Open space is good..
Lots of reference material is a must. I tend to not store all the details in my head, but just remember how to solve the problems generically.
Other people around is good, as long as it's not too noisy.. I like being able to take my head out of the code from time to time, and share a jest with someone. :)
I find laughter a great tonic which recharges my proverbial batteries for another long session of tunnel vision.
Music I can take or leave, as long as it's music I like, I don't mind.. When I play it, it's very much music to fit the mood.
If I want to write a hacked script, I'll play stuff like NIN, Whale, Garbage etc. That tends to get me in tune with skipping along with some urgency to things..
If I'm coding something that needs to be more refined, I play classical, or lighter stuff such as Sting, Tori Amos and so forth..
Good light is a must.. I hate the flourescent tubing... My home environment has daylight colour adjusted bulbs.. Makes me feel that much more comfy..
A nice supply of food and drink to sup upon is also good.. It just means that hunger/thirst never gets to distract me from what I'm trying to concentrate on.
A good keyboard is also a must.. At the mo, I use the MS naturals, tho, I want a Maltron keyboard.. Something comfy that my fingers fly over, without too much jarring... I find the standard flat keyboards to be pretty uncomfortable..
Really, it's just a matter of balancing the feeling of inner peace (necessary for concentrating on the structure of the code you're creating) and the drive and urgency required for me to actually get into gear and do things.. :)
Pet hates for coding are noise, wrong temperature (too high or too low), and people around I find irritating.. :) Though, thankfully, the world doesn't have that many of those..

Malk.

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