An anecdote from the period described: I was working on a product which had hit an unknown bug on the japanese localised Windows, so our partner sent an engineer with a bunch of install disks to visit me.

One of the first things he said was: look, this is the difference between the US and JP — you have three computers on your desk (he was counting the ICE), but I have to share "my" computer with two other developers.

At the time, I took it for self-deprecating exaggeration. After reading this article, I fear he had probably just been making a factual observation.