Essential gear for a developer with more than 10 years of coding experience who wants to keep coding without hurting their body

1. Developers who code a lot get hurt. It is a kind of occupational disease. 🤕

2. My wrist started hurting, then my right arm went numb. I could not fix it in the US, so I took leave, came back to Korea, went to the hospital, and rested from coding for a month. Then it got better. 🏥

3. After that, I switched my keyboard to a Happy Hacking Keyboard optimized for vim key bindings and minimized unnecessary hand movement. That way, even when I type a lot, it is less taxing. ⌨️

4. Once I realized that moving back and forth between the keyboard and mouse was also a burden, I added a Hasu controller so that I could move the mouse cursor and click from the Happy Hacking Keyboard. I use vim key bindings in every IDE, editor, and web browser. ✍️

5. I customized the various shortcuts I needed on the Hasu controller. For example, I made replacement keys so my right pinky would not have to cover Enter, Backspace, right Shift, Fn, and all kinds of bracket keys. Ctrl+8 == Enter, Ctrl+7 == Backspace, and so on. 🔩

6. I have two HHKBs with the same setup. I use the Type-S when coding and the standard model when I am just relaxing. The quieter typing sound of the Type-S is nice for office use, but what matters even more to me is the lower key pressure. To work long hours without pain, I need a keyboard with light key switches. ⌛

7. The mouse I use occasionally is not a trackpad but a vertical mouse. Ergonomic. 🖱️

8. The monitor must always be raised higher than my eye level. Otherwise, I end up suffering from neck issues. I try hard not to work with a laptop on my lap while focusing. 🖥️ 🚑

9. Work music matters too. I usually use earphones connected to a portable DAC, but when my productivity is not going up, I need a speaker with a woofer. 🎧 🔊

10. Finally, the chair is a Herman Miller Embody. It is expensive, but being able to work long hours without hurting yourself is a competitive advantage, so in a sense it is a cheap investment. 💺 💸

11. I regret having bought all of this only after I got hurt. The human body is finite, and I should have invested before the warning signs came. 🤑

12. Coding should be fun. Intentionally. 😃

Equipment

MacBook Pro M1

HHKB Pro2 Type-S w/ Hasu Bluetooth Controller

Vertical Mouse

Laptop Stand

Bose SoundLink Mini

Dragonfly Cobalt DAC

Herman Miller Embody

Coffee or Tea

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