Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!apple!voder!pyramid!prls!gordon
From: gordon@prls.UUCP (Gordon Vickers)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Optimal environments for S/W engrs
Message-ID: <13901@prls.UUCP>
Date: 5 Aug 88 16:00:29 GMT
References: <387@mfgfoc.UUCP> <326@gandalf.littlei.UUCP>
Reply-To: gordon@prls.UUCP (Gordon Vickers)
Organization: Philips Research Labs, Sunnyvale, California
Lines: 23

>In article <387@mfgfoc.UUCP> ray@mfgfoc.UUCP (Ray Lillard) writes:
>A few years ago I attended a lecture by Tom DeMarco.  He spoke
>on the subject of s/w engineering productivity and factors
>which influence it.  While discussing office arrangements he
>made reference to a study at IBM (San Jose - Santa Teresa,
>I think) which showed that software engineer offices with
>walls, a door, a phone which could be disabled, 30 sq. ft.
>of work surface and 100 sq. ft. of floor space were desirable
>and cost effective.
>
    Could anyone point me to studies that would help me justify getting
 a window installed ?  I'm not trying to be silly, I'm serious. I need
 to be able to occationally focus my eyes on something that's more than
 just a few feet away.  There would also be psychological benifits;
      o  I'd feel better and more productive if I didn't feel so caged in,
      o  There's a certain comfort in being able to "see" the day progress,
         (changing light level, amount of outside activities, etc)
      o  I never know what it is like outside (weather), I miss being able
         to see the tree's sway, the birds pass by, etc.  Part of me feels
         like I'm just wasting my life away.

 Gordon P. Vickers
 {mips, pyramid, philabs}!prls!gordon