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John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: they expected everyone to work at least 60 hours per work week
Run away
At any interview, when asked if I have any questions: "How many hours per week do you work for your check?"
If they get uncomfortable - I expect it is more than 40.
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Mike Mullikin wrote: The downside is the office area is one big room with no walls (not even cubicles).
That seems like a huge distraction. Time to buy some noise cancelling headphones. Last time I sat around a table with 25 engineers... there was an obscene fusion of death metal, rap, beethoven and trance/electronic music leaking out from headphones.
Is there any benefit to having everyone sitting at the same table?
Best Wishes,
-David Delaune
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Randor wrote: Time to buy some noise cancelling headphones
I forgot to mention - the company is supplying Bose QC35II for all.
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I wish! Growing up near Chicago in the 60's I used to watch Bozo's Circus all the time. 
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Jealous, we didn't have it over here in Holland !
But to be honest that Bozo looks a bit like a horror clown to me 
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Growing up with Bozo on TV every day helped desensitize us to clown phobias. Not to mention, this was all well before "It". 
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I'm wondering how effective noise canceling headphones will be. I used to work in a machine room with heavy duty air conditioning. We had noise cancelling headphones available to us for extended visits. They were great at canceling out the noise from the a/c, and we could converse in a normal voice. Basically, anything without a repetitive waveform was passed through mostly unchanged. So if you're in an environment where people are talking to each other, I would expect that would come through as 'not noise'. But that was from 25 years ago, so maybe the parameters/algorithms for what is considered noise is much better now?
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Yeah, I own a pair of Bose QC25's and the noise cancelling part works great on airplanes to kill the engine noise. Its the music I play that quiets the voices of passengers.
I'm cautiously optimistic about headphones in the new office.
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k5054 wrote: I used to work in a machine room with heavy duty air conditioning.
Mmmmmmm, Yeah... Milton we're gonna need to go ahead and move you downstairs into storage room B. We have some new people coming in, and we need all the space we can get. So if you could just go ahead and pack up your stuff and move it down there, that would be terrific, OK?
Best Wishes,
-David Delaune
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The wife purchased those headphones to watch stuff on the computer (we life in a 1 room apartment in Singapore) they seem to have migrated to work where I sit on a bench with many others. They are excellent.
I am living JSOPs nightmare environment.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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It's supposed to encourage "collaberation" (think of David Henning saying Magic)
Any self respecting person would hate it hence why it is popular with the millennials.
I have a near 3 foot tall stack of books on the corner of my desk to create some visual interference with the rest of the room, and I always wear my headphones even if I'm not listening to anything.
Give me back my damn walls!
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The seating arrangement that you describe comes in different flavors but its main purpose is to "foster collaboration". I used to work at a Goldman Sachs sister company, and that is how they did it. Very weird at first, but it works.
Many software companies do this now, Google, etc.
It works. You would think everyone would be talking all day and no work would get done, but the opposite to this is true.
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Mike Mullikin wrote: one big room with no walls (not even cubicles)
Hopefully the office culture will organically enforce a quiet work environment. Private phone calls will need to be very brief or will need to be conducted away from your desk.
/ravi
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So the ongoing nightmare of whitespace continues?
The horror, the horror, the horror ...
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If you are of an age, then you'll remember Les Nesman making his own door... 'nuff said.
And for the USB charging ports? Depending upon your device, they may not work... be prepared to have your charging block and plug it into a regular outlet.
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That was such a good show!
/ravi
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Good luck sounds like you can't fart without everyone hearing it.I guess there's some value in getting a warning, assuming sound travels faster than smell.Not worrying abpout doppler phenomena.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E.
Comport Computing
Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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Mike Mullikin wrote: fancy devices that allow work while sitting or standing
The only time I stand when working is for two minutes just before 1pm - so everybody can get used to the fact that I'm just going to lunch.
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I cannot even begin to imagine working in an open environment. I think they almost got it correct - perhaps the open area should have been the meeting area with offices on the periphery. I think this guy got it right, or pretty close to it:
The new Fog Creek office – Joel on Software[^]
I have seen the insanity of making decisions for developers by people who aren't developers go on for so long. IT spec'ing machines when they have no clue what will be done with them. Same for monitors, keyboards, chairs, even to technical books.
But I will say that one of the best business investments I ever made was buying Bose QC15s. I deliberately sit such that I cannot see with peripheral vision if someone is standing in my cubicle "door". I type this from my home office. I have doors, and I use them.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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Mike Mullikin wrote: Solar powered wireless keyboards
That's one way to keep you near a window.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E.
Comport Computing
Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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How Large Are Pizza Hut Pizzas?[^]
Nice dedicated domain to something we all have been wondering.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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Best website ever ! pity I'll have to cross the ocean to buy some 
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