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Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors]

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On Fri, Jul 12, 2013 at 12:39 PM, Steven D'Aprano
<steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> wrote:
> Big deal. I am utterly unconvinced that raw typing speed is even close to
> a bottleneck when programming. Data entry and transcribing from (say)
> dictated text, yes. Coding, not unless you are a one-fingered hunt-and-
> peek typist. The bottleneck is not typing speed but thinking speed:
> thinking about program design and APIs, thinking about data structures
> and algorithms, debugging, etc.
>
> Programming is normally done in spurts of typing followed by longer
> periods of thinking, testing, debugging.

That's true, but it's still important to be able to type quickly. You
spend a minute or two figuring what you need to be doing, then want to
see the result as quickly as possible. The plan is in your brain; you
need to transfer it into code, save it, compile it if you need to,
deploy it to your test-box if you need to, trigger its execution, and
see its output. That's a roughly linear process, so any time saved in
any step is an overall saving, and the shorter the total time from
brain to output, the more smoothly your debugging/tinkering will be.
That's why I've spent time developing systems at work that reduce the
times required. With a single keystroke (F7 in SciTE), I can save,
compile (for the one or two components that actually get compiled),
and deploy to test-box, and a quick SIGHUP via Upstart does the rest.
I can try two or three iterations of something without "losing" what
my brain's holding onto - more if it's a trivial edit. Poor typing
speed, or replacing the F7 whack with a button click that demands a
mouse, would damage that.

ChrisA

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Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Skip Montanaro <skip@pobox.com> - 2013-07-06 09:10 -0500
  Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-07-06 08:04 -0700
    Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2013-07-06 09:39 -0600
    Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] "Rhodri James" <rhodri@wildebst.demon.co.uk> - 2013-07-08 23:44 +0100
  Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-07-07 02:41 +0000
    Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] jussij@zeusedit.com - 2013-07-07 22:34 -0700
      Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-07-08 07:39 +0000
      Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Jason Friedman <jsf80238@gmail.com> - 2013-07-08 22:27 -0600
        Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2013-07-09 12:12 +0000
          Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-07-09 17:04 -0400
  Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Giorgos Tzampanakis <giorgos.tzampanakis@gmail.com> - 2013-07-08 06:54 +0000
    Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free@gmail.com> - 2013-07-10 12:17 +0800
      Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] jussij@zeusedit.com - 2013-07-10 21:15 -0700
        Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-07-11 09:45 -0400
          Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Paul Rudin <paul.nospam@rudin.co.uk> - 2013-07-11 16:42 +0100
            Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-07-12 01:50 +1000
              Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-07-12 04:24 +0000
                Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-07-12 14:34 +1000
                Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] "Eric S. Johansson" <esj@harvee.org> - 2013-07-12 00:57 -0400
                Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2013-07-12 18:34 -0400
                Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] "Eric S. Johansson" <esj@harvee.org> - 2013-07-12 18:54 -0400
          Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-07-12 02:39 +0000
            Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-07-12 12:50 +1000
            Re: Editor Ergonomics [was: Important features for editors] Giorgos Tzampanakis <giorgos.tzampanakis@gmail.com> - 2013-07-14 17:12 +0000

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