Weak typing - the lost art of the keyboard
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The keyboard is still the predominant way we interact with a computer. This makes it all the more surprising to observe how many programmers use just two fingers when confronted by a keyboard and use the time honoured "hunt and peck" technique. It isn't stylish and it isn't efficien
Fingers on home row
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The keyboard is still the predominant way we interact with a computer. This makes it all the more surprising to observe how many programmers use just two fingers when confronted by a keyboard and use the time honoured "hunt and peck" technique. It isn't stylish and it isn't efficien
Fingers on home row
Using both hands is inefficient. Do more with less.
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The keyboard is still the predominant way we interact with a computer. This makes it all the more surprising to observe how many programmers use just two fingers when confronted by a keyboard and use the time honoured "hunt and peck" technique. It isn't stylish and it isn't efficien
Fingers on home row
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Using both hands is inefficient. Do more with less.
PIEBALDconsult wrote:
Using both hands is inefficient. Do more with less.
Dare I ask what the other hand should be (simultaneously) used for? :^) The article did resonate with me tho -- I'm always amazed at a colleague of mine who, despite being an excellent programmer with many years of experience, still looks down at the keyboard and mostly uses two fingers to type. But then, I suppose writing programs at 100 wpm is a bad idea... especially if you're using a language like J, K or... APL :omg:
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The keyboard is still the predominant way we interact with a computer. This makes it all the more surprising to observe how many programmers use just two fingers when confronted by a keyboard and use the time honoured "hunt and peck" technique. It isn't stylish and it isn't efficien
Fingers on home row
Typing gets exponentially more difficult to get really skilled at it the longer you wait. 60% of all people who learn to type will peak at 40-50wpm because they aren't physically capable to type faster. People who started tying in their teens don't have that limitation and they can get to 100wpm and beyong with practice. It's similar to martial arts. Kids who start young have their limbs and joints grow a certain way and as adult they'll always be able to kick higher and faster than someone who started practicing in his 30's.
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Typing gets exponentially more difficult to get really skilled at it the longer you wait. 60% of all people who learn to type will peak at 40-50wpm because they aren't physically capable to type faster. People who started tying in their teens don't have that limitation and they can get to 100wpm and beyong with practice. It's similar to martial arts. Kids who start young have their limbs and joints grow a certain way and as adult they'll always be able to kick higher and faster than someone who started practicing in his 30's.
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I find it really dependant on my mental status and inspiration. I always thought I am a bad typer, usually 3-4 fingers at most and slightly slower and more error prone than most. Then I discovered that in my "bright moments" I can type like the Devil, entire blocks of code without even a typo or the usage of autocompletion (usually slower than me in that cases). It's strange!
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Typing gets exponentially more difficult to get really skilled at it the longer you wait. 60% of all people who learn to type will peak at 40-50wpm because they aren't physically capable to type faster. People who started tying in their teens don't have that limitation and they can get to 100wpm and beyong with practice. It's similar to martial arts. Kids who start young have their limbs and joints grow a certain way and as adult they'll always be able to kick higher and faster than someone who started practicing in his 30's.
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0bx wrote:
It's similar to martial arts. Kids who start young have their limbs and joints grow a certain way and as adult they'll always be able to kick higher and faster than someone who started practicing in his 30's.
I'm curious if you have any scientific reference that proves your statement? Because, from my understanding, kicking higher and faster depends more on muscle mass, strength, and stretching abilities than on limbs and joints grown in a specific way.
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0bx wrote:
It's similar to martial arts. Kids who start young have their limbs and joints grow a certain way and as adult they'll always be able to kick higher and faster than someone who started practicing in his 30's.
I'm curious if you have any scientific reference that proves your statement? Because, from my understanding, kicking higher and faster depends more on muscle mass, strength, and stretching abilities than on limbs and joints grown in a specific way.
No, but if I remember correctly I read about a certain Doctor Lloyd who was the main authority on typing research in the 70's. Based on some experiment he concluded that at least half of the populous didn't even have the dexterity to physically wiggle their fingers fast enough to exceed 50wpm; let alone that they could learn to actually type that fast. This illustrated the ludicrous hiring requirements of companies back then and how much typing speed was overvalued at that time.
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