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I type code (and spoken language) pretty fast (upwards of 90wpm) using a weird style that isn't traditional touch-typing (I only use my index fingers and my thu
by georgemcbay 16y ago
I type code (and spoken language) pretty fast (upwards of 90wpm) using a weird style that isn't traditional touch-typing (I only use my index fingers and my thumbs) but also doesn't involve hunting and pecking because I have enough muscle memory and experience with different keyboards to intuitively know the distances between each of the keys I want to hit, and thus I can do it without looking down at the keyboard or even thinking about the process at all. So I guess I'm "fast enough" for the Atwoods and Yegges of the world that think you have to type fast to be a great programmer.
However... Having said all of this, I do my best programming in the the 20 minute walks I take after getting up and walking away from the code for a while, not while I'm actively sitting at the keyboard typing stuff in. At the point in which I'm typing, I'm basically just dictating my own previous thoughts into a text editor and while it might make me marginally overall more efficient to do this faster, it is not at all the bottleneck of my entire process, it isn't even one of the top 25 hotspots.
Given my own process, I've never understood why anyone could possibly attempt to make a connection between input speed and quality. I could type one line of code a minute and typing still wouldn't be the botttleneck to me creating great code and I find it hard to believe that is true of anyone else if they are really being honest about their overall development process.