The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One • Hacker News Board

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#11

Post by pasbesoin » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 3:33 PM UTC

Waiting for the next post:

Next: the real cost of private offices.

You should include the cost of effective insulation/sound-proofing. (I've seen/heard it done reasonably well with expanding foam during wall construction.)

P.S. Hey, folks, the original author, Rich Armstrong (richarmstrong), actually replied in a response this comment, but you killed it off -- it's dead, now.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2868730

Maybe a mod could unkill it? Seems unfair; it was a perfectly legitimate response. I'll copy/paste it (presuming permission):

I'd love to do that, but our offices are glass-doored, so not sound-proofed, though that's a good idea.

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#12

Post by msluyter » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 3:34 PM UTC

Personally, I hate Aeron chairs with a passion. Obviously, the overall point here is to keep developers happy, so I'd presume FogCreek allows developers to opt for different/better chairs. I just don't understand why these are considered the pinnacle of comfort.

Is it just me? Am I the only person who finds everything about them to hideously uncomfortable, from the jabby knife in the back lumbar support to the circulation killing front steel bar that makes it impossible to perch on the edge if you so desire?

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#13

Post by ikarous » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 3:37 PM UTC

I wish my company had similar sentiments. I sit in a darkened corner with the lights turned off. The only thing I can see is an unilluminated beige wall. It's very depressing.

I brought in my own chair (a used Steelcase Leap) and my own keyboard. That helped a lot. Even so, I still have to get up frequently throughout the day so that I don't get back or shoulder pain. When I do, I get suspicious looks from folks who think I'm not working hard enough.

The irony is that I work at home on my own time because I'm more productive there.

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#14

Post by richarmstrong » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 3:43 PM UTC

msluyter wrote: post #12

Personally, I hate Aeron chairs with a passion. Obviously, the overall point here is to keep developers happy, so I'd presume FogCreek allows developers to opt for different/better chairs. I just don't understand why these are considered the pinnacle of comfort. Is it just me? Am I the only person who finds everything about them to hideously uncomfortable, from the jabby knife in the back lumbar support to the circul…

You are not alone. I wrote that blog post while sitting on a Humanscale Freedom Saddle Seat stool ($300). I considered getting into it about Aerons, but thought better of it.

Plenty of folks here dislike them, too, and have the choice of any chair they want us to order.

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#15

Post by richarmstrong » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 3:44 PM UTC

pasbesoin wrote: post #11

Waiting for the next post: Next: the real cost of private offices. You should include the cost of effective insulation/sound-proofing. (I've seen/heard it done reasonably well with expanding foam during wall construction.) P.S. Hey, folks, the original author, Rich Armstrong (richarmstrong), actually replied in a response this comment, but you killed it off -- it's dead, now. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28687…

I'd love to do that, but our offices are glass-doored, so not sound-proofed, though that's a good idea.

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#16

Post by stewiecat » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 3:53 PM UTC

ikarous wrote: post #13

I wish my company had similar sentiments. I sit in a darkened corner with the lights turned off. The only thing I can see is an unilluminated beige wall. It's very depressing. I brought in my own chair (a used Steelcase Leap) and my own keyboard. That helped a lot. Even so, I still have to get up frequently throughout the day so that I don't get back or shoulder pain. When I do, I get suspicious looks from folks who…

The only thing I work on that my job provided is the laptop, which they purchased for me after realizing my own was a bit too old. External monitor, mouse, keyboard, stand, etc. all came from home.

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#17

Post by potatolicious » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 3:55 PM UTC

pasbesoin wrote: post #11

Waiting for the next post: Next: the real cost of private offices. You should include the cost of effective insulation/sound-proofing. (I've seen/heard it done reasonably well with expanding foam during wall construction.) P.S. Hey, folks, the original author, Rich Armstrong (richarmstrong), actually replied in a response this comment, but you killed it off -- it's dead, now. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28687…

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't like private offices. It just seems like a separation between myself and the rest of the team. I actually like open seating arrangements.

When I need some serious concentration and can tolerate no distractions, a solid pair of noise-canceling headphones does the trick.

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#18

Post by bmccormack » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 3:58 PM UTC

Jem wrote: post #2

I had no idea that some people like to code standing up; why is this? (Genuine curiosity, someone enlighten me please :))

I started standing about 2 months ago, mostly for the supposed health benefits, and really like it. The anti-fatigue mat and adjustable desks really helped me get going. I started one week at 2 hours of standing a day, then 3 hours the next, etc., up until I was standing all day long.

I don't know that I necessarily code better when I'm standing, but overall I prefer it to sitting.

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#19

Post by corin_ » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 3:58 PM UTC

msluyter wrote: post #12

Personally, I hate Aeron chairs with a passion. Obviously, the overall point here is to keep developers happy, so I'd presume FogCreek allows developers to opt for different/better chairs. I just don't understand why these are considered the pinnacle of comfort. Is it just me? Am I the only person who finds everything about them to hideously uncomfortable, from the jabby knife in the back lumbar support to the circul…

It definitely isn't just you - we have one in our office, and it's used by the newest hire (who joined 2 months ago) because nobody else wanted to use it, so it was the spare chair when he arrived.

Re: The Price of (Dev) Happiness: Part One

#20

Post by corin_ » Wed, Aug 10, 2011, 4:01 PM UTC

potatolicious wrote: post #17

pasbesoin wrote: post #11

Waiting for the next post: Next: the real cost of private offices. You should include the cost of effective insulation/sound-proofing. (I've seen/heard it done reasonably well with expanding foam during wall construction.) P.S. Hey, folks, the original author, Rich Armstrong (richarmstrong), actually replied in a response this comment, but you killed it off -- it's dead, now. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28687…

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't like private offices. It just seems like a separation between myself and the rest of the team. I actually like open seating arrangements. When I need some serious concentration and can tolerate no distractions, a solid pair of noise-canceling headphones does the trick.

Personally I love them - we're a small company, only six of us in the office (a few others dotted around elsewhere), and private rooms are great. Most of the time we leave our doors open and can chat from the hall, or shout to each other - but even then, it's nice having a bit more personal space than if they were in the same room.

We work in publishing and marketing though, so essentially we work on different things except when two or more of us come together on a specific topic, at which point we can either sit in one person's office or go into the conference room. Maybe we would feel differently if we were all developers and therefore had a different style of working together?