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I have a problem. It is a problem I try to hide out of sight and out of mind, one I try to pretend doesn't exist. But it does, and every so often it raises its ugly head to bite me. Most recently, I needed to replace an Ethernet switch as I needed more ports. As I unplugged the old switch, my monitor turned off. Why? Because under my desk I have a cable catastrophe. The mere act of unplugging the old switch had so disturbed and enraged the rat's nest of cables under my desk that in retaliation it decided to turn off my monitor.
So intertwined and confused is the mess beneath my desk that even the most mundane of acts—plugging in a new gadget, removing an old one, sometimes just even moving my feet—threatens to destroy everything.
TFA addresses the perennial problem of cable jungles. I use zip ties. What are the best solutions Soylentils have come up with, and what are their pros and cons?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bradley13 on Wednesday September 09 2015, @03:26PM
Having fought this battle for decades now, I think the first thing to do is admit it: entropy exists.
Whatever solution I've tried - and I've tried several with about equal success - one thing remains Occasionally, you just have to take everything apart and put it back together.
Our desks are basically just wooden tables. I actually like this better than custom computer furniture, because you can roll your own solution, based on what you need. I've screwed the power strips to the underside of the table, so that there is only one power cord from the table to the wall. I've also screwed hooks into the bottom of the table, and the cables are suspected from those hooks using whatever you want: zip-ties, velcro strips, string, it doesn't matter. The computer itself is also attached under the table, using a standard computer rack made for that purpose. The result is that only one power cable and one network cable go from the desk to the wall. Importantly: nothing touches the floor, which makes cleaning, um, possible.
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.