[JimboOmega]

I will say that not all open offices are the same. The one I work in currently is constantly noisy - people will wander around on the phone arguing loudly, for instance. But others I've visited were wonderfully quiet, with the few conversations occurring in hushed voices.

That said, what annoys me the most about the open plan office is also having a boss who cares a lot about what's currently on my screen. (e.g., hacker news rather than vim). I hate having the instinct to cmd-tab every time I see someone walking by. (even if I'm already doing work!)

[pdenya]

I do that whether or not I have a boss that cares. It's easy to feel judged by people walking behind you glancing at your screen. A little privacy is amazing.