Tim Anderson's ITWriting

February 20, 2006

Developers tap to the beat

Does listening to music while you code inspire or distract? Microsoft raises this question in a press release issued today, but sadly fails to address the interesting question of how music might affect your work, preferring the safe territory of fave choices among the 80% of UK developers who apparently listen while coding. Coldplay is said to be the current top choice - the track Yellow is mentioned, but with tracks like Fix You, Don't Panic and Twisted Logic how could they lose? - while opera comes bottom of the list. We are also informed that HMV digital has a music radio station especially for developers; unfortunately I can't report further as it is for subscribers only:

Of course it's not all one way. From Laurie Anderson's Let X = X to Kraftwerk's Pocket Calculator, programming has long been an inspiration to the music industry, though despite appearances Tired of waiting for you by the Kinks was not actually inspired by a Windows NT patching session.