
Ask HN: What's your ideal development setup? - anonfunction
Hey Hackers, I&#x27;m in a position where I can get any computer&#x2F;monitor&#x2F;keyboard&#x2F;etc... but don&#x27;t know what is considered the best hardware these days.<p>For context I&#x27;ll be writing a lot of Node.js &#x2F; Golang code while going between the office and home. I&#x27;d also like to do typical stuff like browsing HN and watching netflix.<p>What would you prefer for your development work space? Feel free to include any extras such as desks, chairs, plants, etc...
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facorreia
If you're going to switch between the office and home you'll probably benefit
from a laptop instead of trying to keep 2 machines in sync. If you're a Mac
person that would be a MacBook Pro; if not, equivalent hardware running
Windows or Linux. Of course make sure it has lots of RAM (at least 16GB) and a
large, fast SSD, and at least a 4 core i7 processor.

For your office workstation, you'll probably want:

* Dedicated keyboard: either a mechanical keyboard ([http://lifehacker.com/how-to-choose-the-best-mechanical-keyb...](http://lifehacker.com/how-to-choose-the-best-mechanical-keyboard-and-why-you-511140347)) or a Microsoft Sculpt keyboard ([https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/products/keyboar...](https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/products/keyboards/sculpt-ergonomic-desktop/l5v-00001)). Mine is a CM Storm QuickFire TK ([http://www.amazon.com/CM-Storm-QuickFire-TK-Mechanical/dp/B0...](http://www.amazon.com/CM-Storm-QuickFire-TK-Mechanical/dp/B00A378L4C)).

* A wireless mouse of your choice (I usually click on them and get the one with the lowest, less annoying click noise -- My current one is a Logitech M280). Or a touch mouse from Apple or Microsoft if you're into that.

* A large monitor or 3. There's a lot of options and it ultimately comes to personal taste. For working you'll want an IPS panel (not TN). You may want a large 4k monitor, or 2x27" 4k monitors, or perhaps a single 34" monitor to avoid context-switching (like a Dell U3415W that I currently use: [http://accessories.ap.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=hk&l...](http://accessories.ap.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=hk&l=en&s=bsd&cs=hkbsd1&sku=210-AEBV)).

* A good headphone for conferences, like the Microsoft LifeChat LX-6000 ([https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/business/lifecha...](https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/business/lifechat-lx-6000-for-business/7xf-00001)).

* You need a chair that can be adjusted, and a desk that is solid enough. You don't necessarily need to spend a crazy amount of money for good results. See [http://lifehacker.com/5409915/top-10-ergonomic-upgrades-for-...](http://lifehacker.com/5409915/top-10-ergonomic-upgrades-for-your-workspace) and [http://lifehacker.com/5755870/how-to-ergonomically-optimize-...](http://lifehacker.com/5755870/how-to-ergonomically-optimize-your-workspace)

~~~
anonfunction
This is exactly what I was hoping for.

I'll go with your setup because it's pretty much exactly what I had in mind
and similar to my previous setup besides the mechanical keyboard and
headphones.

Thanks for the very detailed help and providing links!

~~~
humbleMouse
Somebody I work with has 2x27 inch 4k monitors and when they are in 4k mode
you can't even read code because the text is so small.

I would recommend getting 2x22 inch monitors. I work better with 22 inch
monitors because my eyes don't have to dart around the screen all time time to
keep track of things. Different strokes, but I personally think 27 inch
monitors for coding is ridiculous and anti-productive.

~~~
facorreia
Of course you can always increase the font size. And OS X has better support
for 4k than Windows; on Linux it's still pretty bad.

Since I run Linux, this was one of the factors for choosing a 34" display at
3440 x 1440 with a "normal" pixel density of 110 DPI.

