My friend Thomas Fuchs, who also happens to be the author of Scriptaculous, also just authored a list of his “power tools” that he uses while creating badass webapps with his wife & co-conspirator Amy Hoy. He surprised me at the end – not because he’s wrong, but because I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like this at the end of a “power tools” list:

Software development is so much more than just computers and software and hardware.

You want to be in a place that sparks your creativity, that gets you off your lazy ass, that inspires you and where you can relax, too.

More important than any computer you can ever buy is surrounding yourself with the right people.

If you’re working from an office cubicle, with all your co-workers just waiting for 5pm so they can go home, you just can’t create great software.

Same goes if you’re stting at home, all by yourself, brooding over the keyboard. Not possible. We found our development nirvana in Philadelphia, at Indy Hall. It should go without saying that I’m beyond thrilled that internationally renowned software developers and business builders like Amy and Thomas have chosen Philadelphia and Indy Hall as their new home. I take it as a sign of many more great things to come.