3 ms·

Early in my career, I also thought fast typing was important. Then I worked with a severely disabled engineer, who could manage to type at probably 3 words per

by jmpman 6y ago

Early in my career, I also thought fast typing was important. Then I worked with a severely disabled engineer, who could manage to type at probably 3 words per minute. Even at this snail’s pace, he could produce as much as anyone else on the team, and his work was of a higher quality.

scarface74 6y ago
Are you sure he produced as much in the same amount of time and didn’t work longer outside of office hours? No judgement, I also have a disability that only allows me to type with one hand.
- mistersquid 6y ago
  > Are you sure he produced as much in the same amount of time and didn’t work longer outside of office hours? I wonder if due to reduced typing speed the developer in question had a higher ratio of kept code to deleted code. Someone only able to type 3 words per minute may have developed patterns of thought and deliberation that maximize those 3 words rather than follow development habits of faster typists that might be prone to generate code which never sees the light of day. I type quickly and have no qualms about deleting entire stanzas of code and rewriting them when things don't work out. If I could only type 3 words per minute, my approach to writing code would radically change, perhaps for the better.
  - daniellarusso 6y ago
    I have seen this in practice multiple times. A ‘prolific’ codewriter, writing a ton of code, most of which is thrown away. Would we assume a novelist that types faster writes better stories?
- jmpman 6y ago
  Back then, we didn’t have remote access. Had desktops instead of laptops, and I saw him arrive every morning and leave every night. I’m not saying the rest of the team was immensely productive, but he kept up.
illuminated 6y ago
I had a 70 years old team member whose typing wasn't fast at all, due to various age related issues, but was one of the most valued team members. Case like that, or people with disabilities are obviously out of any judgement.
- juped 6y ago
  Great, if I don't have an approved impairment that meets your standards I'd better type 200 WPM. (I type around 110 WPM, but I have no frame of reference for whether this is "good". Who cares?)
  - illuminated 6y ago
    Not sure if you've seen my edit in the original comment: "fast typing" was a wrong choice of words. I meant "touch typing".
codyb 6y ago
Why type when you can copy and paste? I always type everything out the first time I’m introducing something into a code base even if I’m taking something straight from the docs or Stack Overflow that solves an issue I’m dealing with. It helps me understand how the data is flowing through whatever it is I’m doing, the structure of the code, and ensures I don’t leave in extraneous unnecessary flags and options. And I’ve always done this, I much prefer engineers who work slowly and methodically, understanding what they’re doing. It more than makes up for the “lost time” when you need to debug a complex system that’s on fire and people don’t even understand what the options and flags they’ve pasted in actually do.

by jmpman 6y ago

scarface74 6y ago

Are you sure he produced as much in the same amount of time and didn’t work longer outside of office hours? No judgement, I also have a disability that only allows me to type with one hand.

mistersquid 6y ago
> Are you sure he produced as much in the same amount of time and didn’t work longer outside of office hours? I wonder if due to reduced typing speed the developer in question had a higher ratio of kept code to deleted code. Someone only able to type 3 words per minute may have developed patterns of thought and deliberation that maximize those 3 words rather than follow development habits of faster typists that might be prone to generate code which never sees the light of day. I type quickly and have no qualms about deleting entire stanzas of code and rewriting them when things don't work out. If I could only type 3 words per minute, my approach to writing code would radically change, perhaps for the better.
- daniellarusso 6y ago
  I have seen this in practice multiple times. A ‘prolific’ codewriter, writing a ton of code, most of which is thrown away. Would we assume a novelist that types faster writes better stories?
jmpman 6y ago
Back then, we didn’t have remote access. Had desktops instead of laptops, and I saw him arrive every morning and leave every night. I’m not saying the rest of the team was immensely productive, but he kept up.

illuminated 6y ago

I had a 70 years old team member whose typing wasn't fast at all, due to various age related issues, but was one of the most valued team members. Case like that, or people with disabilities are obviously out of any judgement.

juped 6y ago
Great, if I don't have an approved impairment that meets your standards I'd better type 200 WPM. (I type around 110 WPM, but I have no frame of reference for whether this is "good". Who cares?)
- illuminated 6y ago
  Not sure if you've seen my edit in the original comment: "fast typing" was a wrong choice of words. I meant "touch typing".

codyb 6y ago

Why type when you can copy and paste? I always type everything out the first time I’m introducing something into a code base even if I’m taking something straight from the docs or Stack Overflow that solves an issue I’m dealing with. It helps me understand how the data is flowing through whatever it is I’m doing, the structure of the code, and ensures I don’t leave in extraneous unnecessary flags and options. And I’ve always done this, I much prefer engineers who work slowly and methodically, understanding what they’re doing. It more than makes up for the “lost time” when you need to debug a complex system that’s on fire and people don’t even understand what the options and flags they’ve pasted in actually do.