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Subject:Re: "Space, the final frontier" From:Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- FS -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Tue, 11 Feb 1997 22:42:40 +0800
Work office:
I share a space of about 30 sq.m. (330 square feet) with three other
people. Phones are answered by people at the other end of the building,
but are faintly audible at my end -- handy when I'm the first person
in or the last to go. There's enough natural light to work by for a lot
of the day. I could probably get an office if I really pushed, but I
like things the way they are.
Good things: few distractions if you don't want them. Good facilities
(Sun workstation, 19" screen, FrameMaker, UNIX). Quiet. Excellent
coffee. I can lean back in my chair and ask the developers things.
Bad things: developers can lean back in their chair and ask me things.
Air cond doesn't cope with very hot days.
Home office:
I share a free-standing office of 22 sq.m. (220 square feet) with my
wife, though we rarely work at the same time. Natural light? Before
about 9 - 9.30 am in summer I get the sunshine bouncing off my shirt
onto the monitor. Keep meaning to get some curtains made up.
Good things: excellent coffee. Bakery across the road. Fresh air.
Listen to cricket matches on the radio. No interruptions (except
from kids).
Bad things: limited access to office software (e.g. have to use
Windows 95 rather than lovely Solaris, & run our software in character
mode rather than GUI).
> Do you find that your work space affects your output or morale?
Yes! Some times it doesn't matter, but when I need to concentrate, I
need it bad.
> Do you work onsite or from home (or both)?
Four days onsite, one day at home.
Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com wrote:
> Tom DeMarco has an excellent study out on this and related topics. It's
> called "Peopleware," and while it's aimed mainly at computer techies, I
> think much of it applies to TW's as well.
I agree with Arlen that 'Peopleware' is excellent, though I disagree that
it's ". . . mainly aimed at computer techies". It applies to any creative
workers -- programmers, engineers, scientists, tech writers -- working as
part of a team in a shared environment. I think De Marco and Lister say
as much at the start of the book.
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