The physicality of writing software

 The early space capsules for the Mercury and Gemini astronauts allowed little or no room for the physical bodies of the astronauts.  When my sons saw John Glenn's Mercury capsule in the Kennedy Space Center, they didn't believe that someone went to space in something barely larger than a garbage dumpster.  It amuses me that much of the early Sci-Fi space vehicle depictions allowed high ceilings, wide hallways, sliding doors, and lots of arm and leg room to the astronauts.  

Today, in 2021, at the age of 73, I am writing computer code for a couple of hours a day in a cockpit of sorts.  It is as cramped as John Glenn's "spam-in-a-can"; surrounded by portable tables and desks that slide away from my recliner, and then slide back into place. It is as cramped and utilitarian a space as the first manned space capsules, but it works.

For me, writing computer code has always had a physical performance component.  At times it overshadows the actual logic or performance of the code itself.  When I was developing my first software, I wrote it in the basement of a new townhouse in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis.  I had to get up at 4 a.m. to get a couple of hours of coding in before I helped get the kids to school/daycare and get myself to work.  My first physical acquisition was a Norwegian-designed kneeling chair, that had no back.  It pushed your butt forward to make you sit straight,  and forced the weight of your body onto your shins.  Yeah.  You were sitting on your forelegs.  Very hip.  But costly in the long run.

At the time, my legs were pretty strong.  My morning routine also involved getting outside and running from 3 - 5 miles.   I didn't know or even suspect that the compression on my shins for long periods of time was hurting my lower limb circulation.  I am 73 now and am plagued by issues with my legs.  I want to write for more than 20 minutes ,  so I have devised a "pod" of sorts that allows me to keep my legs straight out on a hassock, and puts the laptop and keyboard right in my gut.  It has taken me a long time to perfect this space capsule solution, and it is incredibly awkward to move around in it or get in and out of...but the physical connection to typing, reading manuals, taking notes, etc is essential to being productive at all.  I have tried sitting at a table, or on a couch, or on office chairs with foot support, etc.  Nothing is any good for more than a few minutes.  I have to sit with my legs straight out, my back upright and supported with a lumbar pillow, and the screen of the laptop magnified to the max just to write code for two hours or so.

Why does this matter?

If you are a programmer or the spouse of a programmer, you need to think about the physical cost of the act of coding.  You are going to be around a long time.  You are going to pay for your choices.  The cliche is programmers drinking Jolt cola or Red Bull, eating chips and bean dip or Twizzlers, and coding until their fingers bleed. How many pay any attention to how they sit, and how they treat their eyes?  I have three canes leaning in door niches around the house, and I rotate among 7 pairs of glasses for various reading/working/tv watching/driving contexts.  I still code for hours at a time when I am engaged in a project, but now the amount of time it takes to get situated physically is equal to, or longer than, the amount of time I get to work.

In an office you have limited control over the seating, lighting, hours, etc.  You have limited control over the noise level, interruptions, and the level of stress created by deadlines, client attitudes, and the quality of management.

But even in an office you can do things to make the physical act of coding more sustainable.  I worked with a web developer who had the lights dimmed to 40%, and who maintained both a standing desk and a table for sitting.  He used a large inflatable workout ball as a chair, and took breaks every 40 minutes.  Unfortunately it drew unwanted attention to him, and he was the butt of jokes and resentment on the part of the regular office "prairie dogs."   Now, that goes to underscore the miserable working conditions that regular office routines imposed on us back in the day.  Today, people work from home.  Sweatpants nation.  But the physicality of working at the computer remains an important issue.  Take care of your sitting, and you sitting will take care of you later, when your choices are fewer and your body is even more obstinate in what it will endure for the sake of money or fun.