October 17, 2018 at 8:35 am
In the last few months, I've been taking even more steps to make my home environment the same as my work environment. For my keyboard, I have an eMachines keyboard that I first used in 2003 and fell in love with because it has big cut-copy-paste buttons on the left side and while they don't work in Windows 10, I still like the feel of the keyboard. I bought 3 USB versions in 2006 and use one at home and one at work and have one still in a box as a replacement. I'll probably burst into tears if both wind up breaking.
I just recently got the same chair for both work and home. I have a bad back, bad neck, and had carpal tunnel surgery when I was 23 and need a chair with a high back and adjustable arms that go up high enough to keep my arms level with the desk. It's only been a few weeks since I got the new chair for work and home but I could immediately tell a difference.
I had to get a new mouse at work recently so I replaced the one at home with the same kind--a corded Logitech.
Next on my list is addressing the monitors at home. Recently at work, they purchased 3 24" monitors for me, replacing 2 19" ones that I had been using for 10 years. At home I have 2 17" ones that were purchased 12 years ago. Given my desk space at home and what I do at home, I know I don't need to go with 3 monitors but I'm still trying to determine what would be best to replace the 2 old monitors at home. They still work but given the resolution of the newer monitors and my aging eyes, I need an upgrade:-)
October 17, 2018 at 9:09 am
Where I work they tend to use keyboards until they literally fall apart. After 2 months working here I got tired of working on keyboards that were at least 10 years old. You don't press keys, you pound on them because they're like concrete moving them down and up again (you hope). So I bought myself a Microsoft Wireless Comfort keyboard and mouse. Much happier. They have however, spent a considerable money on monitor arms and standing desks, which are both very nice! Kudos to my work!! My boss got our whole team some very nice gaming headphones, which we use for our weekly Skype meetings. They're handy, since I work in a cube farm, I'm not bothering other people near me, for which I'm glad. And I can put them to play music on when someone near me is talking on the phone or has some customers visiting.
At home I've got 2 monitors, but that actually required my getting a larger desk as the old one was only large enough for one small monitor. And this year I decided to try out a mechanical keyboard. Very interesting. Still getting used to it, but I think I like it.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
October 17, 2018 at 11:32 am
mfagan12 - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 8:35 AMI know I don't need to go with 3 monitors but I'm still trying to determine what would be best to replace the 2 old monitors at home. They still work but given the resolution of the newer monitors and my aging eyes, I need an upgrade:-)
A tip from somebody that went through that research: The new wide screens has made the characters smaller because the height of the available display space reduced and that is a problem for aging eyes. Don't think you can change the resolution. When you don't use the monitor's default resolution or a precise factor of it, some characters will start to blurr. You can test it by typing a screen full of capital L's in notepad and then start changing the resolution. Notice how some characters are lighter and at some resolutions blurry? The solution lies partly in the new LED monitors (because they are more crisply) and making sure the height of your new monitor is at least the height that your old 19" square monitor was. I would guess this is the reason why most senior people prefer 26" monitors or bigger.
5ilverFox
Consulting DBA / Developer
South Africa
October 18, 2018 at 1:05 am
With regard to software and letting people or teams choose their tools, assuming pricing and licencing aren't issues integration becomes a sticking point.
Team A use a different setup to Team B and that is a non-issue until there is a program of work that requires Team A to work with Team B and all of a sudden the team collaboration and communication tools are a barrier to collaboration and communication.
October 18, 2018 at 1:17 am
I went full on mechanical keyboard at work and pissed off everyone because of the noise haha.
October 18, 2018 at 2:17 am
john.brooking - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 7:29 AMAnyone else having problems with the "key switch sampler" link in the article? For me, it first takes me to a redirect notice page, which doesn't redirect, then when I click the link, I get a 404 Page Not Found error. I'm not familiar with those keyboards.
I had the same problem, so I googled the term to see what a key switch sampler is - essentially it's a grid or line of keys where each is a different type of key switch. Some of the ones I saw had clear key caps so you could see the type of switch underneath. I guess the point of them is so you can try out the different types of switch and see which type would suit you best.
October 18, 2018 at 8:09 am
Gary Stacey - Thursday, October 18, 2018 2:17 AMjohn.brooking - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 7:29 AMAnyone else having problems with the "key switch sampler" link in the article? For me, it first takes me to a redirect notice page, which doesn't redirect, then when I click the link, I get a 404 Page Not Found error. I'm not familiar with those keyboards.I had the same problem, so I googled the term to see what a key switch sampler is - essentially it's a grid or line of keys where each is a different type of key switch. Some of the ones I saw had clear key caps so you could see the type of switch underneath. I guess the point of them is so you can try out the different types of switch and see which type would suit you best.
Yes, I had the same problem.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
October 19, 2018 at 5:48 am
jay-h - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 6:22 AMTo some degree it depends on the kind of work you do. The only work I do away from work is the occasional putting out of a fire. As such portability is primary to me.My boss got me into that line of thought, he carries a small notebook with virtually nothing installed. He remotes into a well equipped machine to do any offsite work.
I use a cheap laptop and remote in to a good machine with all the key apps on. You still need multiple screens at home and a decent keyboard if you actually want to do some work! You need at least two screens for developing generally so you can see you code and your website/application etc. I'm assuming your boss doesn't actually do any work and just uses his notebook to keep an eye on the ones who do! I'm guessing a notebook is perfect for all that critical delegation work right 😉
October 19, 2018 at 7:17 am
Ralph Hightower - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 6:47 AMAndy Warren mentions hardware in his editorial. At work and home, I have a dual monitor setup; for home, I have the Microsoft ergonomic keyboard. For me, as a software developer, software is also a tool. Work provides Microsoft Visual Studio. Personally, I have a Visual Studio Enterprise subscription; it's expensive, but for what it provides, it's worth it. Also at home for my photography, I have the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan; I primarily use Lightroom, but Photoshop is available for advanced editing.
Hardware wise at home, I have the Datacolor Spyder5PRO Calibration System to calibrate my monitors.I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which flared up pretty bad in 1994 debugging a mouse intensive program at work. I was using the IBM "Rat" mouse (IBM PS/2), a massive clunky mouse that would be lethal if it hit anyone in the head. That's when I switched to using the mouse with my left hand without switching the buttons for left-hand use; I use my right hand to mouse at home. I found that it was more efficient to mouse left handed at work since it freed my right hand to take notes. Plus it is fun to watch coworkers become confounded when trying to use the setup at work; a lefty at that employer that used IBM PS/2 computers was totally flummoxed since she mouses right-handed.
Look at vertical mouses, they're great for carpal tunnel avoidance. also, I'm using Dasher https://github.com/GNOME/dasher, which lets me get to zero keystrokes (except for function keys/shortcuts/initial login). Starting to think about using the new Tap wearable keyboard/mouse in combo with Dasher so I don't have to use a mouse either.
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