> Meditation in motion
Is that Pierre-Chauve in the background? Nicely climbing the Rocher du Roi Gros Nez then! I can never get enough of the vistas you get from that crest line..
Forty years of programming
121–130 of 176 posts
Re: Forty years of programming
#122Forty years is just a crazy amount. I’ve been doing it for 30 and getting paid for 20, and I know my stuff: but not to that level. Fabien is just a demigod. Given the long ass hours I’m pushing 100k hours in this trade, and I feel like I’m really finding my feet in the last 1-3 years.
This is one of those trades where you can do amazing shit on the first day, but you’re still a work in progress just decades in.
I love this shit.
Re: Forty years of programming
#123Some things that have worked for me: - Fish oil. - Getting enough protein. - Yoga. Especially for tight forearms and shoulders.
Just to add, yoga should really be done using a variety of stretches for your whole body. A professional trainer can also show you how to do the stretches properly. I often go straight to what I know works for me though.
Re: Forty years of programming
#124Forty years is just a crazy amount. I’ve been doing it for 30 and getting paid for 20, and I know my stuff: but not to that level. Fabien is just a demigod. Given the long ass hours I’m pushing 100k hours in this trade, and I feel like I’m really finding my feet in the last 1-3 years. This is one of those trades where you can do amazing shit on the first day, but you’re still a work in progress just decades in. I lov…
I don't know, I don't think I'll ever feel hyper competent, the way I think of some of these people you come across.
I certainly know a lot more than 20 years ago. But I always feel like there's more and more layers. Just browsing this site I find something every few days to add to my reading list.
In a way that's good, not feeling like I've hit some experience ceiling.
Re: Forty years of programming
#125I'm only 33 but never had any issues with joint pains or anything like that whereas my peers, some younger and some older struggle with this and use various methods like ergonomic keyboards, massage sessions, stretching, etc to help ease the pain. I've used a traditional mouse and keyboard since I was around 7 and can easily spend a whole day in front of my computer. Lately I've been wondering if it's simply just my…
I coded professionally for more than 10 years without thinking about ergonomics, and without any problems. But then I started to feel pain in my arms, and it took a lot of effort to get it under control. In the end, what helped me the most was using a break program (to remind me to let go of the keyboard, and to do stretches), in combination with an ergonomic keyboard and mouse.
I've written more details about it here:
Re: Forty years of programming
#12640 years of development here, too .. my solution to the RSI problem, which I discovered in the 80's, is quite simple: change my keyboard and mouse setup regularly - simply don't use the same keyboard/mouse for longer than 6 months, maximum.
Adopting this policy has kept RSI problems at bay, at least in my case. I have 3 or 4 favourite keyboards and I just switch them around ... giving my hands a chance to re-train on different weights/resistances of keys, etc.
Re: Forty years of programming
#127I'm only 33 but never had any issues with joint pains or anything like that whereas my peers, some younger and some older struggle with this and use various methods like ergonomic keyboards, massage sessions, stretching, etc to help ease the pain. I've used a traditional mouse and keyboard since I was around 7 and can easily spend a whole day in front of my computer. Lately I've been wondering if it's simply just my…
Also have your screen at eye level, neck bent looking over for prolonged periods.. gives you a neck / elbow pain.
Re: Forty years of programming
#128Dear Vim beginner, before getting a fancy keyboard, do remap Esc to some other key. It makes no sense to have your most important key where it is nowadays. The reason the back to normal mode key is ESC is because that key used to be much closer from the home row. My personal preference is to use Caps Lock because each OS has an easy solution for this simple remap and since it's system wide you can use vim modes elsew…
inoremap kj :)
This is so useful I have it baked into my keyboard!
Re: Forty years of programming
#129Just want to mention sticky keys[1], as it seems often overlooked.
Instead of holding the modifier key(s) when activating a shortcut, you can press and release each modifier sequentially.
It does come with some of the fancy keyboards' firmware, but is also a built-in feature of all major OS-es. You can get it without spending a single dollar.
Re: Forty years of programming
#130This is going to be controversial, but what saved me was abandoning a keyboard-intense environment (emacs + command line) for Apple’s Xcode. I do still build much of the time at the command line, but editing code and switching between windows is mouse-heavy.(You can use Xcode as just a text editor if you like.) I cut and paste by selecting with the mouse where possible. I have a gaming mouse with a button programmed for macOS’s “Exposé” so I can find windows back – and I use a single screen, a 27″ iMac.
I have an Apple trackpad which I use to give my hand a break from the mouse, but I find that if I use it heavily for a day or two I get sore fingers. I use a mechanical keyboard. That too tends to cut up my fingers, and I’m on the lookout for a better one, or at least better keycaps.
I’ve been doing this for 45 years now, since age 19. Along the way I’ve used punchcards, line mode editors, TECO itself and two TECO-inspired full screen editors, various full-screen editors like DEC’s EDT, and emacs. I know vi, and will by habit drop into it when editing config files and so on, but don’t subscribe to the view that it solves the RSI problem. So I do know how to edit efficiently using keyboard shortcuts, but now think it’s the wrong thing to do.
I went through a stage where I used emacs and a Happy Hacking Keyboard, and was very sore at the end of it.
I am not slow with my mouse. I can churn out ~2000 lines of good C++ in a day. (But I am not a fan of the language from a typing point of view!)