Half height cubes? "you were lucky..."

Post #124,697

11/8/03 12:25:12 AM

Last two jobs of mine have had desks with 30cm (one foot, in the old money) 'walls' between them.

Funny thing is, doesn't bother me. And to slip into horrible corporatespeak for a moment, such a setup actually does facilitate communication. Makes it easier to chat to people to get information, like.

John. Busy lad.

Post #124,700

by Silverlock

11/8/03 1:14:40 AM

You had cubes? You were lucky

We had to make do with cardboard replicas. The cheap "texture" was painted on. With paint made from refuse. And brushes made of cat hair.

-----------------------------------------
It is much harder to be a liberal than a conservative. Why?
Because it is easier to give someone the finger than it is to give them a helping hand.
Mike Royko

Post #124,701

by kmself

11/8/03 1:19:16 AM

11/8/03 9:56:22 PM

Works up to about...

...3-6 people, IF they are all working on the same or similar tasks.

\r\n\r\n

It's more-or-less "XP" (extreme programming).

\r\n\r\n

Two work arrangements that were among the worst for me:

\r\n\r\n

20+ people in one room the majority with 1/2 hight walls (OpenSales). Comprising about 3-4 work teams (documentation, development, QA, and marketing, depending on assignments). Lots of conflicting noise going around. For which the solution was "play music through headphones" (for me, cancelling noise with more noise doesn't work).

\r\n\r\n

The other: 4 of us in an "open floorplan" office, with overheight cube walls (8'), arranged as a cross: '+'. Thing is, the four of us worked on the same stuff. So the only way we could collaborate was to get out of our own office, walk partway around the cross, and talk to one other person. Couldn't talk with 3+ people w/o pulling 2+ out of their offices. At the same time, we were wide open to all the noise and distraction of the rest of the office. Effectively: we were prevented from working with the people we most neede to work with, and were distracted by everyone else.

\r\n\r\n

Ironic bit about that last arrangement: the prior configuration was three of us in one office, desks to the walls. That was actually pretty good: we were all working on the same stuff, could ask one another quick questions as needed, and weren't distracted by anyone else.

\r\n\r\n

Best layout: an "open floorplan" office, but with 5' high cubes. Overall acustics were pretty quiet. Offices were arranged into "pods" of four desks. Sort of like:

\r\n\r\n

\r\n

\r\n+------------+--------+\r\n|            |     .  |\r\n|............|     .  |\r\n|            |     .  |\r\n|            |     .  |\r\n+-------+    +     .  |\r\n                   .  |\r\n                ------+\r\n                   .  |\r\n+-------+    +     .  |\r\n|            |     .  |\r\n|            |     .  |\r\n|............|     .  |\r\n|            |     .  |\r\n+------------+--------+\r\n

\r\n

\r\n\r\n

Best part: we're largely isolated from other pods, can have impromptu conferences in the "hall", and still get a reasonable amount of privacy in our own office. Dimensions were, IIRC, 6'x8'.

--\r\n Karsten M. Self [link|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com|kmself@ix.netcom.com]\r\n [link|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/]\r\n What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?\r\n [link|http://twiki.iwethey.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/|TWikIWETHEY] -- an experiment in collective intelligence. Stupidity. Whatever.\r\n \r\n Keep software free. Oppose the CBDTPA. Kill S.2048 dead.\r\n[link|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html]\r\n

Edited by kmself Nov. 8, 2003, 03:50:00 PM EST

Edited by kmself Nov. 8, 2003, 09:56:22 PM EST

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Post #124,739

by gdaustin

11/8/03 11:05:23 AM

Close to 30 people

In a "bull pen" configuration, in a long hallway.

The halls are so narrow that I can't even imagine that it meets fire codes.

Glen

Post #124,758

by broomberg

11/8/03 6:31:48 PM

Here's mine

I "share" an office.

I constructed a bookshelf wall thats gives about a 6
feet wide hallway that you need to come around in order
to get to me. I filled it with software boxes / manuals
at the very top so it goes to the ceiling.

There is no light or noise that can intrude without me
wanting it.

Then someone else moved in. He got the corner by the
door. Poor SOB.

[link|http://www.users.voicenet.com/~broom/office.jpg|http://www.users.voi...~broom/office.jpg]

Post #124,760

by deSitter

11/8/03 7:20:30 PM

Re: Here's mine

Did you disable the overhead fluorescent light?

That looks nice - that's how I would have set up the computers :)

The Win box would be VNC - why waste a monitor?

maybe I should send a resume.

-drl

Post #124,764

by broomberg

11/8/03 8:36:29 PM

VNC is too slow

Even direct connect 100 mbit. It also has a horrible method for scanning for changes on the screen. I really don't like it.

And yes, the lights NEVER go on. The Linux monitors are 21in flat screen Sun branded Sonys. Meant for their high end graphics workstations, when they had them. The Win monitor is a 19in Hitachi.

I've added lamp positions. They are all directed toward the wall or ceiling with the exception of my desk lamp, and they are variable so I keep them very low unless I have a visitor and we need to draw on the while boards which surround the room.

[link|http://www.users.voicenet.com/~broom/office.jpg|http://www.users.voi...~broom/office.jpg]

About 20 years ago I visited a print / layout shop. In the graphics room the only light was pinpoint spots and the light table. I always wanted that environment. I have had it for the past 7 years.

You can send a resume but we don't have any openings for your skills at this point. We current are looking for a VB person and a project manager.

Post #124,768

by deSitter

11/8/03 10:42:00 PM

Re: VNC is too slow

Every new contract - first two things - find the coffee machine - disable the overhead fluorescent lights by rotating them out of their sockets. In places with union maintenance I'd have to explain to the troll twice a month that I wanted it like that.

My ideal environment ever was a server room where they put me due to lack of space - I was in heaven. F-lights all completely off, small table lamp with a 100-watt incandescent bulb across the room, all sorts of twinkly LEDs, green and red - every day was Christmas!

My boss even would turn the lights off after visiting :)

-drl

Post #124,762

by FuManChu

11/8/03 7:28:48 PM

Hee hee

For a while (a few years ago) I had a cubicle like this:

\n ____________________\n|                    |\n|                    |\n|                    |\n|   \\                |\n|    \\   ____________|\n|   A \\ |            |\n|      \\|____________|\n

I slanted wall "A", narrowing the gap as you went in, just under the threshold of conscious notice (ASCII art doesn't do it justice). But subconsciously... >:)

I was one of the original authors of VB, and *I* wouldn't use VB for a text
processing program. :-)

Michael Geary, on comp.lang.python

Post #124,761

by FuManChu

11/8/03 7:21:29 PM

Our layout:

\n _________________________________________________\n| Humongous Desk   |         |   |           |   ||\n|     _______      |         | T |      L  O | S ||\n|    /   L   |     |   AC    | V |-->        | O ||\n|____|       |     |      /  |___|           | F ||\n|   |        |_____|     /          _____ ___| A ||\n| N |                   / D        |  B  | F |___||\n|___|______________G___/       ____|_____|___|____|\n

Key:
N = Network Rack.
AC = Our own AC unit "for the hardware".
G = A dozen Burp Guns in a wall rack.
B = Bookcase.
F = 3/4 Fridge.
O = A little adjustable coffee table I put my laptop on.
L = Two recessed lights I put in on separate dimmers, continuing the coffee-shop feel.
SOFA = My work chair.
TV = 27" + CD, DVD. Facing me.
Humongous Desk = My assistant's desk. The 8 (?) servers are underneath on a single KVM.

And best of all:

D = A door we shut constantly.

As soon as I get the time, the bookcase will be replaced with a larger unit behind the sofa.

I was one of the original authors of VB, and *I* wouldn't use VB for a text
processing program. :-)

Michael Geary, on comp.lang.python

Post #124,775

by static

11/9/03 1:01:52 AM

While we're describing offices...

We have no partitions, partly because we're a very small company (7 people) and partly because we try use extreme programming. The two guys who do sales have an "office", though, with their own door, and we have a meeting room at the other end of the office. The servers also have their own little closet next to the meeting room. The rest is open space.

Wade.

Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed

Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please

-- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne.

Post #124,788

by lincoln

11/9/03 10:33:26 AM

Does that mean...

Best part: we're largely isolated from other pods

that you're a "Pod Person"?

LOOK OUT EVERYBODY! It's "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" all over again!!!

lincoln

"Windows XP has so many holes in its security that any reasonable user will conclude it was designed by the same German officer who created the prison compound in "Hogan's Heroes." - Andy Ihnatko, Chicago Sun-Times
[link|http://users3.ev1.net/~bconnors/resume.htm|VB/SQL resume]
[link|http://users3.ev1.net/~bconnors/tandem_resume.htm|Tandem resume]
[link|mailto:bconnors@ev1.net|contact me]

Post #124,805

by kmself

11/9/03 2:12:08 PM

Yes.

Well, our workgroup structure was "pods". Which I immediately started playing with. At which point, Marty says "Karsten, one more pun out of you and you'll drop and give me 20". To which I reply "So we're the bod pod, eh?".

\r\n

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