September 6, 2017 at 9:12 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Using Tools that Fit
September 7, 2017 at 1:15 am
In one position I was given a MacBook PRO. Prior to that I had no experience with Macs other than wincing at the price tag and moving on. To be brutally honest I thought of them as posers machines, I was a snob.
The MacBook just worked.....beautifully. It was a joy to use. I got so much done but I can't pin down exactly why.
That said Outlook on a Mac is a leap back in time. Features that Windows Outlook users have taken for granted for nearly 10 years are the Mac Outlook list of most requested features but with no sign of them being implemented.
Wireless repetitive strain mice are a must have.
Hardware assigned by rank is moronic. Giving developers a 13" Windows lap top but an architect a MacBook Pro is an inverted pyramid of piffle.
The thing that makes the most difference to me is not the physical hardware (13" laptop aside). The things that make the difference are
September 7, 2017 at 1:39 am
Of all of the keyboards that I have used, the ones that I found most agreeable to type on were the Apple Extended Keyboard II on the Macintoshes in university back in the 1990s.
They had a lovely spring to them. They use, acc. to Wikipedia [1], mechanical switches from ALPS.
I was thinking about getting one, along with an ADB-USB converter, but they are almost 30 years' old now and with many decades dirt under the keys, they will need cleaning.
[1] Apple Extended Keyboard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Extended_Keyboard
September 7, 2017 at 1:48 am
We moved office we all got new wireless keyboards and mice in our flexible new office!
The keyboard is a microsoft wireless keyboard 800 which has no differentiation between the main keypad the cursors/insert/delete section and the number pad. The function keys are too small to hit. All in all a pretty inept product.
I immediately put back in my thick heavy, wired chunky dell keyboard with full size keys etc. I love my solid old Dell keyboard!
September 7, 2017 at 1:54 am
I would like to point out something that the younger people do not think about, well not yet anyway. When the wide screen was introduced, the physical character size on the screen reduced, because the height of the screen reduced. When you change the resolution, some characters somewhere on your screen goes out of focus (ghosting?), so changing from the default resolution did not work. It forced me to go to 27 inch screens to get to a size that does not cause migraines. So, when you think of changing your screen(s), take your (future) eyes into consideration.
5ilverFox
Consulting DBA / Developer
South Africa
September 7, 2017 at 2:12 am
Andy Warren - Wednesday, September 6, 2017 9:12 PMComments posted to this topic are about the item Using Tools that Fit
I have experimented with many keyboards and I've found the wireless Microsoft Comfort 5000 excellent along with its respective wireless mouse. Regarding monitors bigger is not necessarly better it really depends on a number of factors such as the screen resolution, the bezel edge size, and blue light emmisions. I've found the Dell U2515H 2560x1440 very good, I have two and may buy another. 24 inch seems to be a sweet spot for coding and althought I initially thought the low blue light emmissions was a marketing gimmick it's definitially less tiring on the eyes over long periods. Most monitors seem to be 1080 depth nowdays but 1440px saves a lot of scrolling. I have more or less the same setup at home and work. One other thing, I'm always amazed how employers tend to only supply one monitor to their workers when its such a cheap way to facilitate productivity?.
September 7, 2017 at 2:37 am
Just on the scrolling issue - I use only two monitors, but I have one in portrait, specifically for looking at long queries/documentation etc.
September 7, 2017 at 6:34 am
I have a straight click key keyboard at home (which I really like), while at work I use a Microsoft Natural ergonomic keyboard 4000 (the one that splits the keyboard into two banks of keys), an OLD MS generic optical mouse, and two monitors.
I' m a developer and having the ability to full screen code or the ERD diagram and have the tool palettes floating on the other is a godsend. The keyboard is a great enhancement too.
Having used switch keyboards, mushy keyboards, flat key keyboards, etc., I have got to recommend a keyboard with good travel and good key "break" feel--that sudden release of pressure that tells your muscle memory the keystroke has registered. Back in the 80's Keytronics made the ultimate keyboard. It had perfect break and was otherwise silent. Built like a tank, the one I had lasted through literally a dozen computers! I'd still be using it if it hadn't had the original IBM PC connector.
The audible click is meh, I can take it or leave it. It's the keyboard FEEL that is more important.
And two monitors? A MUST for developers. 🙂
Mice? (shrug) as long as it isn't a hockey-puck, has two buttons and a wheel and is optical I'm happy.
September 7, 2017 at 6:35 am
roger.plowman - Thursday, September 7, 2017 6:34 AMI have a straight click key keyboard at home (which I really like), while at work I use a Microsoft Natural ergonomic keyboard 4000 (the one that splits the keyboard into two banks of keys) which I also really like, an OLD MS generic optical mouse, and two monitors.I' m a developer and having the ability to full screen code or the ERD diagram and have the tool palettes floating on the other is a godsend. The keyboard is a great enhancement too.
Having used switch keyboards, mushy keyboards, flat key keyboards, etc., I have got to recommend a keyboard with good travel and good key "break" feel--that sudden release of pressure that tells your muscle memory the keystroke has registered. Back in the 80's Keytronics made the ultimate keyboard. It had perfect break and was otherwise silent. Built like a tank, the one I had lasted through literally a dozen computers! I'd still be using it if it hadn't had the original IBM PC connector.
The audible click is meh, I can take it or leave it. It's the keyboard FEEL that is more important.
And two monitors? A MUST for developers. 🙂
Mice? (shrug) as long as it isn't a hockey-puck, has two buttons and a wheel and is optical I'm happy.
September 7, 2017 at 7:05 am
Much of this stuff is more marketing hype, trying to create a big deal over tiny differences, than reality. Really it makes little difference (within reason) what mouse or keyboard you use. Monitors are a bit more critical, but unless you're doing serious graphics work, even the modest cost ones work adequately.
Most of my work consists of SSIS, email and RDP. Not much CPU power required for any of that stuff. My boss takes it a step further, he has basically nothing installed on his laptop. Even on the road, he remotes into an equipped machine here and does everything through that window.
...
-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --
September 7, 2017 at 7:32 am
I'm not going to post specific equipment I use because so much is personal preference; but, I am surprised at how often my colleagues rob themselves of both productivity and pleasure with suboptimal equipment.
Use your mouse a lot? Get a nice one. Find a keyboard you enjoy (consider the value of a numeric keypad for you personally). Get a pair of decent monitors. Obviously.
But more subtly: If you are on webconferences a lot, get a decent headset instead of using the laptop mic and speakers; you'll sound better to others as well as hearing better. For less than $100 you can significantly step up.
If you travel a lot and are stuck using your laptop in borrowed cubes and conference rooms, look at USB monitors (AOC, ASUS, etc) to give you a lightweight, portable second screen. I've seen Mac people use their iPad as a second screen too, which is technology I haven't yet investigated.
I can't say what works for you, but my career has included several revelations of comfort and productivity with new hardware. Even when I don't have an employer footing the bill, much of it is worth the investment for something I have to use for hours a day for years.
September 7, 2017 at 8:33 am
To actually see more code on the screen you have to increase resolution, not monitor size. If you increase the resolution and not the monitor size, than you make the text smaller, which might be worse but you can zoom in some in most windows programs to help with that. I find a monitor in Portrait instead of landscape lets me see more code without having to buy a 4k monitor (expensive!) or decreasing the text size as a trade off.
September 7, 2017 at 8:53 am
I'm a retired DBA who now spends time every day in my home office with my systems. At present I have 4 desktops and 5 laptops in various states of use, one exclusively for my large digital music system. I have one 23" widescreen and one old regular screen display. The laptops range from a 10" netbook to 17" widescreen. There are at least a couple 9-bay tower desktops in storage also. In my experience the display size is probably the last consideration, except for the one system I do that most work on.
Our home office is about 12x17, our office furniture is an important consideration, and we are fortunate that we have kept the modular systems that we used for my wife's graphic design business. There are work surfaces around three sides of the office. At this point I would have to say that one machine of considerable capability and lots of work surface are the two most important features of our office. I don't even work on the large display. Instead I use two laptop displays side-by-side, and share drive access so my data is pretty much available on any system. I guess data is more important to me that equipment.
I did find that while working, a good source of hardware and software was those items that employers were replacing and retiring, with the exception of my main laptop which is kept pretty much for my SQL Server system and my data.
Essentially, everything doesn't have to be the latest and greatest. Workspace surface is critical as I can have several 'projects' in progress at the same time. And my favorite spot is in front of a double window looking over the lawn and cul-de-sac so I can watch the neighborhood kids and all those still in careers going to and from their work. The only other item that is very important to us is our large rear deck where we usually enjoy what we call 'merlot time' in mid-afternoon.
Incidentally, thanks to a suggestion from one of the forums, while lying in bed I think I have found a solution about 3:00 AM this morning to a data problem that has bugged me for over a year. Life is good.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
September 7, 2017 at 8:57 am
Another user and big fan of Portrait mode here. I particularly enjoy it for Outlook, CLI sessions, and long documents. To the left of it is a 27" in Landscape.
I will have two 4K monitors soon that I will likely orient the same way at first. Hopefully the upgrade is worth it.
I had used a Microsoft Ergo keyboard for years, but recently switched to a DasKeyboard and I'm enjoying it.
I also agree with other posters in advocating for good equipment for work, because it's a similar argument as buying a bed... but you not only spend a lot of time using it, you also are earning a living.
September 7, 2017 at 9:44 am
Gotta have my Microsoft 4000 keyboard. Any other keyboard results in my wrists hurting by the end of the day. Left mine at home one week-long trip to a client site, and ended up going keyboard shopping the first night. I also make sure I carry around one of 3 Logitech mice I use. Their comfort and accuracy make life a bit easier.
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