3 ms·

rg is harder to type with one hand because it uses the same finger twice. :)

by spicyj 10y ago

pixelbath 10y ago
But 'grep' doesn't?
- echelon 10y ago
  True, but `ag` and `ack` don't. This is a really interesting point. If we're going to be typing commands frequently, it would make sense for them to be optimally efficient to type using QWERTY (and maybe other common keyboard layouts). `ls` and `cd` are super easy to type.
adelarsq 10y ago
lol
robinson-wall 10y ago
Off topic, but you've just made me realise I don't always use the same finger when I type the letter R. If I were typing lower case "rg" I use middle finger for r and then index finger for g. I'm now thinking about it too much to be able to type naturally, but I seem to use middle and index interchangeably for some keys depending on which key was just pressed / is next to be pressed. ... and I just noticed if I sometimes use different fingers from the "wrong" hand to type depending on context too! I've typed the letter Y using right-index, left-index and left-middle and left-index during the course of writing this post. I guess this is what learning to touch type without being actually taught buys you :)
- auganov 10y ago
  Was just about to write a similar reply too. I type "rg" the same way. My left hand very often goes for the YHN column, the right hand won't ever touch TGB though. For typing "lol" I'll very often just move my right hand to the right (or sort of angle it) and press the l with the index and the o with the middle finger. I've been plateaued at a 110wpm avg (121 top speed) @ 10fastfingers for quite a few months now, so perhaps breaking some of these bad habits would help me get to the desired 140.
Lio 10y ago
Not if you switch to the Colemak layout ...you can switch your keyboard layout back to qwerty straight after you've typed the rg command. :)
comex 10y ago
It does? I guess if you use a rigid fingering system. I never bothered to learn that back in elementary school, so my fingering is ad hoc based on what I'm typing. To type "rg" (using QWERTY), I'd just bring my middle finger up to R while using my index finger for G. This would probably be a little slower than "ag" because my hand is more likely to already be in place to type the latter without movement ("home row"), but not as slow as reusing a finger would be. It's not something I'd have to think about; this is already what I do whenever I have to type "rg" as part of a word. I'm curious whether an ad-hoc approach is more or less efficient overall. Fingering customized per word clearly has the potential to optimize finger movement, but my error rate is relatively high - mostly timing-related - which might be exacerbated by an ad-hoc system because there are more (and more complex) unfamiliar transitions between words. Anyway, I upvoted you for mentioning typing. It might seem trivial - well, if you use a lot of custom aliases, it is trivial - but if a command runs fast enough (and ag is already very fast on small source trees), the time spent typing its name can become a significant bottleneck. The author of Pijul, for instance, a version control system meant to compete with Git, seems not to recognize this... the command is 'pijul', which is essentially impossible to type on QWERTY without reusing a finger at least once.
- spicyj 10y ago
  I'm not super rigid with all keys but I do seem to have "R with index finger" ingrained. R with the middle finger does work nicely in this case if I think about it and force myself to do it.

rg is harder to type with one hand because it uses the same finger twice. :)

by spicyj 10y ago

rg is harder to type with one hand because it uses the same finger twice. :)

pixelbath 10y ago

But 'grep' doesn't?

echelon 10y ago
True, but `ag` and `ack` don't. This is a really interesting point. If we're going to be typing commands frequently, it would make sense for them to be optimally efficient to type using QWERTY (and maybe other common keyboard layouts). `ls` and `cd` are super easy to type.

adelarsq 10y ago

lol

robinson-wall 10y ago

Off topic, but you've just made me realise I don't always use the same finger when I type the letter R. If I were typing lower case "rg" I use middle finger for r and then index finger for g. I'm now thinking about it too much to be able to type naturally, but I seem to use middle and index interchangeably for some keys depending on which key was just pressed / is next to be pressed. ... and I just noticed if I sometimes use different fingers from the "wrong" hand to type depending on context too! I've typed the letter Y using right-index, left-index and left-middle and left-index during the course of writing this post. I guess this is what learning to touch type without being actually taught buys you :)

auganov 10y ago
Was just about to write a similar reply too. I type "rg" the same way. My left hand very often goes for the YHN column, the right hand won't ever touch TGB though. For typing "lol" I'll very often just move my right hand to the right (or sort of angle it) and press the l with the index and the o with the middle finger. I've been plateaued at a 110wpm avg (121 top speed) @ 10fastfingers for quite a few months now, so perhaps breaking some of these bad habits would help me get to the desired 140.

Lio 10y ago

Not if you switch to the Colemak layout ...you can switch your keyboard layout back to qwerty straight after you've typed the rg command. :)

comex 10y ago

It does? I guess if you use a rigid fingering system. I never bothered to learn that back in elementary school, so my fingering is ad hoc based on what I'm typing. To type "rg" (using QWERTY), I'd just bring my middle finger up to R while using my index finger for G. This would probably be a little slower than "ag" because my hand is more likely to already be in place to type the latter without movement ("home row"), but not as slow as reusing a finger would be. It's not something I'd have to think about; this is already what I do whenever I have to type "rg" as part of a word. I'm curious whether an ad-hoc approach is more or less efficient overall. Fingering customized per word clearly has the potential to optimize finger movement, but my error rate is relatively high - mostly timing-related - which might be exacerbated by an ad-hoc system because there are more (and more complex) unfamiliar transitions between words. Anyway, I upvoted you for mentioning typing. It might seem trivial - well, if you use a lot of custom aliases, it is trivial - but if a command runs fast enough (and ag is already very fast on small source trees), the time spent typing its name can become a significant bottleneck. The author of Pijul, for instance, a version control system meant to compete with Git, seems not to recognize this... the command is 'pijul', which is essentially impossible to type on QWERTY without reusing a finger at least once.

spicyj 10y ago
I'm not super rigid with all keys but I do seem to have "R with index finger" ingrained. R with the middle finger does work nicely in this case if I think about it and force myself to do it.