Other than going to work on time using a Seinfeld calendar ( so that my lax work environment doesn't eat into my evenings ) I'm going with this:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/newyears-resolution-fu...
Resolutions for programmers
131–140 of 158 posts
Re: Resolutions for programmers
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
i'm going to try dvorak out. i started experiencing rsi symptoms last year and decided to switch my mouse hand to my left hand. it took almost 6 + months to train my hand to have the precise motion i had with my right (even when using adobe design products) . one year later, i have very little pain, if any. though, after reading this article, i'm now curious to try the dvorak layout. also, i love my apple keyboard an…
Colemak is supposed to perform slightly better then Dvorak as a layout, and be easier to learn for a qwerty typist. http://colemak.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout#Colemak
Second vote for Colemak here! I spent the first two of my high school years in Japan essentially being homeschooled. I had developed shoulder pain and a ganglion cyst in my wrist due to lots of typing and playing tennis, so I took the opportunity to try both Dvorak and Colemak.
I used to average 110 wpm on Qwerty. I started at 30 wpm Colemak and reached 80 in three months. After fourish years, I'm back at 110 wpm, with no more cyst or shoulder pain.
I tried Dvorak for a week but disliked that 1) it emphasizes hand alternation (as opposed to Colemak's emphasis on finger mashes) and 2) it was so difficult to type "ls -l".
Re: Resolutions for programmers
#133Learn Dvorak - I'd warn against bothering with Dvorak. Huge time sink with dubious claims of speed improvements. While a mythical programmer may exist who feels his raw typing speed limits his productivity, I never met that unicorn. While learning you have an increased error rate, run into incompatibility with other programmers and programs (emacs or vim... good luck) and end up needing to defend something no one act…
What about machine stenography? It's harder to learn, but apparently has a much higher payoff in speed, accuracy, and ergonomics. http://plover.stenoknight.com/
The author of this program has a wonderful series on her blog about what steno is good for: http://plover.stenoknight.com/2010/03/how-to-speak-with-your...
Re: Resolutions for programmers
#134Learn Dvorak - I'd warn against bothering with Dvorak. Huge time sink with dubious claims of speed improvements. While a mythical programmer may exist who feels his raw typing speed limits his productivity, I never met that unicorn. While learning you have an increased error rate, run into incompatibility with other programmers and programs (emacs or vim... good luck) and end up needing to defend something no one act…
Dvorak ain't so bad. I learned it and I'm not faster, but I do find it much more comfortable.
Emacs? The keys aren't arranged spatially so no harm there. Vim? It's not so bad -- H and L are under the index finger and pinky of your right hand, similar to before, and J and K are right next to each other on the left hand too.
Plus, it's absolutely hilarious to watch other people try to use your computer.
Re: Resolutions for programmers
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was going to say this. Emacs + Dvorak is very comfortable to use. Vi(m) isn't bad either, but the directions (hjkl) are spread out which used to (and still does as it's not my everyday editor) cause me some difficulty. A particularly nice thing (for me) with Dvorak and Vim is that the `:` is in the lower left, right next to the shift key. I find many sequences easier to type.
I've htns mapped to . There's no need to restrict yourself to the default mappings.
I've got htns mapped to the direction keys, too, and it works great. I think it's even easier than qwerty's direction keys because you don't have to move your right hand at all; you have to move the forefinger left to hit 'h' on qwerty. It's a happy coincidence that the 'unmapped' keys aren't used very much, except for 'n' and you can remap that to the Dvorak j, k, or l.
Playing QWOP is impossible on Dvorak, however.
Re: Resolutions for programmers
#136Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think he was just referring to the productivity hit during the learning curve.
Yes, because while you're learning one style, you completely forget the other style and are left unable to type fluently. (I'm still able to type in both.)
I learned dvorak. After doing this for ~2y, I'm much (twice?) faster in Dvorak than QWERTY presently, and am slightly faster than my old QWERTY typing speed.
Re: Resolutions for programmers
#137Earlier quoted context omitted.
And if you still want to learn an alternative keyboard layout, I recommend colemak. It's more modern, and has some additional upsides [over dvorak]: -keeps ctrl-zxcaw at the same place -claims to be easier to learn if you're already fluent in qwerty perhaps more, here's their site: http://colemak.com/
The thing about Colemak is that if you ever have to use somebody else's computer for a moment, you can be absolutely certain they don't have it installed. Dvorak, I think, strikes the most acceptable balance between efficiency and widespread availability. Sure, as a hacker, you should set up your own unique keyboard layout/.emacs file/guitar-pedal-to-USB modifier keys/saccadic eye motion detector/whatever to absolute…
That's why I set my vim shortcuts to keyboard positions and not letters. I switch between keyboard layouts a bit but I am using Colemak again. Keeping shortcuts the same across layouts is very important because they are usually muscle memory not some combination where you are thinking about pressing keys. Also, keep the drivers on your phone/USB so you can install them everywhere.
Re: Resolutions for programmers
#138Tips for completing resolutions, such as these 12: a. Have a plan with dates, milestones and accountability mechanisms b. Start small (Instead of one month using a different OS, how about day and go from there) c. Make it meaningful, Know why you're making a Committment, Be Selective (Have an intrinsic motivation to make a change in your everyday life) d. Stay the course (If you get off track, get back on) edit: form…
That is a good idea, make a plan and try to stick with it. BTW, I find Google Calendar to be good for posting reminders to myself to do different things throughout the year: quarterly taxes, contacting people in a few months to check on how their project, etc. is going, delivery milestones, etc. I like Google Calendar because event alerts also hit me on my Droid and iPad.
An extention to this is to use email alerts. It's too easy to dismiss an alert and forget about it.
For example, I might but an email reminder 4 weeks in advance, 1 in advance, and 3 days before for an important deadline.
Re: Resolutions for programmers
#139Programmers stuck inside who need fitness ideas get out and meet people. Go to meetup.com, type in your area and type in running, health and fitness. Find a running club where you meet up somewhere and run around a loop, trail, or city area. I found that extremely rewarding. It is a filter to screen out the fraggles from the doozers.
i would recommend tango dancing (!= ballroom). Alot of engineers, scientists, etc. really get it. It's not about memorizing moves, it's about learning a logic, learning how to think with four legs. It's alot of fun. Oh and there's babes too.
Re: Resolutions for programmers
#140me: talk more.