Essentials for software developer or any computer job

This might not be applicable in all cases but nonetheless I think it is worth to mention and discuss it here, too. Frankly speaking, I use virtualisation of software since more than a decade. If I remember correctly, I used to have an early copy of VMware Workstation at that time, and it was quite an experimental experience to run multiple copies of Windows on the same computer. But it was absolutely delightful to be able to work on Windows 2000 and to test the software on Windows 98 or Windows NT 4.0 without the necessity of having another physical machine. Actually, virtualisation software is always one of the first software packages that I install on a new (or re-installed) machine.

Furthermore, as soon as you are working on multiple projects or for a number of clients, virtualisation always provides me with a clean development environment. Do you remember the old days of DLL hell? Yes? Well, I don't! ;-)

When I was assigned to work a new project I either asked the responsible project manager to give me a virtual machine, or if not available I created a master image which I put an the company's file server for all my team mates. The purpose of the virtualised environment is simply to avoid any kind of unpredictable behaviour of your development conditions. Furthermore, I am able to design and create the virtual image exactly to the likings of one of the customer machines. Later on, I used to run VMware Converter in order to virtualise one of the client's computer into a virtual one. This way, I was able to develop, run and test the software under more 'real' conditions.

And compared to my colleagues I had absolutely no trouble to install patches, upgrades and newer versions of software packages that are involved in the development process of a particular project. If it happened that it didn't work for the better, revert to latest snapshot and tada I'm back on track without any serious delays or whatsoever. Again, this also allows any developer to install and experience new versions of their IDE or additional software packages. Well, at that time it was mainly about incompatibility of different ActiveX controls or versions of Microsoft Office.

In case that you have to provide support for older operating systems for your customers. No problem, put that old-faggot in a VM and enjoy the latest OS you can get on your amazing hardware.

Virtualise your work environment to ease your life

Need to test your latest web project with various browsers on another operating system or older versions of a particular browser, use a virtual machine and be happy!

Don't forget that this also shows your expertise and knowledge towards your clients. If it runs on your machine doesn't necessarilty mean that it runs on any machine. So be prepared and test it as much as you can. I recently had the situation that one of my clients had their website designed and implemented by another web designer. Fair enough everything was displayed and working as expected until I started to run my usual cross-OS and cross-browser tests in order to check my modifications in the code behind. You can't imagine the visual differences on various browsers on Mac OS X, Linux, Android or an iOS-based device. 'Unfortunately', it was a real eye-opener for the client and more work for the web designer to improve the site.

Ergonomic desk and working environment

Well, this chapter is related to your proper choice of chair but goes a little bit beyond that. I'm going to leave my point of view on the working desk, on some accessories and constraints on your surrounding. You should pay some attention to your work desk, mainly on the height of the surface which is supposed to align properly with the position of your arms, especially your wrists. In case that you don't have access to a height-adjustable desk, you might be surprised what wonders a couple of bricks can do...

Talking about elevation, last year I saw a couple of alternatives to the conventional sitting position. Personally, I was mainly impressed by the concepts of the standing desk and the treadmill desk. The first one comes in quite handy and could be realised easily with only a few additional items whereas the latter might not be the best choice for your surrounding after all. But in case that you are working in your noise-reduced cubicle or even in your own office room. Yes, why not work-out while pouring those challenging software requirements into lines of code and test cases.

Next, take care that you spend some bucks on the keyboard, mouse, touch pad or trackball that you are using all day long. Based on my own experience I can tell you to take this dead-serious. At the beginning of my programmer's career I was always wondering about a tensed neck and shoulder. Finally, I found out that this was caused by hand movements on the mouse! And as soon as I replaced the mouse with a trackball I never had any issues of that kind anymore. There are serious, chronically injuries reported for any kind of typing work. Don't ruin your health because you (or rather your employer) saved some bucks on a proper keyboard. It's absolutely not worth it. The problem here is that the symptoms are not visible at the beginning but slowly sneak in after some months or even years of working at the desk. Listen to your body and change your equipment in case of problems. Just give it a try and see how it works.

Also, take care that your surrounding is calm and quiet. Put your maximum effort into your working comfort. If there's a problem, address it - ad hoc. Do not ignore it or push it away from you. Again, if you are not happy with your workspace your motivation will start to decay. Treat yourself with a professional environment and also don't be afraid of talking to your manager. It is very simple to describe your show-case and to proof that the circumstance might have a negative impact on your ability to focus, to concentrate and to deliver proper results as expected. A quick and cheap solution to 'dis-connect' yourself from your surrounding is to put on headphones or earplugs. Not only do you block any disturbing sounds but you also visualise to your colleagues a simple yet effective 'Do not disturb'. Again, I can tell you out of my own experience it works incredible well. I used to yell (and sometimes even swear) at my mates when they came to my desk and talked to me out of the blue. Guys, my apologies for that but we found a solution. After I discussed this with my boss, we came up with a simple system that in case of questions or issues to speak about to notify each other through an instant message. It worked flawlessly from day one on, and was quickly adapted by all colleagues.

This paragraph might be restricted to offices in Mauritius only but you never know... Comfortable temperature!

I cannot recall how many times I went into a freezer instead of an office for software developers here over the island. It is sheer insanity of some companies on how they set the temperature of their air conditioning. As a rule of thumb the inside temperature should not exceed a difference of 5 degrees Celsius compared to the outdoor temperature. Anything else is not healthy and will get you sick. Can you imagine to see computer workers sitting in long-sleeves or even cardigans at their PC while everything else outside is literally melting away and daring for water? No? Then you should come to Mauritius...

Clean desk policy

Another hot topic that you should pay some attention to are those 'unnecessary extras' on your work desk.

Golden rule #1: No food on or near the desk!

Seriously, do not keep any kind of food or snacks or whatsoever edible in the reachable surrounding of your work desk. It is not only disgusting to have crumbs of bread between the keys of a keyboard but also unhealthy for your body as you tend to eat mindless and unconsciousness. And leaving your desk to have a drink or to have a snack gives you the ability to chat and exchange with your co-workers, too.

Please, feel free and tell me in the comment section about how your desktop currently looks like. If you'd like to, take a picture and send it to me via email. I would be glad to write a follow-up article on this one with your contributions, seriously. Looking at my desk at the moment, I'm not too happy either. And as a matter of fact I just interrupted my work on this article, cleared up my desk and took a picture for you:

Keep your desk as clean as possible to avoid any kind of distraction

Now, I'm feeling more comfortable and more important: Less distracted!

Golden rule #2: Divide your daily tasks into chunks!

You don't have to monitor your email inbox every minute, don't need those nasty notification popups, or check your buddies' status on any social network. Instead, just have your instant messaging software up and running minimized, and focus on your main work: Coding.

Same as you are off from your desk occasionally, take care of this kind of tasks on specific times or bind them to other activities. For example, my mail client is usually closed during the day and only on certain activities, like ie. going to the tea kitchen to drink some water or to have my lunch break, etc. I check my mails and reply to them immediately. Don't forget, email is actually an asynchronous way of communication and you might assume that your communication partner is not expecting an answer within a couple of minutes. If they do, sorry then the choice of medium is rather poor; in such cases it would be better to use either instant messaging or pick up the phone and call the person.

Golden rule #3: Put your mobile away!

If your (personal) cellular or your smartphone isn't involved into your development process, simply do yourself a favour and put it out of your sight. Best would be to switch it into 'Meeting' profile and simply leave it in your bag. Please don't forget that you are at work, and not somewhere at a cafe or in a pub.

But there might be some kind of emergency case, you might argue. True but honestly, everyone is (or should be) aware of that you are actually at work and that they should call at the office in order to reach you. And let's not forget that the battery could be down, you forgot your mobile at home, etc. So, in case of an emergency it is way safer to call at the office.

Access to literature and training

Apart from writing software it is absolutely compulsory for any serious software developer to read books, blog articles and technical advisories, to watch tutorials or even to attend conferences on the technology you are working in. Actually, this is common to any kind of profession! Maybe I might be wrong here but for example doctors have to document their annual progress on latest research and products in the medical field. And so should software developers, too.

• When was the last time that you read a book on a specific technology?
  
• Do you know how many software-related books you read during a year?
  
• Did you read any book since you left university?

Again, these are some of my standard questions when working with a new team of software developers. As for my part, I read approximately 5 to 6 technical titles in one year. Sometimes, I don't even need the content on an active project but the title did attract my attention and therefore I go for it. Interestingly, there had been occasions where that non-related title gave me an advantage on future work.

Nowadays, there are endless possibilities to gain access to high-quality material, especially in the field of software development. If you are a Windows developer go and check out MSDN and TechNet. Microsoft's latest achievement is called Microsoft Learning which provides online material and video courses on specific topics - for free! The recorded material is top-notch and you are able to download it for latter reference. Furthermore, I highly recommend you to get a subscription to one of the many eLearning platforms like Pluralsight, Lynda, TekPub, etc. just to name a few. And not to forget, check out the online tutorials from tool and libraries; ie. Telerik TV is a great resource in case you are working with their products.

Prepare for professional certifications

Pick up the challenge and go for certifications. Yes, certifications will help you massively to know where you are standing with your knowledge, how to isolate blank spots and give you a deeper insight on the technologies you are dealing with on a daily base. Depending on your position, you should classify certifications as an investment into your future and to be able to stand out against other competitors on the market. As an employee you might like to discuss certifications as being part of your annual performance report. Not only do you show your employer clearly that you care for your job but it also increases your value for your employer. And honestly, it is a simple win-win situation for both parties. You get the chance to proof your knowledge and the certifications are personal, and your employer knows that you are able to deliver high quality results at a certain standard.

Learning on the job or during your spare time is essential as a software craftsman. Keep yourself educated and valuable to yourself, your employer and your clients.