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"Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

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Re: "Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

#51

Post by petercooper »

DevX101 wrote: post #7

I don't listen to music with words. My brain's language processing unit goes into action, and disrupts my ability to code. Instrumentals, electronic music, or classical music are fine.

From talking to people over the years, I've been surprised how differently people interpret music. There's a big split between the lyric driven and the lyric deaf.

People talk to me about the lyrics to songs I know and I have no idea what they're on about. I can listen to, and even sing, songs whose lyrics I've never verbally parsed. So I get on great with songs that sound good but have idiotic or nonsensical lyrics (Phoenix or The Smashing Pumpkins, for example) because I don't interpret them anyway. I have to listen deliberately and with full attention to "get it."

Re: "Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

#52

Post by quanticle »

chegra wrote: post #31

"During the 1960s, researchers at Cornell University conducted a series of tests on the effects of working with music. They polled a group of computer science students and divided the students into two groups, those who liked to have music in the background while they worked (studied) and those who did not. Then they put half of each group together in a silent room, and the other half of each group in a different roo…

I agree that silence is probably better than any sort of music for programming. Unfortunately, that's not the choice programmers often have to deal with. Usually, its a choice between music and the usual office distractions (other people's conversations, the noise of people moving around, etc.) In those cases any sort of music to block out background noise is a godsend. Having headphones on also signals to visitors that one is busy and that interruptions should be only for important things.

Re: "Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

#53

Post by quanticle »

randallsquared wrote: post #23
InclinedPlane wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the life of me I don't understand why cubicles are the norm for developer offices. There have been numerous studies showing the productivity effects of open offices vs individual offices. And many more studies on the importance of concentration and the destructive power of interruptions. Do people value programmer productivity so little that they're willing to throw so much of it away to save a few dollars in rea…

I used to be an individual office partisan, but after working for a coupla years in cubes with walls that come to a sitting person's neck, I find that there are a lot of benefits: I can just turn (and scoot across my cube, if necessary) to ask or answer questions of a co-worker; I can hear when people begin chattering, which is a sign that something is going on that I need to pay attention to, like the site being dow…

My question is how many of those cited benefits are actually benefits. For example, it may be very convenient for you to scoot across your cube to ask questions of your co-worker, but is it convenient for him or her? Are you making sure that you're not interrupting anything important (and remembering that asking for interruption is an interruption in itself)? Overhearing and acting on conversations might be nice, but it might be equally troublesome, especially where one might be seen as meddling.

I'm not minimizing the importance of communication, but I'm wondering whether the benefits you've cited are actually worth the costs to yourself and others.

Re: "Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

#55

Post by gbog »

ljordan wrote: post #35
chegra wrote: post #31

"During the 1960s, researchers at Cornell University conducted a series of tests on the effects of working with music. They polled a group of computer science students and divided the students into two groups, those who liked to have music in the background while they worked (studied) and those who did not. Then they put half of each group together in a silent room, and the other half of each group in a different roo…

Correct in my experience (I sometimes work with music, sometimes with silence). Deep insight needs silence: "You want to quiet the noise in your head to solidify that fragile germ of an idea" -> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124535297048828601.html

The creativity part, the few eureka I had were when pausing long enough far from the screen, be it for a pee, a cigarette, or a bike ride. Same for my colleagues.

Re: "Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

#56

Post by kingsidharth »

DevX101 wrote: post #7

I don't listen to music with words. My brain's language processing unit goes into action, and disrupts my ability to code. Instrumentals, electronic music, or classical music are fine.

yah, a friend of mine claims that he listens to 'death metal' while coding - I don't believe that.Personally I go for 'Raag Deshkar' - Indian Classical Music. it's just amazing for productivity and if you want to feel like it's morning. (There are particular time every 'raag' should be played

Re: "Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

#57

Post by davidchua »

blocke wrote: post #26

I think oomwriter ( http://www.ommwriter.com/en/ ) is a good demonstration of ambient music and typing sounds. Sadly the editor sucks for coding and I deal with three platforms, not just Mac. I freaking love this little music track from oomwriter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbwNmPK9kGA I've been trying to assemble a collection of similar ambient music and haven't yet figured out the magic words to feed Google. Ed…

I've been trying to find out music like this on shoutcast! If you know of any streams that play this type of music, do share.

Re: "Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

#58

Post by gbog »

puredemo wrote: post #47
randallsquared wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to be an individual office partisan, but after working for a coupla years in cubes with walls that come to a sitting person's neck, I find that there are a lot of benefits: I can just turn (and scoot across my cube, if necessary) to ask or answer questions of a co-worker; I can hear when people begin chattering, which is a sign that something is going on that I need to pay attention to, like the site being dow…

Those benefits are not worthwhile to me personally. I want to code, not constantly overhear office chatter.

Then you could work at home, no? For me development is teamwork, and we do it in a war room, wich like extreme cubicle. It works very well, just isolate with headphones and heavily use chat, even for people at your desk. Ask the team to receive calls outside and to talk softly to each other.

Re: "Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

#59

Post by JeffL »

randallsquared wrote: post #23
InclinedPlane wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the life of me I don't understand why cubicles are the norm for developer offices. There have been numerous studies showing the productivity effects of open offices vs individual offices. And many more studies on the importance of concentration and the destructive power of interruptions. Do people value programmer productivity so little that they're willing to throw so much of it away to save a few dollars in rea…

I used to be an individual office partisan, but after working for a coupla years in cubes with walls that come to a sitting person's neck, I find that there are a lot of benefits: I can just turn (and scoot across my cube, if necessary) to ask or answer questions of a co-worker; I can hear when people begin chattering, which is a sign that something is going on that I need to pay attention to, like the site being dow…

Are those benefits that you wouldn't get in an open office? Personally, I prefer the open office, with 2-4 people in a room together, and feel like cubicles are the worst of both worlds. With the cubicle, it's like you're cut off from everyone else, but without the benefits of actual privacy.

Re: "Do you listen to music while coding?" An analysis.

#60

Post by TheSOB88 »

tempest67 wrote: post #49

I wonder if being able to code while listening to music has anything to do with gender; I am a female developer, and can't listen to any kind of music at all while programming -- I find it as distracting as if a cat were jumping on the keyboard. Perhaps because female brains tend to have more connections across the halves? (...or perhaps because I'm a musician myself, and process music differently?)

I'm a dude who's also a musician and can't think while while listening to music. However, some coding tasks don't really need music, so I'll listen to it from time to time.
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