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What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

nsaphra.github.io

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Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#371

Post by SuperPaintMan »

mondalaci wrote: post #368
SuperPaintMan wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did, My main Issue with the UHK is it doesn't go hard enough. I looks like a half-baked attempt the make a ergonomic board similar to Alice and the Mistel Barraco just with some extra doodads. Cool that it's open-source. Why not leverage QMK and Via for a graphical configurator? Edit: Not trying to shit on the UHK, but it seems like a _decent_ keyboard. My fault with it is that it's much too conventional and thus e…

The modules are a game changer of actual usability value which haven't been implemented by any keyboards yet. Ignoring their value and calling them doodads is unfair. None of the open source firmwares support the modular architecture of the UHK or allow for the easy update of the configuration without using full-blown compilers so they are not suitable for us. We'll release further UHKs of additional layouts, columna…

Seems easy enough to check if a device at a given I2C address is there and enable functionality. There few a few devices doing this already.

Via has been doing non-flashing keymap updates for years and is cross platform. Reach out and help contribute.

Here's hoping you can make a keyboard worth the name. Exposing interfaces to users can bodge on their own hardware would be a good start. Maybe getting a ergonomics nuts on the team as well.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#372

Post by numismatex »

namanyayg wrote: post #313
bspammer wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm 23 and have been using computers very heavily for the last 10 or so years - probably an average of 6 hours a day. During a particularly intensive day of typing last week I started getting pain in my right hand. I had to resort to hunt-and-peck index finger typing to get the feature I was working on finished. I'm horrified, it feels like I'm way too early in my career for something like this to happen, but I guess…

I can't be sure but it feels like a lot of people are discounting exercise here, I don't mean stretches but something more serious. I've been staring at a desktop screen 6h+ daily for 8y+ and started feeling serious rsi symptoms on my right wrist at the old age of 19. I tried bandages and wraps in the beginning, but once I started lifting all pains literally disappeared. Heavy deadlifts (and maybe a press), done with…

Working out with a heavy bag, gloves to start, later just wraps, is what helped me the most.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#373

Post by ferzul »

allannienhuis wrote: post #237
ianai wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried just a straight trackball? I switched to a trackball for rsi, and it helped. But I’m curious if a thumb trackball would be better.

I didn't try the trackballs that you use your fingers with. The thumb-controlled ones are pretty natural to use, as the left and right click actions and the scroll-wheel are identical to a regular mouse. I suspect the act of using the same finger for moving the ball and clicking the button would be more difficult (at least for me :) )

I haven't used a mouse in years, just Kensington trackballs and laptop trackpads. The trackballs are great; clicking is predominately with the thumb whereas pointing is with the fingers. Even when using fingers for both, it's not something I notice since I've never clicked and moved at the same time - maybe for a gamer it would be different

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#374

Post by ianai »

ferzul wrote: post #373
allannienhuis wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't try the trackballs that you use your fingers with. The thumb-controlled ones are pretty natural to use, as the left and right click actions and the scroll-wheel are identical to a regular mouse. I suspect the act of using the same finger for moving the ball and clicking the button would be more difficult (at least for me :) )

I haven't used a mouse in years, just Kensington trackballs and laptop trackpads. The trackballs are great; clicking is predominately with the thumb whereas pointing is with the fingers. Even when using fingers for both, it's not something I notice since I've never clicked and moved at the same time - maybe for a gamer it would be different

I also have a kensington, and it’s easy to hold down the left click and move around the cursor.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#375

Post by primax »

namanyayg wrote: post #313
bspammer wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm 23 and have been using computers very heavily for the last 10 or so years - probably an average of 6 hours a day. During a particularly intensive day of typing last week I started getting pain in my right hand. I had to resort to hunt-and-peck index finger typing to get the feature I was working on finished. I'm horrified, it feels like I'm way too early in my career for something like this to happen, but I guess…

I can't be sure but it feels like a lot of people are discounting exercise here, I don't mean stretches but something more serious. I've been staring at a desktop screen 6h+ daily for 8y+ and started feeling serious rsi symptoms on my right wrist at the old age of 19. I tried bandages and wraps in the beginning, but once I started lifting all pains literally disappeared. Heavy deadlifts (and maybe a press), done with…

Not to mention the many other benefits to exercise, and weightlifting in particular.

Like everything else in life, if you neglect your body it will fail on you eventually.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#376

Post by Nyubis »

throwaway_391 wrote: post #279
melling wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clears require more force than Browns? https://ergodox-ez.com/pages/keyswitches

Grantparent poster here. Hrm, you're right, I remember purchasing keys 'lighter' than browns, possibly silvers. They're very light, but I'd probably prefer 'too light' over 'too heavy'.

You may have Gateron Clears, which are lighter than Gateron Browns. Gateron Browns are basically equivalent to Cherry MX Browns, but Gateron Clears are entirely different from Cherry MX Clears. This has tripped me up more than once.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#377

Post by ThrustVectoring »

polpenn wrote: post #185

Something I’ve always wondered about the programming / software development profession: do people buy insurance for their hands? My sister is a denturists and she has insurance for her hands. Curious if this is something people in our profession have considered to protect from incidents like this.

I do. One easily searchable phrase for it is "own-occupation disability insurance". It covers anything that prevents me from working in my profession, although there are payout time restrictions on hard-to-verify mental health ones to prevent malingering.

Automatically qualifying events include loss of sight, hearing, voice, use of any two hands and/or feet. After qualifying, I get paid $5k/mo until age 65.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#378

Post by foldr »

einpoklum wrote: post #367
foldr wrote: post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"Wait for a few more weeks and if it doesn't go away, we'll rethink things" To be fair, this is often excellent advice.

Not unless you're totally clueless about your own body and about medicine.

Hmm? Lots of ailments do just get better if you leave them alone. That's probably the case for the majority of things that people go to the doctor for. If your knee hurts, you may as well wait a few weeks to see if it gets better before you start running a bunch of tests.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#379

Post by hhas01 »

mwiethoff wrote: post #115

I developed an RSI a few years ago, and I had to leave my job. It was devastating to lose both my career and my passion to an injury. Since then, I've been working with a friend on a new voice coding app called Serenade [1] that aims to enable anyone to program by voice. With Serenade, you can speak natural English voice commands like "delete second function" and "add class person". Not only can this be faster than t…

Currently I’m in Language Design Hell trying to devise a syntax that is as easy to speak as it is to type, but if/when I get that cracked I’ll take a look as this looks very relevant to my interests.

(Related: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20674515)

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