Working out of Mozilla's offices

I've spent 2 days working at Mozilla Toronto's offices (MoTo) and I've found it to be a really effective space for getting work done.

The building itself is secure, meaning that I don't have to pay any attention to preventing my stuff from being stolen, and (unlike CDOT) I also don't have to ask wanderers what they are doing here or direct them to a prof's office.

I like the aesthetic of the office- wood flooring, support beams, and ceiling combined with brick exterior walls creates an atmosphere that ranges from cozy in the lounge area to professional in the meeting rooms.

There are many places available where I can work. A number of meeting rooms with sliding glass doors are available on a first come, first serve basis. These can be grabbed to do large meetings, pair programming, or even just solo work when you need absolute quiet. There's also a small lounge area, a kitchen, and a small dining area.

Supplies are quite plentiful. All of the spaces are equipped with Apple power adapters, so that I don't even have to unplug my adapter to move to a new space as wanted/needed. The entire office is also blanketed with wireless internet access that doesn't have any restrictions on it that have impacted my work ability. It's also clear that Mozilla employees have high priority placed on the supplies and equipment that they need, and there are resources in place to get those things to them quickly and reliably.

There's also a lot of food and snacks available. Various fruits and nuts, a wall of snacks, a cooler full of drinks, and (I'm sure) more are freely obtainable.

The combined effect of the things I've noted has been to remove obstacles from my workflow and substantially reduce the number of non-software development related tasks I have to think about in my day.
Aside from getting lunch I don't have to worry about making sure that I have a steady supply of food available to keep me thinking effectively throughout the day.
If I want to move and work at a new location I don't have to spend time unplugging my laptop and unlocking it and then dragging it plus my backpack with me to the new spot.
If I need to have a remote or in person meeting or do pair programming I don't have to take the time to reserve a meeting room or find someone with keys to unlock an office, nor do I have to manually reconfigure my network connection for the new wired connection because I can't rely on the wireless.
I don't have to spend time thinking about the security of my belongings because the doors to the office close and lock automatically, always.
The office environment also makes me feel valued and trusted, things that I want to return to the company in the form of lots of hard work, and I'm not even employed by them!

This has all made working with Mozilla on the gladius engine a very productive experience. I should mention that we're always looking for more people to contribute to or use the project- please don't hesitate to hop into #games on irc.mozilla.org and talk to dperit or ack or dmose about gladius!