Office shuffle

Our team room at work got commandeered for some other purpose, so we've managed to get most of the team into adjacent offices. I'm sharing one with our team lead, and the other two devs will be next door while the testers will be across the hall. We've got some beautiful daylight views here, though I took the desk closer to the door so I don't stare outside all day.

Microsoft is famous for its everyone-has-an-office culture. I actually like the idea of that, of having your own space, to make it comfortable, and a door to close when you want it. That said, having a team out in the open does wonders for getting things done. Sometimes the interruptions seem like a bit much, but the upside is that we exchange almost no e-mail, and everyone is in the loop at all times. Our managers are pursuing new team space now, and we're crossing our fingers that they knock out some walls, near some windows. I like the way the CodePlex guys have their stuff set up (see this video).

Incidentally, Bill Gates apparently had an office in this building for some time (it's Building 6, in a cluster of early buildings on the main campus). It's remarkably unspectacular, with a similar looking view from the second floor. Little has changed other than the carpet and some paint. Some of the conference rooms still have these funny floppy disk signs where you slide the window on the bottom to say "in use" or something.

Will hopefully write more about my first real full week here. I dig it. I'm excited to come in every day.