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Comment by clnq | Hacker News Reader

I’m always surprised people do take home tests, email headhunters, call and interview with other companies on their current company’s hardware. Plenty told me they do it, but I just can’t comprehend it.

There are so many potential consequences. An eager beaver manager once talked a future employer out of employing me through a personal connection, and that was just because they found out. Even if it was unethical or illegal, these things happen, and even in large tech companies. Imagine willingly sharing all details of your job hunts with your employer… maybe it’s just me, but the thought feels wrong.

Work and personal matters should be church and state, right?

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I find it pretty disturbing how many of my coworkers don't even have a personal computer -- they just use their work laptop for everything. Mind-boggling. (These are software developers, they can damn well afford a laptop.)

The most I mix it is using my smaller, lighter, Bluetooth-supporting work laptop for watching innocuous YouTube videos while doing dishes. And I used to use it to print stuff at the office, on occasion.

Yeah, it's a good way to get your personal things brought in to discovery, snooped on by corporate security, or erased when you suddenly get laid off.

Yeah I’m always surprised by the why anyone would risk having their personal email/life dragged into a corporate dispute because they are emailing stuff between their work and personal accounts etc.

There are 2 types of people. No, not actually, there is a continuum of the feeling of 'just getting by'/low motivation. Many people exist on the side of low motivation and those on the other side don't understand them.

> These are software developers, they can damn well afford a laptop.

Not necessarily. On the one level, you don't know their salaries (as they might have negotiated badly or simply be underpaid), and then additionally they might pay a lot for housing, child support, debt, medicine, or other invisible expenses. Living in a place like San Francisco it can quickly add up.

"Not necessarily", yes, but I know these particular people.

> they can damn well afford a laptop.

My back can't afford it.

A MacBook Pro is already heavy enough that you can feel if it's in a large suitcase. 2 would be ridiculous.

I do have a separate partition for personal. Maybe I should upgrade that to an external drive, but that sounds inconvenient.

If Apple is listening, please make a carbon fiber MBP.

I don't generally bring my personal laptop with me to work, and I don't generally bring my work laptop with me on vacation...

It's not surprising to me at all, there's very little to friction to continue to use the thing you use every day for a new task.

I completely agree with you, it has a high risk associated with it, and you really shouldn't do it, but i can see how it happens when people don't think things through or don't remain vigilant.

Just as a matter of CYA, use a phone/tablet for interviews if you must. Why add the unnecessary risk?

Maybe people like the rush…

Development is one of the worst cases for a tablet though. Almost any other task works better.

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