3 ms·

"Reading code is simply more straightforward, smoother and less jumpy. I get the overarching context faster and with less hassle." This makes me think the auth

"Reading code is simply more straightforward, smoother and less jumpy. I get the overarching context faster and with less hassle." This makes me think the author might be one of those people who can not superficially scan text very efficiently and resort to.. well, just reading it, word by word. (Is there a term for this phenomenon?)

scottLobster 11y ago
Agreed, it also depends on what you're trying to do. If you have time to read and comprehend each and every line of code then that's obviously ideal, but time is the most precious resource we have. I find properly implemented syntax highlighting provides a "visual outline" of the code which I can use like a table of contents or index. This allows me to save time and focus for the segments of code that require my full attention. Sure it makes things more "jumpy" and sometimes I have to backtrack to get context, but I find it makes the overall process much more time-efficient. I'd also point out turning off highlighting may produce a false perception if the color scheme you're switching from is mediocre or worse (as most of them are in my experience). To a starving man McDonalds tastes like heaven. Properly implemented syntax highlighting shouldn't be distracting in the first place. If you're using syntax highlighting and have trouble reading code line-by-line then that's just a sign you need a better color scheme IMO. I switched from some random theme I found online to solarized-dark a couple of years ago and found it made the reading experience much smoother. At any rate I'm glad he's found something that makes his programming more productive and enjoyable, but I would avoid categorizing it as objectively better, as the author tries to do.
cookiemonsta 11y ago
Yeah, syntax highlighting definitely makes things easier to scan and quickly process a file in my head. It also helps with instantly seeing if you are missing a "/' (or used the wrong one to terminate a string variable), as the rest of the line/file has the wrong colours.
mchahn 11y ago
I have several modes of reading code, from scanning very fast to find a section (highlighting helps a lot), to reading at medium speed for obtaining overall gist (highlighting good?), to slowly reading for accuracy (highlighting not needed). It would be a pain to turn highlighting on/off since I switch modes rapidly and often. But I can image a mode where it changes highlighting based on scrolling speed. It would be easy fade the CSS colors to/from B/W on the fly.
cLeEOGPw 11y ago
Having highlight off forces him to focus on the code really hard, which may make it seem like it is helping him to understand the code. And looking at his code examples, he really needs it, so good for him.

scottLobster 11y ago

Agreed, it also depends on what you're trying to do. If you have time to read and comprehend each and every line of code then that's obviously ideal, but time is the most precious resource we have. I find properly implemented syntax highlighting provides a "visual outline" of the code which I can use like a table of contents or index. This allows me to save time and focus for the segments of code that require my full attention. Sure it makes things more "jumpy" and sometimes I have to backtrack to get context, but I find it makes the overall process much more time-efficient. I'd also point out turning off highlighting may produce a false perception if the color scheme you're switching from is mediocre or worse (as most of them are in my experience). To a starving man McDonalds tastes like heaven. Properly implemented syntax highlighting shouldn't be distracting in the first place. If you're using syntax highlighting and have trouble reading code line-by-line then that's just a sign you need a better color scheme IMO. I switched from some random theme I found online to solarized-dark a couple of years ago and found it made the reading experience much smoother. At any rate I'm glad he's found something that makes his programming more productive and enjoyable, but I would avoid categorizing it as objectively better, as the author tries to do.

cookiemonsta 11y ago

Yeah, syntax highlighting definitely makes things easier to scan and quickly process a file in my head. It also helps with instantly seeing if you are missing a "/' (or used the wrong one to terminate a string variable), as the rest of the line/file has the wrong colours.

mchahn 11y ago

I have several modes of reading code, from scanning very fast to find a section (highlighting helps a lot), to reading at medium speed for obtaining overall gist (highlighting good?), to slowly reading for accuracy (highlighting not needed). It would be a pain to turn highlighting on/off since I switch modes rapidly and often. But I can image a mode where it changes highlighting based on scrolling speed. It would be easy fade the CSS colors to/from B/W on the fly.

cLeEOGPw 11y ago

Having highlight off forces him to focus on the code really hard, which may make it seem like it is helping him to understand the code. And looking at his code examples, he really needs it, so good for him.