of head banging, but lots of work going on too).
If I need to go to the creative part of my inner being, I go for red wine and classical music, and always my small A5 Wacom Artpad. Using a pen instead of a mouse when you need to be creative, helps quite a bit!
Comment by Lars Koudal — May 26, 2006 @ 9:45 pm
A six pack of red bull and stacks of coffee.
The more caffiene the better.
It also helps having someone constantly connected to you by sip to answer all the silly questions about bad browsers.
Comment by Gary Broadbent — May 26, 2006 @ 10:02 pm
Sleeping pills, ice tea, and music (of many genres.)
Here’s the thing (at least, this is my theory). The sleeping pills lower the mind almost to the subconcious/dream-state. But the caffiene in the ice tea keeps you alert. So, here you are coding, designing, copywritings, etc from a state of mind that is free to explore, be unconventional, and at the same time true to your innermost thought and feelings.
:)
(Note: these statements have not been approved by the FDA)
Comment by Colin — May 26, 2006 @ 10:41 pm
Lots of coffee, Death Cab for Cutie playing in the background, and as few distractions as possible. Time ceases to exist, it’s great!
Comment by Brad Abrahams — May 26, 2006 @ 10:42 pm
Coffee and lots of water, good music, a dark room, nobody in the house and a couple of sigarettes keep me doing what I do best. Thanks for your insight on your working space! Here’s mine (yeah I know about all the Apple hardware, but I’m preparing for the switch).
Comment by Tim — May 26, 2006 @ 10:50 pm
*G* didn’t seem to work :)
Well, here’s the full URL: http://www.maxvoltar.be/DSC00225.JPG
Enjoy
Comment by Tim — May 26, 2006 @ 10:52 pm
Well, for music nothing beats a lot of stuff I get off Breaksblog (http://www.breaksblog.biz) - very crucial for getting into the “zone.”
Comment by Patrick — May 27, 2006 @ 5:37 am
Surprised you aren’t developing using Mac. Life is short … enjoy the journey.
Comment by Glenn — May 27, 2006 @ 12:48 pm
[NOTE: Last thing I want to do is start a mac/pc flame war here — but since a couple of people have noted macs I wanted to make sure things were balanced… ]
I’ve been developing on a pc (both winxp & linux) and find it far more workable than when I need to develop on a mac (ie: when working freelance in someone else’s office). At home I’m using a nice widescreen Sager, which really packs a punch and has never faltered.
Comment by Ryan (not Carson) — May 27, 2006 @ 2:58 pm
All I need is my Mac mini (connected to a wide 20″ Acer screen ; iBook outside the office), electro music in the ears, lots of coffee and people around (I can’t work alone).
Comment by Vincent — May 27, 2006 @ 7:23 pm
No one around, if possible, and constantly drinking water. As for music, when I read or study, no music at all; for the everyday tasks the list goes long, ranging from Sinatra to Sabina, from Claus Ogerman to Gurrufio, from Fito Paez to Living Colours, and a long etc.; but for the really “kick ass code” there is nothing like The Master, The Immortal: Beethoven
Comment by Jesús Dugarte — May 27, 2006 @ 8:59 pm
Maybe I should drink more coffee/red bull/other caffeine drink, that seems to be the main one across the board! Hot water with lemon squeezed in obviously doesn’t cut it!
Glenn, “Surprised you aren’t developing using Mac” - I use Linux on servers there for it makes sense to me that I use Linux on what ever desktop I’m working on. If I can learn more about that environment then that’s beneficial to me [inturn my servers], using a Mac would mainly teach me to use applications.
Gary, glad to be of help!
Comment by David Stone — May 28, 2006 @ 1:34 pm
Coffee is definitely a must. One guru on IM. Headphones: currently Death Cab, lots of David Holmes, the Killers, etc. Basically just has to be over a certain BPM. :)
As for the Visual Basic …no comment on the current state of VB.NET, but either way it _might_ be time to go ahead and throw the VB *5* book in the trash (unless it holds some sentimental value or something). ;)
Comment by daniel — May 28, 2006 @ 1:55 pm
… hmm, I suppose I’ve not opened that book for about seven years now …
Comment by David Stone — May 28, 2006 @ 2:07 pm
No music, no drinking, no im, Google reader, nobody in the house and the most time developing at night…
I use Gentoo linux as dev server and Motorola v3 for daily usage too!
I liked the idea to have communication on laptop to limit the distraction…
Thanks!
Comment by Rafael Lima — May 29, 2006 @ 3:13 pm
Hmm, Goldtouch keyboard. I can’t recommend them highly enough. Easily the best keyboard I’ve ever used - has the added bonus of putting of others from using my machine.
Comment by Paul Cooper — May 29, 2006 @ 7:30 pm
For me I need an empty house, some good music that isn’t too loud but good rythmn like Tool or other alternative/rock bands. Don’t mind a bit of techno. Im usually drinking coffee or water.
Must be real comfortable so I tend to recline in my chair, have the blinds closed so it isn’t bright, TextMate open, no browsers unless it is for documentation, a spare terminal or two with open ssh connections ready to go, ftp client all set up and logged in.
Comment by Elliot Anderson — May 30, 2006 @ 5:36 am
Music: Johnny Cash, Indigo Girls, Moby, and if my wife isn’t around Propagandhi.
Food: Tofu (raw as a snack), carrots, a good juice, maybe some ice cream.
Environment: 8 month old girl crawling about making really funny noises.
Computer: Hardware is beyond me, but it runs Ubuntu. I code in Bluefish. I do graphics in GIMP.
Comment by Mario — May 30, 2006 @ 7:46 pm
Coffee and diet Irn Bru[1]. And iTunes, sometimes particular albums, sometimes on party shuffle, which produces my last.fm profile[2]. When I’m next working in the office, I should make a similar post with pictures — I’ve got a *far* more respectable book collection. :-P
[1] http://www.dietirn-bru.co.uk/
[2] http://www.last.fm/user/mathie_wossname/
Comment by mathie — May 31, 2006 @ 11:00 am
Here’s a picture of my environment : http://www.flickr.com/photos/26213799@N00/161762592/in/pool-appleusers/
Comment by Vincent — June 6, 2006 @ 4:33 pm
My environment (continued from post 3)
http://plasmaperfect.net/tmp/lounge01.jpg
http://plasmaperfect.net/tmp/lounge02.jpg
http://plasmaperfect.net/tmp/lounge03.jpg
http://plasmaperfect.net/tmp/lounge04.jpg
http://plasmaperfect.net/tmp/lounge05.jpg
http://plasmaperfect.net/tmp/lounge06.jpg
I am a big fan of bluetooth.
I work on the floor because I like to move around and lie down, plus it saves my wrists.
My main baby (stroppytux) is a AMD FX-55 with nforce4-sli (had an asus, but broke it in about 2 weeks, so now running on gigabyte motherboard). Running 2 gforce 6800 ultras.
The server (shoved in the middle) is an AMD opteron (dual cpu) with 2 500Gb drives.
My laptop is a hp dv1000 special edition (bought last year in L.A.).
I only run linux. I choose Gentoo as my default distro (but install suse on clients desktops)
I use a snom360 at home for sip. I would recommend them as they are the only phones I have used that dont give troubles all the time.
I use a Wacom bluetooth tablet, because I dont like cables comming out of my rack and its nice and large compared to the other tablets on the market.
Comment by Gary Broadbent — June 8, 2006 @ 10:59 am
Dude every coder needs some Yerba Mate to jumpstart their engines. Wayyyy more kick than coffee/red bull. S’good stuff.
Comment by Dan — June 14, 2006 @ 3:34 am
Wow you have a GoldTouch keyboard! I own one two!
It was very expensive but at the time my hands were killing me. It was one of the best purchases I ever made (and it drew a lot of attention from the girls at work :D).
Nice one!
Comment by Ryan Allen — June 19, 2006 @ 7:29 am
Hey Dave! Thanks for sharing your set-up, very interesting stuff. I’m also a fan of Ali Farka Toure, which I listen to often while working. Other artists I like listening to:
- The Spirit of KJAZ San Francisco online radio station
- J.J. Cale
- Miles Davis
- John Lee Hooker
- Buddy Guy
- Albert King
- Fiona Apple
- Tori Amos
- Pink Floyd
I’ll get around to posting about my current environment at http://hypertexthero.com soon. Cheers!
Comment by Simon Griffee — January 5, 2007 @ 7:52 pm