> Type inference isn't an IDE feature related to autocompletion. Except... it sorta is? The benefits you describe are real, but they are derived from type che

> Type inference isn't an IDE feature related to autocompletion. Except... it sorta is? The benefits you describe are real, but they are derived from type checking. In principle you can get the same effect while making all the types explicit. Without basic type propagation this is horrifically verbose to the point that no language I'm aware of rolls that way. Without type inference, it's usually manageable. Type inference is a (very!) nice to have feature on top of that where the compiler is kind enough to fill in the details it can figure out, which doesn't happen to live in the IDE (usually? ever?) but is basically the same idea as IDE autocompletion except that the result is not typically visibly reified (... outside of an IDE or equivalent). What I disagree with from the grandparent is the notion that the type annotations (that inference allows us to remove) always or overwhelmingly improve readability. I think the verbosity they add - particularly when they get repetitive - means they often obscure far more than they enlighten. And when they do pay their way - which is not rare - you are still free to include the annotation!