Build Status Indicators

Public visible indicators of build status:

Articles:

Uh, wouldn't a web page suffice? Or does that involve insufficient gadgetry to merit consideration? (I remember when putting a Coke machine on the web was considered a cool hack...)

The problem with a web page is that you, the user have to poll it. The good thing about these approaches is that they are public and passive: They transmit the build status to everyone with eyes (and maybe ears). You can't miss it; anyone who wonders through the office, or wakes up for a minute, can plainly see the build status. You don't have to open a browser window and check a web page somewhere.

Have a web page so anyone, anywhere in the building can view it. Have a LavaLamp? type display with it, then set up a projector and have it permanently shown on a wall. That way it's both available everywhere and unmissable in the software area.

Where I come from, lava lamps cost less than LCD projectors.

Or, you could replace the boring flourescent track-lighting with disco lights or stage lights; flood the whole work area in green when the build works; red when it breaks. Or, for that industrial look--just get some of the red/yellow/green indicators used in factory floors to indicate problems with the production line; those are cheap and meant to be driven by a controller of some sort. (Or hang a traffic light from the wall).

Don't forget about wall mounted LCDs. An example from the _eXtreme Feedback for Software Development_ article:

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