Ergonomics

Since we are about to release C++Builder this is the time in the cycle when sitting in front of the computer for very long hours is common place and we all forget our ergonomics training.

When ebay had a Santa Cruz office my brother-in law started working there and every developer had an Aeron chair. At the time I thought they were a gimmick, but about a year ago I started using one and I haven't looked back. Now I want one for home.

Last year my monitor at CodeGear was replaced with a Dell 21" LCD and what a difference it made. My eyes didn't get strained hardly at all looking at the new monitor. So I replaced my dated monitor at home with a Apple 30" Cinema Display and I love this monitor.

Back in February I posted about my mouse setup.

I have two stations in my office, one for sitting and one for standing. Everyone calls my standing station the "telephone booth" because it is a very narrow cube with a high desk. I use Remote Desktop so I can work on any computer from either location depending on what I feel like. I typically use my email computer at the stand-up station and do my work at the sit-down station. Using the two stations in this fashion forces me to change positions often throughout the day. This reminds me of a stand-up treadmill.

Last September Joel on Software wrote an article a titled A Field Guide to Developers. He stated that developers needed 4 things, private offices, Aeron chair, 30" LCD monitor, and access to buy books at Amazon. Of course there is more to the article, but that's what I remember off the top of my head.