Whether you program or not, sometimes you just need to sit back, maybe close your eyes and think. It's weird to do it in a open office plan where your desk is across someone else! Let's not mention the coughing person a couple desk away or the open-mouth-eater next to you! A cubicle may not be cool and in some offices, it may seem too dull, but in the right conditions, it not only gives privacy, but also a little protection from those little annoyances. The only way I know an open floor plan works is when it is help by a SINGLE and SMALL company, where all desks are against nice tall windows and everyone respects each other enough to not be loud across the room in "their own space".