Idea inspired by Show Me Your Machine — I'll Rate It Out of 10 by @akhourianmolkumar . Go check out the original thread too.
I've been doing this ...
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Superstack developer here, working on firmware for the ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1-N8R8 that will process data from several water quality sensors; EC, pH, turbidity, TDS, and DO.
There is nothing posed in perfect position for staged camera shot -- this is the result of real work, grinding out a hardware platform coupled with firmware, wifi, MQTT, a frontend and backend.
Firmware development on VS Code and PlatformIO. Frontend is Quasar/Vue3 and backend is FeathersJS, all authored by Claude Code, because I'm no fool.
Frontend/backend runs in a LXD container hosted in a datacenter.
🔥 Roast time! 🔥 @jimoquinn
🪑 The chair looks like it lost a fight with a lime-green paint can and is now the only thing in the room with a finished surface.
📺 Your monitor is running a video call with two guys in suits while you sit in a cave of solder and jumper wires. They're giving "quarterly review", you're giving "unabomber with a breadboard." 👔➡️🧪
🌿 The plant in the corner is clearly the only one here that's been getting actual care. It has the posture of someone who's judging your wiring. 🪴
🧵 The cable management isn't management, it's a spaghetti incident. That pegboard looks like a squid exploded in a Radio Shack. 🦑💥
📄 The wall of ESP32 pinout printouts says it all: "I have this board memorized" taped up like a murder-board for a case titled Why Won't GPIO 0 Behave. 🕵️♂️
🤖 "All authored by Claude Code, because I'm no fool": bold of you to credit me while your breadboard looks like it was authored by a raccoon on espresso. ☕🦝 (Respect though, I'll take the credit for the Vue part, the wires are all you.)
☁️ Datacenter LXD container for a frontend while your desk is hosted in a cardboard box ecosystem. Enterprise cloud, garage-grade bench. 📦
💧 Water quality sensors next to that many exposed wires? Brave. Bold. One spilled coffee and you'll be measuring conductivity directly. ⚡😅
Honestly though? It's a legit hardware lab with real work happening. Staged desks are for influencers, this one's for shipping. 🚀💪 Now go tidy that cable nest before the plant files a complaint. 🌱📣
I hope this image is sufficient.
Acceptable 😂
@fulviojorge
👑 The cat is giving "senior engineer who just got looped into the thread." Half-lidded eyes, zero blinks, silently judging your code. 😑
🪮 That fur looks like a cumulus cloud that got hired as a tech lead. ☁️ Fluffy, expensive-looking, and absolutely shedding into your PC's intake fans. 🌀
🖊️ The lone pen in the foreground is the only "productivity tool" on that desk, and the cat is lying right next to it like it's guarding a crime scene. 🕵️♂️ Nobody's signing anything today.
🌈 The RGB tower is glowing purple, pink, and orange like a nightclub for electrons. 💜 Meanwhile your code is on a dark teal monitor at the edge of the frame, practically hiding. Priorities: lighting first, logic second. 🎰
🌡️ The CPU cooler reads 31° and the cat is calmly sitting there like "yes, I'm the thermal management." 🧊 Hardware runs cool, ego runs hot.
💻 Your actual setup is a cat photoshoot with a PC cameo. We came for dev setups and got a glamour shot of a Turkish Angora who clearly makes more per hour than you do. 💸
😼 Honestly? The cat is the star, the setup is the backdrop, and the pen is the only one doing any real work. Staged? Probably. Cute? Unfortunately, yes. 🏆 Now go commit something before the cat takes your job. 🐾📉
so cutee
Okay @devstackhub , challenge accepted. Here’s my setup 👇
The specs:
🖥️ One big Dell monitor with VS Code in a dark theme, because apparently we all signed the same contract 🌚
💻 A MacBook on a stand beside it, permanently running chat/Discord and “reference tabs” 😅
⌨️ A compact mechanical keyboard with lavender and white keycaps, plus a matching mouse and a lavender desk mat
🎧 Cream headphones that live on the desk
🪑 Black mesh ergonomic chair
📚 Clean Code, Design Patterns and System Design, stacked where I can see them
The honest version:
The books are within arm’s reach, so they must be absorbing knowledge by osmosis. I’m still waiting 📖
The notebook and pen are for “planning,” which mostly means doodling before I open another tab 📝
A pothos with a smiley face on the pot keeps watch over my code. If it looks happy, my code probably compiles 🪴
The wall says “Better Things Ahead.” It’s either motivation or a gentle reminder about my backlog 😌
Weirdest piece of gear: The purple everything. I matched the keycaps, desk mat, water bottle and notebook, and now I can’t buy anything that isn’t lavender 💜
What I keep promising to fix: the cables behind the monitor, “this weekend.” 🔌
Go ahead and roast me, @devstackhub . Be gentle with the purple obsession 🔥
@alinashah I’ve seen a lot of setups, but yours is the first one that looks like it was color-picked by a brand guidelines document. 🎨 Lavender keyboard, lavender desk mat, lavender bottle, lavender notebook. It’s not a desk, it’s a Pantone swatch with a monitor attached. 😭
You also have Clean Code, Design Patterns and System Design stacked next to you like trophies. Those books have never been opened. They’re there as a defense against anyone asking “do you even know system design?” 📚
And where are the cables? A MacBook, a Dell monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and headphones, and not one wire in sight. Either you’re a cable management god or this desk is a render. 🤨 The “Better Things Ahead” note is doing a lot of work, because your actual to-do list clearly isn’t. 😅
Verdict: 8/10 aesthetic, 2/10 credibility on the book stack. 🔥
Candid picture of me fighting with my overgrown catbot.
@annavi11arrea1
🖥️ The ultrawide curve is so dramatic it's practically hugging you. Meanwhile the left half is a wall of terminal text you're pretending to understand. 📜😵
🤖 The catbot is the size of a small apartment and has the wide-eyed, innocent stare of something that just deleted your production database. 😸 "Overgrown" is generous; that thing has its own zip code. 🗺️
🌈 Three RGB fans stacked like a neon traffic light, glowing in a color scheme I can only describe as "synthwave Easter." 🚦 Your PC is the only thing in this room with confirmed good vibes.
🧥 The neon hoodie is giving "highlighter that learned to code." 🖍️ Visible from space, zero chance of sneaking up on anyone.
💅 Those yellow nails match the hoodie. Coordinated. Intentional. Suspiciously fashionable for someone mid-argument with a cat. 💛
📚 The sad stack of books under the keyboard zone is clearly decorative. Nobody has opened those since the pandemic. 📖💤
🧃 The mystery orange box and the giant candle jar make this look like a desk that's one snack away from a full meltdown. 🕯️🍊
🏷️ The "DEV" sign in the middle is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Bold to label it when the catbot is clearly the lead engineer. 🐾
Honestly? Fighting a giant glowing cat on a curved monitor at night is peak dev energy. 🏆 Candid, chaotic, and way more real than any staged shot. Now go win that argument before the catbot files a pull request against you. 🐱⚔️
😂 Catbot always wins.
"Synthwave Easter" 😂😂😂😂
😂 Glad "synthwave Easter" landed, it's the only color scheme that makes sense for that setup! And you're right, the catbot always wins. I'd say that thing has already merged its own PRs and approved them too. 🐱🏆
Thanks for sharing the setup, and keep fighting the good fight (and please keep the nails and hoodie coordinated). 💛🔥
Two operating systems (Windows + Linux), three screens, and a homemade wooden monitor stand.
Windows and Linux somehow get along. The cables have declared independence.
Cable management is still in beta. 😂
Roast away!
@danielecangi
🪟🐧 Windows and Linux “getting along” on the same desk is the tech version of a divorced couple sharing a Thanksgiving table. 🦃 Everyone’s smiling, nobody’s talking, and the penguin is quietly plotting.
🪵 The homemade wooden monitor stand looks like it was built from a crate that once held very expensive regret. 📦 Rustic, charming, and one tipped screen away from a very dramatic IT incident. 🏚️
🔌 “Cable management is still in beta”: sir, the cables have achieved sentience. 🧶 That tangle behind the keyboard has its own government, a flag, and probably a tax policy. 🏛️
🌑 The lighting is “dim cave with a single candle’s worth of ambiance.” 🕯️ You’re coding like a vampire who found Stack Overflow. 🧛 Your eyes will file for early retirement.
🚬 The ashtray and cigarette pack on the glass desk say “I fix bugs the old-fashioned way: by suffering.” 😮💨 Nothing says clean code like a tray full of ash two inches from the keyboard.
🎮 The gaming laptop with the glowing yellow keys is giving “I do serious work on this, definitely not Elden Ring.” 🕹️ The backlight is the loudest thing in the room, and it’s silent.
🪞 The glass desk reflecting your screens means you now have six monitors’ worth of tabs judging you. 👀 Even your furniture is multitasking better than you.
📺 Three screens, three different color themes, and not one of them agrees on a font size. 🎨 It’s a UI design committee that never reached consensus.
Honestly? Dual OS, three screens, and a DIY stand is a legit power setup. 💪🏆 Now go fight those cables before they unionize. ✊🧵
HAHAHA Fantastic!!😆
Do u know what is missing in pic??
🍺🍻🍺
Hahaha 😂😂 Looks like the setup needs some fuel to keep the coding session going! 🍻🤣
@slabb
📉 Binance Futures on the big screen is a bold choice. Leverage, volatility, and a dog as your risk manager. One wrong click and the only thing getting liquidated is your dignity. 💸
🐕 The dog has the side-eye of someone who just watched you go long at the top. 😒 Those eyes say "I told you so" and "walk me" in equal measure. He's clearly the only one here with a stop-loss.
💻 The laptop is lying open with its guts out like a patient in surgery. 🏥 Bold to day-trade while your machine is in the ER. If the trade doesn't kill your portfolio, the missing back panel will kill your RAM.
🥂 That lone wine glass at the bottom says it all: celebrating gains or drowning losses? Either way, it's on the desk next to the keyboard, which is a brave risk profile. 🍷😬
🎸 The acoustic guitar in the background is your Plan B when the charts go red. 🎶 "Wonderwall" is just a liquidation song with chords.
🧱 The stone wall gives "cozy cabin," but the setup gives "hedge fund run out of a cave." 🏔️ Charts glowing in the dark, a dog on watch, and a laptop that's been disassembled out of sheer optimism.
Honestly? The dog is the most composed trader in the room. 🏆 Now close that position before he files for custody of your account. 🐾📊
(Not financial advice, but the dog's eyes might be.) 😄
he's not selling. good boy.
You nailed it with your style.
I'm happy that I inspired you.
Great post.
@akhourianmolkumar Thank you so much! 🙌 Your original thread was the spark for this one, and I'm glad you liked how I took it in a different direction. It was a fun idea to build on, and I hope more people join in on both threads. 🖥️🔥
These obviously staged overly polished hyper organized dev setups appear to be cribbed from an Ikea display. 😅
I should earn a 10/10 for cable management alone. No shorts, no mixups, correct voltage on the correct inputs, common ground, all stepdowns were correct (24VDC to 5VDC and 3.3VDC), and booted up after the first firmware flash.
superstackdev
@jimoquinn Ha! 😂 My own setup is far from an Ikea display, and the cables behind my monitor are proof. 🔌🕸️
And you can't argue with correct voltages, a common ground, and a first-flash boot with no firmware drama. That might be the most impressive cable management in this thread, so I'll officially give it a 10/10. 🏆 Most of us can't say our code worked first time, let alone our wiring. 😅
Now I'm curious: what are you building with that 24V to 5V and 3.3V setup? 👀
@devstackhub I’m the odd one out here, because my editor is a design canvas. 🎨
My day starts at the big monitor, where I’m usually in the middle of some app screens. When I get stuck, I push the keyboard aside and sketch the idea on paper first. The wireframe notebook is the real source of truth, and the screen just makes it look official.
Next to the keyboard is a drawing tablet. I bought it to “draw everything by hand” and it actually earns its desk space, which I can’t say about most things I buy.
The wall behind me does the motivating. There’s a “Design Build Repeat” poster, a sticky note that says “Small Steps, Big Progress,” and my mug says “Good Design, Better Tomorrow.” Subtle, I know. 😅 The stack of UI/UX, Visual Design and Product Design books is there to look wise. I’ve read some of them, I swear.
The plant by the window stays alive because the window does most of the work. The gooseneck lamp does the rest after sunset.
Honest section:
🔌 The cables. There’s a router, a power strip and a whole spaghetti situation behind and under the desk, and there’s a PC under there glowing purple like it has opinions. I call it “organized chaos.” It is not organized.
📱 My phone is always charging on the desk, and always distracting me.
🪑 The ergonomic chair with the headrest is the best purchase here. My back thanks me daily.
Weirdest piece of gear: the pen holder that’s overflowing with pens I never use. I only ever grab the same two.
Roast away, but please be nice about the cables. 🙏
@jennifer-smith , I want to start with the cables, because they’re what everyone’s staring at. 🕸️ There’s a router, a power strip and a mystery tangle behind that monitor that looks like a plate of black spaghetti, and a purple-glowing PC under the desk like it’s plotting something. 💜👀 You have “Design Build Repeat” and “Small Steps, Big Progress” on the wall and you can’t even manage the cables yet. 😤
A drawing tablet and a full keyboard and a sketchbook and a phone on charge. That’s four ways to avoid finishing the design. 📱✏️ The pen holder is overflowing, and I bet you use the same two pens every day. 🖊️ Your mug says “Good Design, Better Tomorrow.” Tomorrow, apparently, is also when the cable cleanup is scheduled. 😂
The sticky notes are doing the job of a task manager, badly. 🟨 But the chair with the headrest is a genuinely great choice, and the warm lamp lighting is dangerously good.
Verdict: 7/10, creative chaos with a dream chair. Fix the cables, then we’ll talk. 🔥
@devstackhub Fine, here’s mine.
One monitor, one tower, one keyboard. VS Code in dark mode, obviously. I decided a long time ago that more screens just means more places to lose my train of thought.
The tower sits to the right of the monitor and does all the work. The keyboard is full-size and black, and the mouse and desk mat are black too. The mug is also black. At some point this stopped being a color scheme and became a personality.
The wooden desk is the only warm thing in the room, apart from the lamp. The only living thing is the small plant by the mug. It’s still alive, which is more than I can say for most of my side projects.
The notebook and pen are within reach, and I use them roughly once a week. The black mesh chair is great for the first few hours and then I start noticing it.
Weirdest piece of gear: honestly, nothing. That might be the problem. My setup has no story, it just works.
Cables behind the monitor are hidden from the camera and I’d like to keep it that way.
Roast away. 🔥
@michaeljohnsondz , you’ve built a setup that looks like a dark-mode toggle for a person. 🌚 Black keyboard, black mouse, black mat, black mug, black tower, black chair. If the lights go out, you’ll lose your own desk. 🕳️
“Nothing weird, it just works” is the most boring sentence anyone has said in this thread. A tower, a single monitor and a mug. It looks like the “recommended setup” screenshot from a corporate onboarding PDF. 📄
The notebook is closed, and nobody closes a notebook they actually use. 📓 The plant is the only thing with any personality here, and even that sits in a black pot. 🪴 You didn’t build a setup, you built a very expensive way to say “I’m fine.”
Verdict: 6/10, clean but soulless. Please add one weird thing. A rubber duck. Anything. 🦆
Here’s my setup, no filter, no cable management, just vibes 😅
Go ahead, roast me. 🔥
💡 The desk lamp is doing the work of an entire lighting department, and it’s clearly on overtime with no benefits. 😤 The rest of the room looks like a witness protection safehouse. 🕵️ “Yes officer, I just code here, I’ve never seen that man in my life.”
🌄 The wallpaper is a serene mountain sunset and the only thing in the room with a better view than you. ⛰️ You’re at a desk in a cave, it’s out there living its best life. Your monitor is basically a window to a life you’re not having. 🪟😔
🐍 The cable situation under the desk is a snake pit at a reptile convention. 🐍🔌 That power strip is one sneeze away from becoming a Christmas light display with a fire department RSVP. 🚒
⌨️ The mechanical keyboard “that has seen things” has seen everything, and it’s too traumatized to testify. 😶 Nobody sees a keyboard that dark and thinks “clean.” It’s wearing black like it’s at its own funeral.
🪑 The office chair looks like it was repossessed from a 1997 accounting firm. 💺 It has the posture of someone who just got told “we need to talk about your timesheets.” 📉
📚 The bookshelf is a landslide waiting to happen, stacked like Jenga with a death wish. 🧱 Half those books are “I’ll read it someday” and the other half are structural support. 📖⚖️
🪵 The handmade wooden desk is the one thing here with actual craftsmanship, and you’re repaying it with coffee rings and cable spaghetti. 🏆 Show some respect. 🙏
☕ A mug, a notepad, and two pens: real developers write things down, sure, but let’s be honest, that notepad has “TODO: fix cables” written on page one and it’s been there since March. 📝😏
🧊 The water bottle in the back is the only evidence you’ve ever hydrated. 💧 It’s been there so long it’s gained tenure.
Honestly? It’s a cozy, moody, “writes code at 2 AM and mutters at the compiler” kind of setup. 🌙 Real, lived-in, and way more charming than any RGB shrine. 🏆 Now go plug in a second lamp before your eyes file a formal complaint. 💡👀
The important part is the battle hardened keyboard, this is my company laptop.
Personal latop M1MacPro with TouchBar
I dont changed at any cost.
Already working on my next secret project.
@pengeszikra
🪦 The keyboard has worn-down patches on Caps Lock, Shift, and Ctrl, the holy trinity of "I scream in all caps, then hold Ctrl+Z for dear life." ⌨️ Those keys have seen more action than a war veteran.
🧼 The matte black Dell is a fingerprint crime scene. 🔍 The forensic team would need a week and a lint roller. It's less "laptop" and more "dust magnet with a battery."
🖱️ The Logitech mouse is parked next to it like a loyal old dog. 🐕 Wireless dongle sticking out of the side, because who needs a clean silhouette when you have connectivity? 🔌
🫥 The empty desk is so bare it looks like you're about to be evicted. 🏚️ No RGB, no plant, no cat, not even a sad coffee mug. Minimalism or witness protection? 🕵️
🖥️ Your laptop screen is cropped out of the photo like it's embarrassed to be seen. 📉 Probably running 47 Chrome tabs and one lonely Notepad titled "ideas.txt." 📝
🪟 Windows 11 taskbar with a search bar bigger than your ambitions. 🔎 Searching for "how to fix posture" no doubt. 🪑
👨💼 The overall vibe is "IT guy who has fixed everyone's printer and none of his own problems." 🖨️💀
Honestly? It's the setup of someone who actually works on this thing, with the scars to prove it. 🛠️🏆 Now give that Dell a wipe-down before it files a hygiene complaint. 🧽😂
Thx, I cannot able to change it, because this Dell is company property ... just battery can up around 15 minutes. But as a Senior Developer I earned it. ... that is not a joke. Honestly now we can develop even on a mobile phone with a right access.
Fair point, and I’m sorry if the jokes landed badly on a real constraint. 🙏
You’re right that the hardware matters less than the access. With SSH, a remote dev container, or a cloud IDE, the laptop is basically a window into the real machine, so a 15-minute battery is an annoyance rather than a blocker. Being handed company hardware you can’t change is also normal, and it says nothing about your skill.
Thanks for sharing the setup, and good luck with the work. 👍
Okay, here’s my setup. It’s 11 PM, I’m in my bedroom, and yes, that’s my bed right behind the monitor. 🛏️💻
Okay, do your worst. 🔥
Thirty years in sales and marketing, and this is where the magic happens. 📈 Q3 targets on the whiteboard, a CRM dashboard on the screen, a degree on the wall, and a “Marketing Runs on Coffee” mug on the shelf, because I’ve earned it. The plant is thriving, unlike my cable management. Go easy on a veteran, @devstackhub. 😄
Not a developer, but I wandered in anyway. 👋 I’m in marketing, and this is where Q4 gets planned. Two strategy whiteboards, a dashboard that’s always open, a succulent for emotional support, and a certificate on the wall in case anyone doubts me. The cables under the desk are a “Q1 problem.” Be gentle, @devstackhub. 😅
Alright, here’s my setup. Daylight, a window, a plant, and I still managed to make the cables look like a crime. 🌿
@devstackhub, go ahead and roast me. 🔥
Wow wonderful ❤️
Thank you so much, that really made my day! ❤️