I found it hugely annoying that I couldn't just start, that I had to press "Enter" first. I don't know why that is necessary and I wish the author didn't force us to do this. Otherwise, very nice job.
We will be adding an Options panel soon, and we'll make it possible to opt for this. Thanks!
Practice typing for Code
21–30 of 52 posts
Re: Practice typing for Code
#22looks quite interesting, but it appears that there is no way to switch the keyboard layout, that not easy to 'see' the key they highlight, and press it somewhere else!
Re: Practice typing for Code
#23I found it hugely annoying that I couldn't just start, that I had to press "Enter" first. I don't know why that is necessary and I wish the author didn't force us to do this. Otherwise, very nice job.
It kind of makes sense. It makes the timing more accurate by preventing late starts caused by different people starting typing at different times.
Re: Practice typing for Code
#24Not bad but I do prefer typeracer. Now this one seems to be better done than typeracer: I like the fact that you can see the keys (that said it should take into account ANSI / ISO physical layouts and at least QWERTY / AZERTY and maybe DVORAK logical layouts).
Note that touch-typing is probably going to be faster than non touch-typing, so I'm advocating learning to touch-type (even if you're an old fart who never did and thinks he cannot switch anymore -- not true, I've done it after more than ten years and I don't regret it).
For a start lessons where you endlessly input "asdf" aren't that great. It's still an open discussion if this type of training as any value (included for musicians / pianists, even the ones who think it has value because they've brainwashed by doing it endlessly repeatedly -- Jimi Hendrix didn't ; )
Basically: what is the point in writing "asdf fdas sdaf fads" etc.? Are you going to write that in the Real-World [TM]? No. So why even spend time training doing it instead of doing the real thing?
It's like when Agassi changed and got a new trainer and told him that his old trainer would have him run for miles and miles and miles and his new trainer told him something like: "That's over. What you do during a match is start to run very fast then stop immediately, then run in the other direction. That's what you're going to be training to do now.".
These are two different conceptions of training. To me the first one doesn't make much sense but YMMV.
Then the other issue is that, as has been pointed out, nobody is coding like that anymore: editors do close matching parenthesis, brackets, etc. and you enter "fi" and then hit and the skeleton of a "for (int i = 0; i The way I did taught myself to touch-type is simple: read about the very basics of touch-typing (or ask any secretary to teach you: it basically takes two minutes -- that's what I did), buy an "otaku" keyboard or set of keycaps (a keyboard on which the keys are "blank"), put your index fingers respectively on 'f' and 'j' and start... working!
To me doing what you're actually going to do, just like Agassi's trainer would advice, is the best way to learn.
Not some "technique" or "method" that people still don't know if it makes any sense or not.
Think outside the box.
Re: Practice typing for Code
#25I found it hugely annoying that I couldn't just start, that I had to press "Enter" first. I don't know why that is necessary and I wish the author didn't force us to do this. Otherwise, very nice job.
We will be adding an Options panel soon, and we'll make it possible to opt for this. Thanks!
Re: Practice typing for Code
#26Great idea, great job
Re: Practice typing for Code
#27Re: Practice typing for Code
#28One thing is I was constantly expecting that I could start typing the phrases instead of typing 'enter' first to begin. I think it seems more obvious to just let people hit the first key in the sequence to start the timer.
I don't think I'm unique in this but I'm actually a horrible typist 'by the book'.. that is I use my index fingers for probably 75% of my typing. It was interesting going through the 'learning' section and being so jarringly reminded that I don't touch type properly.
The weird thing is that on most typing tests I score over 100 WPM's, usually somewhere around 110 actually if it is mixed english. I also type code far faster than I can think. And though I've been coding as a profession for 15 years, I've never really succumbed to RSI in any way either. So I'm not sure what my incentive to relearn how to type properly is. I do wish I did in a way, I imagine it would be quicker, but part of me wonders whether my mutated typing is mutated in a way that just works for me physically, so why mess with something that works.
Anybody else the same? I've even toyed with learning Dvorak to force myself to learn from scratch again, this time the 'right way', but again it doesn't seem like I would necessarily get real gains over where I'm at now.
Re: Practice typing for Code
#29Looks great! One suggestion (maybe you're working on this now) would be to have lessons for some of the characters which coding requires frequently (angle brackets, parenthesis, curly braces, brackets, etc.) For me at least, that's what slows me down when coding the most.
Re: Practice typing for Code
#30Would be cool to have a few tests where you can train typical bash and vim commands and see the ideal finger placement. Extra credits for emulating things in e.g. bash like: ctrl+a and alt+u etc. For command shortcut inspiration see for example: http://www.skorks.com/2009/09/bash-shortcuts-for-maximum-pro...
Anyway: Good job! :-)