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The Setup: Zed Shaw

zed.shaw.usesthis.com

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Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#61

Post by zedshaw »

latch wrote: post #15

This is a good contrast to this recent front-page HN story: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3075145 "If you're a developer, you need to spend money on a great computer, an awesome monitor, a fantastic chair and a good bed" Personally, I think Zed's approach is far more responsible/sane. If you "need to spend money on a great computer", you are either doing something very different than me, or very wrong.

Well I have an awesome bed, so I agree with the article there. I use a piano bench for my chair though. Keeps me from sitting there too long. I have a lot of computers since I use them actively for different tasks, so I do agree as a professional you have to spend money on good tools. And I also agree having a dual monitor setup is the way to go. I do laptop+monitor for most of my work.

I think the difference though, is I don't immediately go out and buy everything Apple shits onto the market or the latest greatest PC possible when Intel drops a new CPU. I go and get the tool that fits what I need to do, and base the decision on which one will get things done.

Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#62

Post by zedshaw »

andrewljohnson wrote: post #10

Everyone I see in these kind of articles uses old hardware and small screens. I feel like it is selection bias - it makes for a better story when the rock stars don't use the best tools. When I moved from an old Mac to a tricked out iMac, my apps compiled 10x as fast. I suppose it's nice to know you can write good software on any box, but it's worthwhile to have good tools for something you spend many hours on each d…

I have a mix of ages in hardware, so it's not all old. The linux laptops I have sit on a desk more often, so those have 17" screens and I pair them with a 21" monitor. So, I do use big monitors.

But, that's not the point. I can also code just fine in a 80x25 ssh connections using vim and screen. I agree you should probably do most of your work using the best visual setup possible, but if you simply can't function without 3 apple thunderbolt 29" displays then you've got to rethink how you do things.

Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#63

Post by zedshaw »

kayoone wrote: post #35

old hardware might work for him, but not for me. I dont want to wait for my pc, and if i can noticably improve speed with a SSD, a better CPU or more RAM i do so. Whats wrong with wanting fast hardware? I spend 8-12 hours each day in front of these things, so if i can upgrade stuff to make my job easier i do so.

Oh, I don't have all old hardware. I have some pretty bad ass gear for power, I just don't go running out to buy the latest crap whenever it shows up. Instead, I find I need to accomplish something, realize my current gear sucks for it, then go find the best option for what I'll need to do. Sometimes that's a monster Linux laptop, sometimes it's a Mac, and other times it's parts from sparkfun.

The point though, is the brand and type of computer doesn't matter for what I do. It's more what I do and uses my software that matters.

Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#64

Post by zedshaw »

dbbo wrote: post #9

I thought it was a bit odd that he wrote 7 paragraphs about music equipment and software, but didn't mention which GNU/Linux distribution(s) he uses on his "junky" laptops.

Shiiiit, that's because the music gear is both more fun, has more style, and will actually exist and work well in 20 years. The computers will be gone in like 3 years, so why bother talking about them?

But, to answer your question, I use nearly every OS there is: Linux (Arch, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora), NetBSD, FreeBSD, OSX, and Windows. I have to use all of these to test different things on various projects. As I get more into writing books though this narrows down to Ubuntu, OSX, and ArchLinux.

Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#65

Post by zedshaw »

zwieback wrote: post #49
keithpeter wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a programmer, but I suspect the detail on the music gear might be because the sound you get depends on the instruments and effects chain. The code you get out of your coding session, or the LaTeX source for your book, does not really depend on which method you chose to install and update GNU/Linux. Am I being naive here?

I suspect you're right - I spend a lot more time programming than playing music but have a stronger emotional attachment to my music gear than my coding environment. Musicians call it GAS, Gear Acquisition Syndrome, e.g. I've got major GAS for an Ampeg amp.

I solved my GAS by replacing the A with C: Gear Construction Syndrome. Now I make myself build it if I want it and I can.

Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#66

Post by zedshaw »

brndnhy wrote: post #31

Wow. Thanks for the Reaper tip. Very impressive effort there, and for $60... Nuts!

Reaper is one bad ass piece of software. I would kill to work for those guys, 'cause damn they could use a new manual or two. I really think a great manual with a video course would turn Reaper into a powerhouse in the market.

Anyway, I do all my audio editing in Reaper and find it's the most intuitive and best performing DAW out there. And, I do it on a Mac. I do not do audio or video on Linux. Linux is just horrible for anything media related.

Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#67

Post by zedshaw »

pandeiro wrote: post #54
dbbo wrote: post #9

I thought it was a bit odd that he wrote 7 paragraphs about music equipment and software, but didn't mention which GNU/Linux distribution(s) he uses on his "junky" laptops.

He mentioned he uses awesome, which probably means he's not using Ubuntu. Just my speculation.

Nope, you can install awesome on ubuntu and then switch to using it. Best setup is to make a .xsession file and fire up the various gnome services you need. Then have GDM boot up a "User Defined" session (or whatever it's called, I forget).

Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#68

Post by dbbo »

zedshaw wrote: post #64
dbbo wrote: post #9

I thought it was a bit odd that he wrote 7 paragraphs about music equipment and software, but didn't mention which GNU/Linux distribution(s) he uses on his "junky" laptops.

Shiiiit, that's because the music gear is both more fun, has more style, and will actually exist and work well in 20 years. The computers will be gone in like 3 years, so why bother talking about them? But, to answer your question, I use nearly every OS there is: Linux (Arch, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora), NetBSD, FreeBSD, OSX, and Windows. I have to use all of these to test different things on various projects. As I get m…

I understand the gearhead mentality (I was raised by one), and I actually enjoyed reading about the music equipment. I just didn't expect it because when I hear "Zed Shaw" I think "programmer", not "musician", even though I realize that few people, even programmers, are one-dimensional. I guess it's just one of my many mental biases. Thanks for putting my question to rest.

Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#69

Post by minikomi »

d_r wrote: post #7
vinhboy wrote: post #2

I have always been dismayed with us techies and our toys. Like women and their purses. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But its nice to know there are great programmers out there who don't care about that stuff. But geesh, even I would upgrade from a white Macbook, and I am using a 2006 MBP.

While some toys can definitely be attributed as luxury (you don't really need that iPad), I can say that my i7 Macbook Air made me a significantly happier developer. Incredibly fast for everything I do, be it Xcode or Photoshop. Check. Long battery life and lightweight - great for coffee shops. Check. This is one "toy" that actually improved my productivity. Also, something should be said about efficiency. If you're…

Not to mention photoshop/illustrator woes.

Re: The Setup: Zed Shaw

#70

Post by crag »

bostonvaulter2 wrote: post #22
crag wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't use vim. God, I've tried, and tried. I'm too old. I just can't do it. So I stick with a big IDE (or Sublime 2 which I'm liking more and more). I had to telnet into a Centos box recently and the only thing I could find was vi. Took me a few minutes but I managed. I was proud. ;)

I'm curious, how long did you spend trying to use Vim?

Ok you've shammed me. I'm gonna start learning and using VIM. Even if it kills me.
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