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Forty years of programming

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Re: Forty years of programming

#81

Post by edvinbesic »

neilv wrote: post #56

Long-time programmer here who is a typing machine, without discomfort, thanks in part to heeding Internet warnings about RSI circa 1990, and to finding what works for me. One of the things that matters for me when seated at a desk (I also do standing desk) is that I like to be able to have my feet flat on the floor when seated, and then for the keyboard height to be lower than most desks. If you're similar, and you'r…

I can echo this myself, however what made the biggest difference for me was having my elbows resting on something taking the weight off of my shoulders. Whether standing or sitting if I have to keep my elbows “up in the air” it becomes very uncomfortable very fast, otherwise I have no problem doing 12-14 hours sessions.

Re: Forty years of programming

#82

Post by qup »

jfdi wrote: post #70
cassepipe wrote: post #52

Dear 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 :)

I use this one, too.

I've seen a lot of people recommend jj, but that's part of something I type a lot, so I had to choose another. jk works okay too, because I don't use that acronym.

Re: Forty years of programming

#83

Post by Clever321 »

jfdi wrote: post #70
cassepipe wrote: post #52

Dear 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 :)

I thought I was the only one insane enough to do this.

Re: Forty years of programming

#84

Post by qup »

pugworthy wrote: post #68

I'm curious if typing speed is any indicator of problems, or lack of problems. Per previous comment, I've been "typing" for over 40 years, no real problems, and am a really, really fast typer. My hands don't spend a lot of time locked in one particular position, and my fingers are moving all kinds of ways constantly when typing. Just a thought.

how fast?

Re: Forty years of programming

#85

Post by briHass »

shric wrote: post #51
angarg12 wrote: post #3

Am I the only one who finds these "I've been programming since 6" posts silly? I mean, I used to mess up with computers since I was a child, but I wouldn't call that "programming". In fact if I'm completely honest, it wasn't until 5 years ago when I truly started to learn and grow as an engineer, more than the rest of my career combined. Rather than focused on quantity let's focus on quality. 1 good year of experienc…

This might be particular to the age of the OP. I just turned 47, so I'm one year older than him. In 1981 (so when I was 5) my parents bought me a Sinclair ZX81. It came with literally nothing except a BASIC interpreter in ROM and a manual. The manual explained how to program in BASIC and had a bunch of listings that you could type in for rudimentary games etc. So when we got our computers at that era all we could do…

As someone 4 years younger, I'd argue the 'good times' carried on until the early 90s, at least for a kid that didn't have any money to buy new games all the time. The games back then were all simple enough that a devoted kid with lots of free time would get bored/beat the game in a day or two, and then you have to find something else to do. Now, there are millions of free games on the internet, not counting pirate/emulation, and also plenty of other media content distractions.

I'd also say that era (88-92) was great for being able to pick up cheap used computers. Commodore 64s could be found at garage sales, and I was fortunate that my father would bring home old IBM PC XT/AT boxes from work that were destined for the dumpster.

Re: Forty years of programming

#86

Post by 000ooo000 »

cassepipe wrote: post #52

Dear 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…

Just to add to the other ESC remapping suggestions:

Insert mode (i.e. i): space

Exit insert mode (i.e. esc): shift+space

Some terminals have issues with modifiers on keys like space but if you're a vim user on only 1-2 machines and can use something like Kitty then you should be OK.

Re: Forty years of programming

#87

Post by fipar »

I’m about the same age as the author and also tried the freestyle as my first ergonomic keyboard.

I’m now a big fan of my keybordio model 100.

If you’re young and you plan to do this for a living, a good ergo keyboard with firmware you can customize is one of the best investments you can do for your hands’ (and arms) health.

Re: Forty years of programming

#89

Post by jodrellblank »

pylua wrote: post #79
cassepipe wrote: post #52

Dear 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…

I agree with this, but there is another default combination that is escape , right? I realized that esc was difficult in vim when I was forced to change due to the original MacBook Pro Touch Bar.

Ctrl-[

It's not bad, but not all that comfortable on my left hand pinky finger.

Re: Forty years of programming

#90

Post by pylua »

jodrellblank wrote: post #89
pylua wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with this, but there is another default combination that is escape , right? I realized that esc was difficult in vim when I was forced to change due to the original MacBook Pro Touch Bar.

Ctrl-[ It's not bad, but not all that comfortable on my left hand pinky finger.

That’s it! I have come to use this without thinking and I have not noticed any discomfort.
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