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Discussion on: Programmers that can't type shall be shunned and treated with disdain.

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leightondarkins profile image
Leighton Darkins

Following the WPM post from a little while ago, I learned that I fall firmly into the "painfully average" category of typist/programmers.

I'm no slouch, and certainly not a "hunt and peck" type of guy, but I'm definitely not a touch-typing wizard either.

My general thoughts on this are that it is pretty important to be able to use the tools of your trade effectively. A blacksmith who couldn't swing a hammer at all wouldn't be very useful. And it can definitely be frustrating to work with folks who are on the slower end of the WPM spectrum.

That said, I'd choose to work with a good problem solver over a fast typist every day of the week. I'd much rather write good code slowly, than shit code quickly.

I also never hesitate to suggest that the less proficient typists on my teams spend a small portion of their day improving that skill (myself included).

Typing on the slow side is definitely worthy of some pointed feedback, but I don't know that I'd be shunning, or treating anyone with disdain 😜

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mortoray profile image
edA‑qa mort‑ora‑y

I don't care if somebody is fast, I just don't want them to be slow. I'm okay with painfully average.

I think it's a great idea to encourage typing practice. Faster typing provides faster turnaround on all sorts of tasks during the day, not just coding.