Developer Smackdown Musing #16

  • Article

Bamboozled in the Office

It's the first show of the new year and decade. Mark and Clark talk about, well, nothing that they planned on. The show gets bamboozled right from the start and the discussion turns toward where most development is done and that's in your office at home. We talk about what went into the design and what makes the office work from two similar but still different points of view.

Listen here –> Play Now

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Show Notes

Design thoughts for your home office
  • Isolation - Use every opportunity to separate your office from the world (insulation, doors, walls, etc.)  It will help you create a space where you can think.
  • Design the desk - sketch out the space on paper and figure out how much desk you can fit into the space
    • How will you use the desk space - keyboard, mouse, monitors, laptops, writing area.  Space == Goodness
    • Get those monitors off the desk with monitor support arms.  You gain not only desk space but also flexibility in positioning.
  • Make sure you have plenty of power.  Don't just plug in a surge protector in a surge protector to get more outlets.  More outlets doesn't equate to more power.  Get an electrician to help if you can.
  • Same thing goes for networking.  You'll never have enough.  Wireless is great for general internet/network access but if you are going to run servers or push a lot of media (audio/video) around the house then go gigabit!  With that you need Cat5E or Cat6 cabling EVERYWHERE.  The first cable that isn't rated high enough will slow the network down.  Also, plan your network to get the most speed and flexibility - use switches not hubs!
  • Make sure there's plenty of light
  • Audio and video - from just listening to your Zune for music and Smackdown podcasts to watching UTube, DVD's or training videos.  Make the space enjoyable.
  • If you're a book whore like the two of us (Clark is way more than me by the way), plan on lots of shelf and cabinet space.  Cables and boards and DVD drives and mice and keyboards have to go somewhere.

Resources:

  • IKEA - Great place for inexpensive but highly effective office furniture
  • Workspaces.com - More expensive but more customized office solutions
  • Software KVM's Clark is using and has tested
  • IOGear - Hardware KVM that Mark is using

Tips and Tricks

Clark's Tip #1 - Workspaces.com - he recommends them HIGHLY and for good reason.  His "command center" desk is something to envy.

Mark's Tip #1 - NewEgg.com - Great prices for all things technical very quick response.  Awesome place to shop.

Mark's Tip #2 - In Visual Studio, use "Control -" (Ctrl and the minus key) to walk or navigate yourself back from things like "Go To Definition".  Each time you hit it, it will step you back one jump.

Clark's Tip #2 - In Visual Studio, use "Control ." (Ctrl and period) to resolve references and insert the using statement or the full type qualifiers in your code.