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> I also don't like autocomplete You must have a crazy good memory. I switch between multiple languages, and autocomplete lets me easily see what variant of a

> I also don't like autocomplete You must have a crazy good memory. I switch between multiple languages, and autocomplete lets me easily see what variant of a function this library uses again. You know everything by heart?

imran-iq 3y ago
I also don't like autocomplete. The reason being that not having it actually forces me to learn the libraries I am using. > You know everything by heart? You eventually reach that point. Do you still look down to see which keys you are typing? This is also has the nice side effect of pushing you to use libraries that are stable and have good documentation as you can always reference them if need be.
- lsaferite 3y ago
  My working memory has limits. I consume and use a lot of information on an ongoing basis. The contextual shift from codebase to codebase is already large, add in a language change and I would venture to say that most people need a little assistance to make sure they remember syntax and specific method calls.
- koonsolo 3y ago
  My memory is a leaking bucket. My typing however, is very fast. Take for example the substring function. I wouldn't know which one it is for JavaScript, Haxe, ActionScript3, C#, Java, Python, C, C++, PHP. I know I used it at one point for all of them. For languages like JavaScript, Java and C#, it's probably a method, so you can start typing. Might be substring(), might also be substr() or something like that. For Haxe, I thought it was not a method so I think it's either part of Std or StringTools. If I use autocomplete, I have it in a few seconds, and I can also see the documentation on the parameters. Is the second parameter an index or a length? To be honest I have no idea. And the good part is, thanks to autocomplete I don't need to know. Also, if you work in a big codebase, you can't know every class. Needing to dig through code seems such a waste of time.
  - imran-iq 3y ago
    > My typing however, is very fast. This is because you can remember where the keys are. > For Haxe, I thought it was not a method so I think it's either part of Std or StringTools. How would autocomplete help you here? If you need to know if it was a global function or else where? This is learned knowledge that is available through the proper docs and not through autocomplete. This is how you know not to look for a global function. The difference is that instead of reaching for autocomplete to try and fill in the gap, I go to the documentation. I basically share the same feelings/experience with this comment[0]. Either I know what I am doing and I do not need autocomplete, or I need to learn in which case autocomplete just gets in my way and I would rather go to the docs. I know I am not alone in this, for example I watch the lead developer of pidgin, Gary Kramlich, on twitch[1]. He does not use autocomplete, any time he has to look something up, its straight to the docs. Similar with Jonathon blow[2], who is working on his own game, game engine, and language who just uses emacs (with no autocomplete) and visual studio for the debugger. And even Mitchell Hashimoto[3], who has a similar workflow of using a dumb editor and then going to the docs when needing to learn. > I can also see the documentation on the parameters. Is the second parameter an index or a length? The documentation on a per function basis does not contain enough information on how to use the library/framework. Take for example django's QuerySet aggregate function, would you learn enough from reading the function documentation here[4] on how to use it or from the actual documentation here[5]? Autocomplete wont give you anything close to the latter. > Also, if you work in a big codebase, you can't know every class. The classes you don't know are just one "goto definition" away. > Needing to dig through code seems such a waste of time. Needing to juggle through the autocomplete menu is a waste of time as you need to know _something_ for it be useful. It doesn't help you when you know _nothing_. I'd rather just go straight to the documentation or code. --- 0: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37768953 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37768953 1: https://www.twitch.tv/rw_grim https://www.twitch.tv/rw_grim 2: https://www.twitch.tv/j_blow https://www.twitch.tv/j_blow 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rysgxl35EGc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rysgxl35EGc 4: https://github.com/django/django/blob/main/django/db/models/query.py#L579-L586 https://github.com/django/django/blob/main/django/db/models/... 5: https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.2/topics/db/aggregation/ https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.2/topics/db/aggregation/
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
leptons 3y ago
I also hate autocomplete. It just gets in my way. Autocomplete doesn't really work unless you already know what you're going to code, and if you already know what you're going to write the autocomplete prompt just gets in the way and often messes with keyboard entry of what I was typing. I just switch it off, it never saved me any time and just gets kind of annoying.
- spankalee 3y ago
  > Autocomplete doesn't really work unless you already know what you're going to code Say what? Autocomplete is a godsend for quickly working with new APIs. If you're writing a function that takes some objects that you're not familiar with autocomplete can pretty quickly lead you down a good path.
  - leptons 3y ago
    That's not my experience. If I'm working with new APIs, I have the docs up on one screen and the code on the other, and I've probably already copied and pasted the function and parameters into my code from the docs before autocomplete can get in my way. You do read the docs, don't you?
    - spankalee 3y ago
      Sometimes I read docs. Other times autocomplete (and hover-over docs) gives me exactly what I need right when and where I'm actually writing code. Static typing makes it easier for my computer to get me the relevant docs.
- cellularmitosis 3y ago
  I cant even imagine trying to use the iOS SDK without autocomplete.

imran-iq 3y ago

I also don't like autocomplete. The reason being that not having it actually forces me to learn the libraries I am using. > You know everything by heart? You eventually reach that point. Do you still look down to see which keys you are typing? This is also has the nice side effect of pushing you to use libraries that are stable and have good documentation as you can always reference them if need be.

lsaferite 3y ago
My working memory has limits. I consume and use a lot of information on an ongoing basis. The contextual shift from codebase to codebase is already large, add in a language change and I would venture to say that most people need a little assistance to make sure they remember syntax and specific method calls.
koonsolo 3y ago
My memory is a leaking bucket. My typing however, is very fast. Take for example the substring function. I wouldn't know which one it is for JavaScript, Haxe, ActionScript3, C#, Java, Python, C, C++, PHP. I know I used it at one point for all of them. For languages like JavaScript, Java and C#, it's probably a method, so you can start typing. Might be substring(), might also be substr() or something like that. For Haxe, I thought it was not a method so I think it's either part of Std or StringTools. If I use autocomplete, I have it in a few seconds, and I can also see the documentation on the parameters. Is the second parameter an index or a length? To be honest I have no idea. And the good part is, thanks to autocomplete I don't need to know. Also, if you work in a big codebase, you can't know every class. Needing to dig through code seems such a waste of time.
- imran-iq 3y ago
  > My typing however, is very fast. This is because you can remember where the keys are. > For Haxe, I thought it was not a method so I think it's either part of Std or StringTools. How would autocomplete help you here? If you need to know if it was a global function or else where? This is learned knowledge that is available through the proper docs and not through autocomplete. This is how you know not to look for a global function. The difference is that instead of reaching for autocomplete to try and fill in the gap, I go to the documentation. I basically share the same feelings/experience with this comment[0]. Either I know what I am doing and I do not need autocomplete, or I need to learn in which case autocomplete just gets in my way and I would rather go to the docs. I know I am not alone in this, for example I watch the lead developer of pidgin, Gary Kramlich, on twitch[1]. He does not use autocomplete, any time he has to look something up, its straight to the docs. Similar with Jonathon blow[2], who is working on his own game, game engine, and language who just uses emacs (with no autocomplete) and visual studio for the debugger. And even Mitchell Hashimoto[3], who has a similar workflow of using a dumb editor and then going to the docs when needing to learn. > I can also see the documentation on the parameters. Is the second parameter an index or a length? The documentation on a per function basis does not contain enough information on how to use the library/framework. Take for example django's QuerySet aggregate function, would you learn enough from reading the function documentation here[4] on how to use it or from the actual documentation here[5]? Autocomplete wont give you anything close to the latter. > Also, if you work in a big codebase, you can't know every class. The classes you don't know are just one "goto definition" away. > Needing to dig through code seems such a waste of time. Needing to juggle through the autocomplete menu is a waste of time as you need to know _something_ for it be useful. It doesn't help you when you know _nothing_. I'd rather just go straight to the documentation or code. --- 0: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37768953 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37768953 1: https://www.twitch.tv/rw_grim https://www.twitch.tv/rw_grim 2: https://www.twitch.tv/j_blow https://www.twitch.tv/j_blow 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rysgxl35EGc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rysgxl35EGc 4: https://github.com/django/django/blob/main/django/db/models/query.py#L579-L586 https://github.com/django/django/blob/main/django/db/models/... 5: https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.2/topics/db/aggregation/ https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.2/topics/db/aggregation/
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

leptons 3y ago

I also hate autocomplete. It just gets in my way. Autocomplete doesn't really work unless you already know what you're going to code, and if you already know what you're going to write the autocomplete prompt just gets in the way and often messes with keyboard entry of what I was typing. I just switch it off, it never saved me any time and just gets kind of annoying.

spankalee 3y ago
> Autocomplete doesn't really work unless you already know what you're going to code Say what? Autocomplete is a godsend for quickly working with new APIs. If you're writing a function that takes some objects that you're not familiar with autocomplete can pretty quickly lead you down a good path.
- leptons 3y ago
  That's not my experience. If I'm working with new APIs, I have the docs up on one screen and the code on the other, and I've probably already copied and pasted the function and parameters into my code from the docs before autocomplete can get in my way. You do read the docs, don't you?
  - spankalee 3y ago
    Sometimes I read docs. Other times autocomplete (and hover-over docs) gives me exactly what I need right when and where I'm actually writing code. Static typing makes it easier for my computer to get me the relevant docs.
cellularmitosis 3y ago
I cant even imagine trying to use the iOS SDK without autocomplete.