[pdmccormick]

I've never understood the argument that you should not optimize your own working environment (IDE/editor customization, alternate keyboard layouts, shell aliases, custom hotkeys, scripts, etc.) because it could be unfamiliar to someone else. I've also heard it in the context of, you shouldn't stray too far from the defaults because if you sit down to use a colleagues' computer, you will be out of your element. Unless your job is to pair program full time, or perhaps you're creating educational screencasts, maybe? If you slowly build out your own personal setup over time, presumably you should still always be able to explain what it is that you're doing at each step.