The people who use our boards.
325 interviews since 2018
The people who use our boards.
Chao Peng
Software DeveloperWho are you, and what do you do? What do you like to do outside of work?
I am Chao, a software developer at Google in Waterloo, Ontario. I mostly work on open source. I used to work on Chromium—if you remember a version of Chrome that supported Windows Precision Touchpad gestures, I did that.
We love pets. We have two pets, ChiChi (dog) and Snow White (bunny).
What hardware do you use?
I use a 2018 15-inch MacBook for work, but most my development work is on Linux in the cloud.
My 2020 home office setup for COVID:
- Laptop: MacBook 15-inch 2018 32GB
- Monitor: Philips 278E1A 4K 27-inch monitor
- Keyboard: ErgoDox EZ with tilt kit, wing rest, and Shine
- Touchpad: Apple Magic Trackpad 2
- Mouse for backup: Logitech MX518 (used more than 10 years)
- Desk: IKEA IDÅSEN sit-and-stand frame with IKEA KARLBY countertop
- Chair: Staples Hyken
I have a custom keycap set I designed myself for ErgoDox EZ, ChaosEZ: Dye PBT XDA keycap set for ErgoDox EZ.
I designed the keycap set based on my layout and made it compatible with some popular layouts on the ErgoDox EZ website. I am collecting feedback now and may start a group buy later.
The design:
- Keys are light in color for less distraction
- All keys have a plain color option to make them easily compatible with different layouts
- Some keys have colorful options for good looks
- Some unprinted keys for compatibility with keys I did not cover
And what software?
I am mostly developing on Go now. My daily development software is IntelliJ Idea. Other than that I use G Suite for work and personal.
What’s your keyboard setup like? Do you use a custom layout or custom keycaps?
My layout is a little weird. I place only left brackets on layer 0, as my IDE can complete the right brackets in most cases.
What would be your dream setup?
I actually want to use a lightweight setup and do the heavy computing in the cloud, eg. phone or Chromebook as terminal device. Currently, a Chromebook may be more like what I want, but it is still not easy for switching between work and personal accounts.