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> The main positive that I see is that typing no longer requires thought. I can't emphasise this enough. Whenever I see even experienced programmers searching

> The main positive that I see is that typing no longer requires thought. I can't emphasise this enough. Whenever I see even experienced programmers searching for the right keys or trying to correct their mistakes I just feel sad for all the lost productivity. It's also about not using the subconscious muscle memory which means a good chunk of conscious mental bandwidth is getting wasted on repeated task that could otherwise have been used for programming/creativity etc., By a sequence of happy coincidences I got trained as a touch typist before I could go anywhere near a computer. On a real mechanical typewriter. So by the time I was learning programming I was focused solely on learning it as opposed to fighting the keyboard. The benefit of touch-typing can't be emphasised enough, if it were up to me I'd make touch typing a mandatory skill training course.

deleted 3y ago
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mike_hock 3y ago
Maybe that's why I build reusable abstractions with a concise interface so I don't have to waste bandwidth on repetitive typing.
xeromal 3y ago
If I'm being honest, if searching for keys is enough to effect my productivity where people notice, that company is not a place I want to work.
sumtechguy 3y ago
One of the best programmers I ever worked with was hunt and peck. I told him learning to type was a godsend. He did not care and continued to crank out tons of code. It was just painful to watch someone that experienced having to search around for keys. He was fine with it though... I have the same mechanical background as you. It took me years to stop absolutely blasting the keys when typing though. It did speed up my word count doing that too. For me having to stop and look for a key is a jarring thing. Usually because every manufacture wants their 'own touch' on the keyboard. Laptops being the biggest offender of this.
PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago
yep, it's why I've always been of the opinion those who say they don't need to do it because programming is more about thought than typing don't fully grok what it is about touch typing that makes it so beneficial to developers. It's kind of a trite thing to say, but one of the most valuable classes I took in HS was typing. I won't say it was _the_ most valuable, there were plenty of other valuable classes, but typing was one of those classes that was considered a lazy elective but definitely should have been required (imo) and I consider myself lucky to have taken it.
- scoodah 3y ago
  I say programming is more about thought than typing and I stand by it. The thing is, the level of typing you need to achieve to get to the point where typing is no longer the bottleneck in your flow is such a low bar. I have not worked with a single developer in my career where their ability to type has been a bottleneck for their work. I know anecdotes aren’t evidence. Don’t get me wrong, I believe being a strong typist has a ton of benefits for a developer. It just seems like a baseline skill at a certain point for anyone in a software related field.
- vishnugupta 3y ago
  The funny thing is it's not at all hard to learn/develop. It's just about following typing lessons curriculum for 3-4 months ~40 mins/day. Even if you don't like it very much think of it as a one time investment in grunt work and get it out of the way and you are set for life time of repeating the benefits.
lost_tourist 3y ago
I don't. I spend a lot more time thinking, debugging, and designing software than I do typing it. I am a decently fast touch typist (about 90WPM), but I don't think it makes much difference in my day-to-day ability to output software.
anotherevan 3y ago
I learned to touch type in 1986 on a manual typewriter in secondary school. I knew I was going to work with computers and figured touch typing would be a worthwhile skill. I was the only male in the class and copped shit from my peers for taking the subject as everyone else perceived it as a class for women looking to go into secretarial work. To this day I still think it is the best thing I learned at school and it absolutely amazes me that touch typing is no longer taught in school in this age of ubiquitous computing.

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mike_hock 3y ago

Maybe that's why I build reusable abstractions with a concise interface so I don't have to waste bandwidth on repetitive typing.

xeromal 3y ago

If I'm being honest, if searching for keys is enough to effect my productivity where people notice, that company is not a place I want to work.

sumtechguy 3y ago

One of the best programmers I ever worked with was hunt and peck. I told him learning to type was a godsend. He did not care and continued to crank out tons of code. It was just painful to watch someone that experienced having to search around for keys. He was fine with it though... I have the same mechanical background as you. It took me years to stop absolutely blasting the keys when typing though. It did speed up my word count doing that too. For me having to stop and look for a key is a jarring thing. Usually because every manufacture wants their 'own touch' on the keyboard. Laptops being the biggest offender of this.

PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago

yep, it's why I've always been of the opinion those who say they don't need to do it because programming is more about thought than typing don't fully grok what it is about touch typing that makes it so beneficial to developers. It's kind of a trite thing to say, but one of the most valuable classes I took in HS was typing. I won't say it was _the_ most valuable, there were plenty of other valuable classes, but typing was one of those classes that was considered a lazy elective but definitely should have been required (imo) and I consider myself lucky to have taken it.

scoodah 3y ago
I say programming is more about thought than typing and I stand by it. The thing is, the level of typing you need to achieve to get to the point where typing is no longer the bottleneck in your flow is such a low bar. I have not worked with a single developer in my career where their ability to type has been a bottleneck for their work. I know anecdotes aren’t evidence. Don’t get me wrong, I believe being a strong typist has a ton of benefits for a developer. It just seems like a baseline skill at a certain point for anyone in a software related field.
vishnugupta 3y ago
The funny thing is it's not at all hard to learn/develop. It's just about following typing lessons curriculum for 3-4 months ~40 mins/day. Even if you don't like it very much think of it as a one time investment in grunt work and get it out of the way and you are set for life time of repeating the benefits.

lost_tourist 3y ago

I don't. I spend a lot more time thinking, debugging, and designing software than I do typing it. I am a decently fast touch typist (about 90WPM), but I don't think it makes much difference in my day-to-day ability to output software.

anotherevan 3y ago

I learned to touch type in 1986 on a manual typewriter in secondary school. I knew I was going to work with computers and figured touch typing would be a worthwhile skill. I was the only male in the class and copped shit from my peers for taking the subject as everyone else perceived it as a class for women looking to go into secretarial work. To this day I still think it is the best thing I learned at school and it absolutely amazes me that touch typing is no longer taught in school in this age of ubiquitous computing.