I am suprised that no one was using a linux-based system. Then I realized that we weren't necessarily looking at developer desktops. Even where I intern, we do all our stuff on macs. Though I do enjoy working with macs, I often wonder what their big draw is. They do not seem 'special' over Windows as far as I can tell, and as a developer I would much rather have a linux-based workstation.
I used to be of your thought pattern. The thing about the mac os as it stands is that you can leverage all the power of the *nix os with the nice gui that just works. (Seriously though... try unplugging the monitor with your laptop to see what I mean.)
Seems like most people are using laptops as their primary systems these days. Is the ideal setup for most designers/developers now a laptop with external monitor/keyboard/mouse?
I would say so because its very portable. You are not stuck at one place. Especially, everything can be wireless now it's very easy to work anywhere else as long as you have your core system.
I think they were just cleaned up for the pictures. They are designers that use Macs -- anything unclean in a photo would be unacceptable, dontcha know ;)
I have a 25" on my desk, and a Macbook; I use the monitor maybe 30% of the time. I want my workflow to work no matter where I am, so I try not to build habits that require a monitor.
We're doing a 2.0 product launch this week, so I've been spending some time in Photoshop and CSSEdit; for web design, I can see "no monitor" as a dealbreaker. For coding, I'm just as efficient on my laptop's small screen.
I think it's funny that after working on a dual head, people tend to forget about window management and maximize everything, then get upset when faced with one screen. I much prefer one (giant) screen with tiled windows. It just feels more elegant and flexible.
Also, get yourself a web editor with live page rendering built in. Coda and Dreamweaver CS4 use WebKit. It saves a ton of switching time.
Personally I'd say it saves me a few hours a month: A little by not constantly fumbling around switching apps, and (much more significantly) it makes fixing some bugs easier because you can see the effects of your code and your code at the same time, so there's no need to mentally 'flip' from 'coding' mode to 'web site evaluating' mode. And with three monitors editing an image->uploading the image->updating html/css->viewing the web page becomes one seamless workflow.
I think that I'm probably on the extreme end, but when I can I code with three monitors, a 22" widescreen for code & ftp or versioning, 22" widescreen for photoshop or illustrator, and 'normal' 19" for browsers (since it's much closer to the average use).
Newegg.com currently sells a nice 22" LCD for under $200, so if it saves a programmer at normal US wages 2-6 hours lifetime, it's paid for. It strikes me as a no brainer.
I'm utterly disappointed by the lack of the best input device I've ever touched: The Trackman Wheel. The amount of time, desk space, and wrist strain it's saved me over the years is unfathomable. Mice of any kind feel like toasters now.
