I think keyboard-only being faster is a red herring, much like all the frequent arguing about learning to touch type to be "faster". I don't doubt many hackers

I think keyboard-only being faster is a red herring, much like all the frequent arguing about learning to touch type to be "faster". I don't doubt many hackers and programmers truly enjoy doing everything from the keyboard, and that they can do it really fast too. However, I simply don't buy this is an ideal we should strive for in general. The mouse has an awesome UX property: it has zero friction for discoverability. It's always there, I know I can point and click and interact with something, I know I can drag stuff and I know I can group and select. Some UIs break this expectation, sure, but more often than not it will work. I don't have to memorize shortcuts or develop "muscle memory" and can instead devote my brain power to the actual task I want to solve. If I stay a long time away from a certain editor or tool, I don't have to worry about forgetting its shortcuts -- the mouse is always there, reliable as always. I'm an experienced programmer and a power user in many cases, and I do remember my share of shortcuts. But give me a mouse, anytime -- maybe I spent years away from your app, but I'll know how to use it, and fast. And those shortcuts be damned.