I totally agree: most engineers need to engage in both modes of work (solo and collaborative) in the course of their work week.

The collaborative time is crucial: I've worked in places where there was no culture of collaboration; sometimes programmers working solo would "go dark," spend days going in the wrong direction, or spend inordinate amounts of time spinning their wheels because they were stuck on technical issues that other engineers could have helped them with very easily.

So: yay collaboration! I'm only opposed to work environments that don't even allow engineers to have uninterrupted solo time when they need it.

  > But i've never had a problem in an open space. 
  > You don't wear headphones or a way to indicate 
  > to others to not disturb you?

Of course. I have an expensive pair of active noise-canceling headphones that I love. It helps. :)

But there are two issues. One is that people often don't respect this - either by intentionally interrupting you, or accidentally interrupting you by having conversations next to your desk that manage to be distracting despite the best efforts of the engineers that made the headphones. We could say that these people are simply being inconsiderate and we'd be right - but I've been doing this for nearly twenty years and sadly this is kind of a universal thing.

The second issue is that open offices often involve a whole lot of visual distraction even if the noise is completely abated. A steady stream of coworkers having animated conversations mere feet away is pretty distracting even with no sound.

  > catered lunches, well ventilation/heat' etc. 
  > If you don't have to worry about those things 
  > that's less for you to worry about and you can 
  > focus on working!

Oh, those things are certainly nice! I am a fan of employee-supplied heating and cooling, especially... haha. But I see Silicon Valley companies who pay tens thousands of dollars per employee per year for catered food but don't give their engineers workplaces that encourage focus and concentration and I think: "Those priorities could really be improved..."

>>sometimes programmers working solo would "go dark," spend days going in the wrong direction, or spend inordinate amounts of time spinning their wheels because they were stuck on technical issues that other engineers could have helped them with very easily.

If this sort of things aren't getting caught in your daily stand up meetings then your tech leads/managers to whom your paying big money salaries are working as nothing more than glorified email routers.

In which case merely flattening all walls in your office and creating a fish market is hardly going to solve any issues.

Ya, for sure! You can't quite block all the sounds and all the hustle and bustle is annoying and catches your attention and you have to investigate what's going on.

I wish more places that had open offices also had places you could lock yourself in where you know you would not be disturbed. Doesn't seem to be the focus for some reason, but I picture a bunch of smallish rooms you could go in and work or maybe nap around the perimeter.