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There's one thing you haven't mentioned, which is buy the fastest possible computer you can afford. I find that crappy, slow, unresponsive interfaces (I lookin

There's one thing you haven't mentioned, which is buy the fastest possible computer you can afford. I find that crappy, slow, unresponsive interfaces (I looking at you Windows XP networked folders) actually make my hands hurt just by being slow. I'm not saying that buying a faster computer will fix your wrists, but a responsive interface should be considered ergonomic.

chandler 19y ago
That's interesting--I'd never thought of it in those terms. I know that with video-games, the force I use to press the buttons varies _dramatically_ from game-to-game, even though the controller stays the same (depends on personal stress, responsiveness of the on-screen UI, etc). I suppose a case could be made that unresponsive interfaces tend to make a person type/click more deliberately (i.e. forcefully) than is technically required by the input device.
mechanical_fish 19y ago
This idea makes my inner cheapskate cry: I don't want to spend the money on a Mac Pro! And, yet, your argument is compelling. Holding my hands over the keyboard or the mouse is tiring. I've found that, when the machine is unresponsive, I spend more time with my hands hovering over the controls, because when you have to make five clicks in succession -- waiting for the machine between each click -- you don't want to have to keep reaching out, making one click, reaching back and resting, then reaching out again... that's really slow. So you hold your hand there and wait. And if you have to wait two seconds between each click... Well, darn it, now I've got to buy an eight-core Mac Pro! For my health!
- watmough 19y ago
  Actually, the most responsive machine I have is my iMac 20". The iMac is the 2.16 Core 2 version with the ATI graphics, and it wipes the floor with any other machine I've used, including my MBP and my work Dell (some kind of C2D Precision)
  - mechanical_fish 19y ago
    Ah, and that was exactly the machine I really wanted to buy. Sweet. Thanks for the advice.
ltratt 19y ago
I might be the only person here who disagrees in some way with this. I noticed that myself and other people I know only started developing RSI-type symptoms after computers got "fast enough". By that I mean that before that point there were frequent long-ish pauses when one couldn't do anything very much; at a certain point computers got so fast that such pauses became uncommon, and now it only really happens to me when I switch the machine on and wait for it boot and login. The problem is that pauses are recovery time for your body. The good news is that once you've realised this, you can artificially introduce pauses into your routine, and give your body the chance to repair some of the damage caused by typing. I had big problems when I was a mere 21, and didn't use a computer for several months. With reading around, a bit of common sense, and a very gradual return to things, I not only got back to where I was, but now I use a computer and play guitar more than I did before. Getting better equipment is part of it (for me keyboard: http://maltron.com/ http://maltron.com/ and a trackball: Logitech Trackman Wheel my preferred option), but the two most important things for me were: taking action as soon (i.e. on the day) I noticed problems; and taking breaks when doing things like typing. After a while you won't even notice the breaks are part of your routine.

chandler 19y ago

That's interesting--I'd never thought of it in those terms. I know that with video-games, the force I use to press the buttons varies _dramatically_ from game-to-game, even though the controller stays the same (depends on personal stress, responsiveness of the on-screen UI, etc). I suppose a case could be made that unresponsive interfaces tend to make a person type/click more deliberately (i.e. forcefully) than is technically required by the input device.

mechanical_fish 19y ago

This idea makes my inner cheapskate cry: I don't want to spend the money on a Mac Pro! And, yet, your argument is compelling. Holding my hands over the keyboard or the mouse is tiring. I've found that, when the machine is unresponsive, I spend more time with my hands hovering over the controls, because when you have to make five clicks in succession -- waiting for the machine between each click -- you don't want to have to keep reaching out, making one click, reaching back and resting, then reaching out again... that's really slow. So you hold your hand there and wait. And if you have to wait two seconds between each click... Well, darn it, now I've got to buy an eight-core Mac Pro! For my health!

watmough 19y ago
Actually, the most responsive machine I have is my iMac 20". The iMac is the 2.16 Core 2 version with the ATI graphics, and it wipes the floor with any other machine I've used, including my MBP and my work Dell (some kind of C2D Precision)
- mechanical_fish 19y ago
  Ah, and that was exactly the machine I really wanted to buy. Sweet. Thanks for the advice.

ltratt 19y ago

I might be the only person here who disagrees in some way with this. I noticed that myself and other people I know only started developing RSI-type symptoms after computers got "fast enough". By that I mean that before that point there were frequent long-ish pauses when one couldn't do anything very much; at a certain point computers got so fast that such pauses became uncommon, and now it only really happens to me when I switch the machine on and wait for it boot and login. The problem is that pauses are recovery time for your body. The good news is that once you've realised this, you can artificially introduce pauses into your routine, and give your body the chance to repair some of the damage caused by typing. I had big problems when I was a mere 21, and didn't use a computer for several months. With reading around, a bit of common sense, and a very gradual return to things, I not only got back to where I was, but now I use a computer and play guitar more than I did before. Getting better equipment is part of it (for me keyboard: http://maltron.com/ http://maltron.com/ and a trackball: Logitech Trackman Wheel my preferred option), but the two most important things for me were: taking action as soon (i.e. on the day) I noticed problems; and taking breaks when doing things like typing. After a while you won't even notice the breaks are part of your routine.