Standing desks seem to be the new fad. I don't believe that sitting for 10+ hours a day is healthy, but I don't believe that standing that long is healthy either.
The bigger problem lie in what motivates us to spend so long at our desks without breaks. I think there's a culture of "strap the developer to his chair" that we need to break out of.
If you're taking breaks every 2 to 3 hours to stand up, get a drink and walk around a while, I can't really see it being as bad as everyone's making it out to be.
I don't believe that standing that long is healthy either.
You're right, which is why many people with standing desks alternate between sitting and standing. Some use motorized standing desks and others, such as myself, use tall chairs.
I'm a lot more likely to take a break from standing than I am from sitting.
I've had a standing desk for the last 2 years (ikea fredrik mentioned in another comment) and find I walk away from the desk much more often than I did while sitting. Even with the increased breaks, I think I am more productive.
The bigger problem lie in what motivates us to spend so long at our desks without breaks. I think there's a culture of "strap the developer to his chair" that we need to break out of.
If you're taking breaks every 2 to 3 hours to stand up, get a drink and walk around a while, I can't really see it being as bad as everyone's making it out to be.