A lot of those workspaces consist of a laptop (often 13inch macbook) on a desk.
Laptop screens, on desks, are at the wrong height for ergonomics - you shouldnt have to look down at the screen all day.
People should be using large dedicated monitors, which are at the right height, and dedicated input peripherals (e.g. keyboard+mouse). Ergonomic, and efficient.
A nice 27inch IPS display is now very cheap; I do not understand professional hackers working just off a laptop.
I have 2 Dell 24 inchers side by side with blazing fast Ivy Bridge rig that most gamers would envy (I'm not a gamer though, I just like a V12 under the hood). I think this is the most optimal set up for a programmer. With 2 x 27 inch there would be a little bit too much head turning, same goes for 3 any size displays. In my opinion 2 displays is a must for a web developer, since there's always a browser on one display and a code editor on the other.
Maybe not the "best" way, but perfect for my workflow (I deal with mobile web development so I need a bunch of small browser windows open simultaneously to test on the multitude of mobile user agents.) I usually have specs, chrome, campfire, email on the left, code in the center and my development browser windows on the right.
Agreed.
The rest look mostly like non-square Instagram photos.
That being said, I still prefer working of single machine, with virtualization. A complete take-away.
Dropbox still hasn't stopped public sharing, so http://bit.ly/NtMjGd.
This is pretty identical to mine, so I have a natural bias towards this (and the only one I took seriously). There's something to be said for simplicity, but too simple is just not realistic. For example, in the first picture, it's just a laptop on a table. No pen, no paper, no earphones, no mouse (!). There isn't even a power cable. I know it's to make it look clean, but like I said - not realistic.
But why does he have an HDTV for Netflix at his workstation? It does seem to be the best setup for working before that's mentioned, and afterword it looks a lot like goof-off central.
There's three monitors facing me, and the HDTV is the fourth (off to the right, you can't see it). Attached to it is a Cisco Umi (for 1080p telepresence with the home office) and an Xbox. Neither are on all the time. When I'm totally stressed or can't fix a problem I will either A) call someone and pair or 2) watch something on NetFlix or do a level of Just Cause 2. At that point my subconscious has usually dislodged the issue.
Also, I personally work better when I can give a bit of my brain something else to think about so it shuts up and I can get real work done. That's why I listen to music; and, that's why during my late nights in grad school, I played a movie over and over again in the background. "How to Train Your Dragon" was the preferred feature, by the way.
Sometimes you need a swap that mental context out for a while and then revisit it, especially when you get stuck. Netflix would be a good match for this, even if it's something semi-relevant like TED talks.
Depends on the work, but I've found that all my dotfiles (including .ssh and .screenrc and .vimrc) linked into a directory on Dropbox, as well as my Development directory (containing all my local copies of git repos) goes a long way toward achieving this.
I _really_ didn't want to build a computer, and the iMac is _substantially_ faster than the equivalent-costing MBP (and also frees me up to travel with an Air).
Dropbox probably does take care of the biggest issues. But I really do mean absolutely zero. The reason I quit using an external monitor is that I'd organize my windows differently on it and then have trouble readjusting to the laptop. Especially when lines of code started wrapping that didn't wrap when I wrote them!
I actually started writing shorter lines of code once I got my large external monitor. I've found it's really convenient to set my editor to take up 50% of the screen vertically and have either a command line or browser on the other half of the screen (and reference windows on the laptop screen). In this setup, the editor is actually slightly narrower and taller than when full-screen on my laptop.
Switching between screen sizes really made me realize the importance of making sure all my code breaks at column 80, which makes it easier to read in terminals, on other people's screens, etc. as well. Good practice, I think.
I used to have a problem with readjusting window sizes and positions between the laptop and my 24" display until I discovered full-screen apps in the recent OS X. Now I just run the text editor full-scren on both
I also hated to have all my windows flying around when I would (un)plug my MacBook Pro from external devices... Some time ago I discovered Stay (http://cordlessdog.com/stay/) and now I have no more problems with that. It is great, you can define position of windows for all your different setups (profiles). In my case I mostly have two setups, at office (where I work most of my time) I plug my MacBook Pro to an external display and when I am at home I work directly on the MacBook and sometimes I connect it to another external display.
I am a big fan of being able to just work whenever I want on my computer... but I also am extremely big fan of plugging it to external displays and use ergonomic devices, and I try to use them as much as I can. At my office I use a Kinesis Freestyle and a trackball, and am very happy since I started using it. We spend so much time in these "positions" that we should minimize possibilities of having problems and be confortable... at the end we want to keep doing this for long time ;)
My shell work isn't the issue. Or rather in isolation it's not. I'll run upwards of 40-50 shell sessions (on multiple hosts, with screen sessions on many of them). The net state of all of those sessions, including spatial relations between shells and color coordination (helpful for state recognition) is the hard thing to replace. Note: it's not that I carefully choose the colors of all shells, but I do have a couple of scripts that will kick out terminals in either lighter or darker shades (lighter == remote terminals, darker == local) to indicate stuff whose state I want to specifically register.
Full desktop sessions and browser state are the big ones.
I might be able to look at NX or another remote desktop solution, but those would be at best poor substitutes.
I use a 15.6" laptop on a stand, with the top of the screen right at eye height. It works great, and has the advantage of not forcing me to recalibrate my eyes and view distance every time I go home.
But yes, staring down at the thing would be awful.
Dell U2711 is quite nice, good IPS and anti-glare, but it's not cheap (800-1000 USD). But in my case I consider that money well spent.
At a recent Slashdot discussion a lot of people mentioned Yamasaki Catleap, it could be shipped from Korea where it's supposedly produced from 27'' panels rejected by Apple, but still usable. And it costs 340-400 USD with shipping.
As for the topic, it's really puzzling how people can use just laptops as their main work machines for code development. Right now I have about 6Mpixels at 100dpi of screen estate and I guess I could make use of another 4Mpixels. Good keyboard is also a must.
I have an HP zr2740w (27", 2560x1440), just under $700. Nice screen, but it's pretty bare-bones. No HDMI or analog inputs (just displayport and DVI-D); no OSD (seriously - none!) and a pretty cheap stand. Overall, the extras in the Dell are probably worth the additional cost.
If you want really cheap, LG has some 23" (1920x1080) IPS panels for right around $200.
I'd say Dell Ultrasharp U2412M 24 inch IPS Widescreen LED Monitor 1920x1200 is the best for the money at the moment. Goes for $315 on amazon at the moment. Of course there are more expensive alternatives out there, not knowing your budget it's difficult to advise. I would definitely go for a higher rez though if the pocket allows.
NEC EA231WMi on ccfl, or its successor on LEDs.
It is even cheaper than Dell 24" but for a reson - it is 23" 16:9. But it has comparable quality and being 25% cheaper I bought it.
I'm currently experimenting with a 6 x 24'' setup. I used to have just 3 which fits most of my needs but I always wanted to try have it felt with even more.
I does require some odd head movement once in a while though
My back hurts just to look at those "notebook workspaces" :( . I've worked on 10" netbook 6 hours a day for a year, on 15" notebook for two years. It is just soo bad for eyes, hands, back. Ugh...
As a programmer that suffers from RSI-related wrist issues at only 26, all I can think of when I see all of these workspaces is "how on earth are all of these people still able to move their hands?" Most, if not all of them look like they're trying to stick it to ergonomics.
26 y/o here with RSI-related issues as well. I constantly wonder how my +30 y/o co-workers with less ergonomically set-up workstations than I have are able to survive.
Luck of the draw. Some, people's bodies are just better able to absorb punishment. My wrists will occasionally give me trouble but for the most part if I keep the keyboard low enough they're good. On the other hand, I can't do a significant amount hammer work because it fucks my wrists. They're just not heavily built enough to take that kind of punishment.
I approach all computer usage as if it's inherently harmful to my body, and I must minimize that harm if I expect to work with them the rest of my life. I have had excellent results avoiding repetitive strain from the following two products:
I have no relationship, commercial or otherwise, with either vendor. Just worked well for me, as a professional software engineer. I highly recommend them. Both are designed to shift common movements away from smaller muscles toward larger muscles. Where a regular mouse relies on the small muscles of your wrist, the 3M mouse shifts that movement to the larger muscles of your arm. Kinesis moves the most common keys (space, enter, delete, modifiers) to one's (stronger) thumbs, and places keys to avoid the "stretch" of one's hand common with key combinations like ctrl+shift+T.
I should also mention that I use a standing desk. I think that's an important benefit to non-harmful mouse & keyboard posture. My experience from working while sitting in chairs is that your body tends to lean from side to side, extend one's arms to a degree that will cause repetitive strain, or put weight on the wrong places (like armrests). I have had an easier time adopting correct (least harmful, according to modern ergonomics research) posture while standing.
That posture is: let your arms fall limp to your sides. Now, bending at the elbow (and without moving your elbow), raise your arms in front of you to be parallel with the ground. That's where your keyboard should be. Your mouse should be in reach by rotating your arm, again without moving the elbow. This is the best posture for both chairs and standing (according to the ergonomics expert paid by my company to examine my working space -- I find this to be true in practice). As you can see, it is difficult to achieve this posture in a chair. The height of your desk is probably wrong, and you probably need a keyboard tray. It's more easily achieved with a standing setup.
I have had virtually no RSI issues since switching to these two products and a standing desk about 1.5 years ago. Both devices are fairly different from a normal input, and took a long time to learn to use effectively. The 3M mouse trades away accuracy, but with experience you can get almost as good as a normal mouse for regular desktop applications. I still use a regular mouse and keyboard for PC gaming, however.
Hope this is helpful to other intensive computer-users out there! Give standing a try -- your health will probably benefit.
It's anecdotal, and maybe it's just me, but I've been a computer junkie, at work and at home for a good 20 years, i touch-type, somewhere in the top 5%, my posture sucks (other than where my hands sit relative to the keyboard) and I've had no RSI related issues that I can recall, ever.
That's a mix of apple keyboards, buckling spring keyboards, and barely tolerable dell keyboards. (There's a few along the way I threw out because they were too mushy... but other than that)
Perhaps it's something I do without intention - small breaks due to short attention span or somthing...... but not everyone gets injuries.
You might want to check out an Apple 'Magic Trackpad' (there are Windows drivers as I think you're on a PC).
I've previously used the 3M mouse you refer to as well as all manner of trackballs, larger mice, etc and nothing has done more to alleviate my mouse hand issues than the Magic Trackpad.
I think this is mostly because it removes the need to clench your hand around anything and it can be much more relaxed, yet you still have very fine control (I regularly use it with Photoshop).
My biggest RSI issue has been mouse usage. I'm right handed, but switching to mousing left handed has been a huge help. Plus, since I'm more awkward mousing left handed, it's helped me become more keyboard-centric, and thus more productive.
Just a wild guess - not sure, but do you touch-type properly posture wise (all other considerations aside). I don't mean do you use the exact proper keys - but hands lifted from table, not resting on anything, etc etc?
Real coding - it's mostly planning and then writing code. A small workspace can help one focus, and if you are really into whatever environment you are using and it supports term/tmux and the usual unix stuff, you don't need a bunch of monitors at all - you can context switch just fine.... but that's hightly individual.
OTOH - when it comes to debugging and troubleshooting, give me tons of monitors so I can have proxies and remote debuggers and packet sniffers and who knows what else insturmented all over the place to find out what's wrong - but that's a different task.
And I will admit - lots of monitors can be a distraction, which is the killer of many a good programmer.
>>Real coding - it's mostly planning and then writing code.
>> OTOH - when it comes to debugging and troubleshooting [...] but that's a different task.
I code and debug at the same time. Real coding for me is making sure it does what it's supposed to at the start so I'm always in a code/debug configuration and frame of mind.
>> And I will admit - lots of monitors can be a distraction, which is the killer of many a good programmer.
They are also the facilitator of many a good programmer.
After my initial switch from a single to dual monitors, I couldn't imagine ever going back to just one. Let alone a tiny laptop display. Shocked at how many single-laptop-and-not-much-else setups I saw in the examples given.
I've always been a real screen real estate whore. I currently run a dual 30" setup at home and always thought I could never go smaller.
Around a month ago, I started using an 11" Macbook air as I was travelling a lot, and I must say, I'm absolutely blown away at how productive I have been for development work.
With a tabbed text editor (ST2), browser, and terminal combined with Lion full screen & OSX spaces, everything is so nice and compact and you can switch around in less time than it takes to turn your head across to the other side of a monitor. I seem to be hitting flow very easily and have been doing some great work since I started using this laptop.
Of course, being able to take my primary machine with me everywhere I go is also a real bonus. I'm getting some great work done on my side projects on my commute or on flights, and am quickly able to dial in to customer sites etc without being compromised in any way.
I'd recommend that anyone give this a go. I'm definitely going to keep trying to minimise and simplify my tools after this experience.
The advantage to not relying on dual monitors is that when I need to work somewhere else (which is routine) I'm prepared for it. Some of this is software -- my experience is that OS X users make pretty poor use of virtual desktop schemes, where as the gnome 3 navigation hotkeys are in my muscle memory.
I tried to make the switch from dual to single monitors earlier this year. It's really nice to only need a laptop (or one monitor + kb/mouse) on your desk. I also find the border between the two monitors really interferes with my ability to use the space, somehow. During the experiment, the only time I ever found myself wanting a second monitor was when I was testing in the browser, and needed to view a whole web page, plus an inspector. Since I have periods where I do that a lot, I now have a second monitor hooked up to my laptop. The second monitor goes unused abou 90% of the time.
I think my ideal setup would be to have a very high-resolution display like an Apple Cinema display.
You're right - I just switched to a 2560w 27" (from 1920w 24") and can now fit a browser at 1280px on the left side of the screen, and Sublime Text at 1280px on the right. The display, ST with the SFTP plugin and LiveReload have made much more of a difference than I imagined.
I used to have that same thought with my n>1 monitors setups. Then I realized I was using one monitor for "dashboarding" and one for development. And a lot of virtual workspaces. So when I got my macbook, I decided not to plug extra screens into it for a while. I find that it keeps the distractions out of mind while focusing on something. So my current setup goes:
A virtual desktop for each of the following: browsing, comms, notetaking. And the rest of my desktops (usually 9 total) partitioned per-project. When doing web dev stuff, i tend to put a browser in one desktop for that project, and dev stuff in the desktop immediately to the right of it.
When I'm in an appropriate place, (home, work, the occasional hotel room where heavy dev is going on between meetings et al), I'll arrange another computer or attached monitor/tv to do dashboarding (preferring the another computer approach). The dashboard has test pass/fail lists, tailing logs, other information as needed for the particular project. It makes it easier to ignore, but accessible when needed.
One thing the reduced screen space has done for me is help me identify opportunities for good dev practice. For example, if I find myself annoyed at the number of times I'm switching between vim and the terminal, it might be time to write a script that I can call (or even hotkey) from vim. It also helped me learn to use tabs/windows in vim and eclipse better and more productively, because I couldn't just put them next to each other anymore. Now when I do have the option for mutliple screens, one is usually blank anyway, because I find myself anoyed at switching windows, even if its a simple mouse move away.
Of course, this is just my experience, influenced by my preferences, but hopefully it can give you some insight into other modes of working :)
I went from dual 24" monitors to macbook air with one 24" to just the air and it's just a matter of getting used to it. The swiping to next desktop feature is awesome for this though, not sure if I could live without. I just notice that having one or two things to focus on is better for me than having 10 things open at the same time.
Agree, but I guess it depends on the work you're doing. When I'm working on something in my spare time, by 13" macbook air has plenty of real estate. At my day job, however, I have 3 main screens and one off to the side. The three usually have 1) instant messaging w/ team (constant, I'm remote) 2) code editor 3) browser - minimizes having to swap out what's on my screen and love it.
I used to strongly feel the same way. My setup used to be 24" screen in front with keyboard and mouse, with the 13" MBP to the side. Code on the monitor, browser on the laptop usually. I thought I was the king of productivity, and I couldn't imagine ditching the dual monitor setup. I'd been rocking the dual monitors for the past 4 years.
I gradually drifted away from the monitor, and now just sit in front of the laptop. I think I just got sick of wasting time every morning plugging 4 cables into my mac (power, monitor, usb, headphones). I also like the mbp keyboard better (a LOT better) than Apple's quiet low-profile key usb keyboard. Yeah, I could have just gone with a different keyboard, but I _really_ like the keyboard on my macbook. Not using a mouse, I move my hands less. The gestures make me more efficient (and I use BetterTouchTool, as well). I also _really_ like the trackpad on my macbook.
I think there are several benefits to using just the laptop:
1. The browser is usually hidden behind the code I'm working on, instead of staring me down. I'm distracted less, and with the keyboard I can quickly switch to the browser just as quickly as I could turn my head.
2. Whether I'm at my desk in the office, the table at home, or lounging in bed, I'm always using the same setup. I typically do most of my work ssh'd into the cloud, so I don't really care about transporting my .vimrc all over with Dropbox, but if that weren't the case, my dot files always with me.
3. I'm more comfortable since I don't have to keep turning my head back-and-forth between the two screens, and I don't have to keep swapping my hand between the keyboard and mouse.
My 24" monitor mostly just sits and collects dust, but I do sometimes plug it in. The 13" mbp screen isn't really big enough to do side-by-side comparisons, so if I ever have the need for that, I'm glad I still have the monitor around. I'll also use it if I ever have to fire up the javascript debugger, which I find easier to use expanded to the full screen.
Ever tried a two monitor stacked (on top of the other) setup ? I had the same problem you had with the looking to the side, but need two monitors and that did it for me.
Exactly, I actually have 1680x1050 on top and a higher than full 1080p on the bottom. If you try this, go to the monoprice site and look at the vertical stands they have, they are exactly the same as the costly option HP sells but sold at a fraction under their brand. Flawless really, I have had this setup for 3/4 years now and the neck weird pain never came back. Cheers.
I've got two working, external monitors sitting next to the laptop on which I'm typing this, but they're rarely turned on. I don't think it affects productivity much, either way.
I've been curating a collection of hacker workspaces on and off for a year now in a Gimme Bar collection: http://gim.ie/ccN . These aren't generally workstations of "famous" hackers, but rather just people that would send me pictures of their setup when I asked nicely.
Edit: Ah yes, there are a few in there that I pulled from a .net Magazine article.
I have a hard time working on my 13" Air's screen. I'm only really productive with it when I'm doing a very particular kind of implementation task. That is, one where I can have code in one column and a terminal in the other. It's difficult to do tasks that involve many varied reference materials (code, web pages, documents), switching back and forth between my terminal, editor, AND browser. Or lots of small code files with lots of navigation and window re-arranging. That said, reading & emailing is pretty easy. Until I need to cross reference an article with two emails and then copy paste between them. Blargh.
Anyway. Why not a Pro? Why would I want a heavier machine? I can easily SSH into a beefy dev box. And most of the code us startup types write for the web or mobile devices don't demand beefy CPUs. The trade off between performance and form factor only makes sense if I'm going to use my laptop for anything other than a dumb terminal. And I do put that 13" air in a backpack.
I have a 15" Pro, and I hate carrying it around to work from coffee shops. My old work 13" Air fit much more easily into my everyday bag and the weight made a big difference. I don't think working on a 13" is the most comfortable thing, but with judicious use of multiple desktops and full-screen mode it's workable.
I love the 11" Air, but I couldn't imagine using it for anything other than a basic email machine.
I do all my coding on an 11" air. It really is nice to carry around everywhere, since I take it back and forth to work every day (and a coffee shop right now).
As for screen real estate, well I have a 24" monitor at home but have gradually stopped using it. I can only really focus on one thing at a time, and the screen size is big enough to display that one thing comfortably. I have Quicksilver set up so F3 switches to web browser, F4 to sublime, F5 to my terminal, and it's muscle memory at this point. If I want to switch focus, rather than turn my head, I lift a finger and it replaces what I'm viewing.
I've lately started playing around in Pixelmator (an OSX-only pared-down version of Photoshop), and have started thinking about breaking out the monitor for that, admittedly. It would be nice to have all my tool palettes, list of layers, etc, not obscure the image I'm working on.
I carried a 15 inch MBP while walking to work for 2 years, including four flights of stairs to my apartment. Carrying around weight has never been a problem for me, yet when I switched to the Air, it felt like a radical life change. It's hard to perceive how much just 3 pounds can air a difference but I was much more enthusiastic about heading out to do some work at a coffee shop or even just over to my couch.
I got one for iOS development, and sometimes it's nice to either tinker, or do small updates in bed or on the couch. I connect it to KVM if I"m doing anything that takes more than a half hour. I use it now more than my Windows desktop, but more so because I don't want to boot my son off Garry's Mod! I also use Win7 on the air, but just to test or for gaming (Steam and GOG).
For me it isn't weight as much as size; anything over 13" tends to get uncomfortable IMHO (I've gotten used to being without a desk). After that the 13" Air is a better machine than the 13" Pro in a few points (standard SSD, higher resolution, better battery life, less heat, no DVD appendix) so its an easy choice.
I have a 13" MBA, and the reason I chose it over the pro is that it has an SSD. I've killed hard drives before thanks to them not sleeping when I shut my lid. But I can't do real work on it for long periods of time, I need my dual monitors.
Can you call this guys "Hackers" ?
Come on, Macbooks, Ikea tables, and the most weird... cleanliness.
Where are the cups of coffee ? Where are all the cables ? The Model M keyboard ? I can't see any Donald Knuth books there.
Not to mention no one is using Linux there.
I'm not "ragehating" because of Macs or so, I'm just saying that it's weird to see a Hacker with a workspace like that :P
I don't mean to be that guy but this kind of comments are getting on my nerves lately. If you don't have something to contribute just don't write an comment. I mean think about your comment and ask yourself if it helped someone. I would be surprised if you think yes.
A hacker is not a hacker because of the hardware he/she uses. It's not the books he/she reads. It's about being unconventional, using things you are productive with, finding out what would make things better and you name it. It's not about being not clean and reading Donald Knuth's books.
Please either stop writing such things or simply go away.
Bleh, I use a mac because I have to for iOS dev. But it kind of sucks for desktops. You can choose between an under-powered mini, the far-overpriced pro, or the ugly single monitor iMac(I like my apple branding where I don't have to look at it, thank you).
For what it's worth, the iMac has been able to power a secondary screen for quite some time. Not that's it's a great alternative - Apple has always had a lackluster desktop line the first iMacs took off.
This is the exact feeling I get when I have to work with a Windows PC. They are cheap, feel like a brick of plastic and are not a bit what they promise to be. But I found a solution. I just stopped using them. I hate them and I hope not to touch one again in my life.
So maybe you should consider leaving Macs and Apple devices alone to have a happier life I guess.
That page is very badly designed. Why is the workspace picture not shown directly below each name? I don't feel like clicking 20 times to look at 2 workspaces.
Release early, release often is why its not perfect. Its also a general purpose way to share links, pro tips, and photos. But there is a 'next' button one you get into protips
Do your selection criteria for 'featured' desks include use of Apple hardware? Or can we assume that interesting work is being done mainly on Air laptops?
I'm usually not among the grammar police, but leading right off the bat with "Us developers" instead of "We developers" stuck out quite a bit. Also, the fuzzy timestamp has a duplicated "about".
Nothing against the actual content of the page, though. Nice to see both minimalist and elaborate styles represented.
I have a standing desk cobbled together from non-office supplies. My "lectern" is a Manhasset music stand (http://www.manhasset-specialty.com/index.cfm?pageID=3) adjusted to the perfect height and pitch for my wrists while typing. The wireless mouse used to slip off until I pulled a cotton pillowcase over the black metal, now it grips and is very comfortable.
My monitor is just a 37" 1080p LCD stacked on a table and empty crates to reach head height. I've got an ottoman to sit or lean on when I need a break from standing, and the music stand desk makes it really easy to quickly and firmly adjust the perfect typing attitude.
Very nice site. I'm always intrigued by other people's setup, but I need a desk and proper heigh adjustments. My wrists would die if I worked on a bed or in a coffee shop!
If people are also interested at more in depth setups of people from various fields, this site http://usesthis.com (which has been linked to from Hacker News I'm sure) is along the same lines, minus the photo of their actual setup. It's more descriptive.
I love the way you can drag and drop an image into a protip. Its a really nice user experience and also something I didn't know you could do technically.
I see some people use the MBA with a 27" thunderbolt display that are still using the MBA as a secondary display and I'm wondering what you find this useful for. I would think having the 2560*1440 would be more than enough and not having to turn your head would be great. Especially since full screen isn't supported in multimonitor mode in Lion (yet, i hope).
Ohmygod, this is so frustrating. I hate to work like this - I feel like the extra monitor actually distracts me more than it frees me from a lack of space. I've still worked like this because:
- A magic trackpad is expensive. And when you have it, it's kind of awkward to place it. And then you have to deal with occasional Bluetooth hiccups and batteries and all that crap, when you basically have that same thing build into your laptop.
- Same for the keyboard, but cheaper.
- In 10.6, you could just close the laptop, wait for the screen to appear, and open it again. You would be able to use keyboard and trackpad but the screen would stay dark. Not so anymore.
- If you close the laptop because you have a mouse and keyboard, it will run insanely hot. I know it's officially supported, but I plan to use my laptop more than the "supported" three years. If you open it just a little, the screen turns back on in Lion, see previous item.
And if the screen is already there, then why not use it? It seems like the rational thing to do.
It might not be initially obvious that these are just some featured desks as part of our launch. Coderwall members have been adding their desks here => http://coderwall.com/p/t/hackerdesk
Laptop screens, on desks, are at the wrong height for ergonomics - you shouldnt have to look down at the screen all day.
People should be using large dedicated monitors, which are at the right height, and dedicated input peripherals (e.g. keyboard+mouse). Ergonomic, and efficient.
A nice 27inch IPS display is now very cheap; I do not understand professional hackers working just off a laptop.