Typing Habbit

[rmxhaha]

Just not so long ago I began learning how to touch type or just typing really fast or typing with ten fingers. I try to put each fingers where they should be.

But old habits die hard. My right index fingers is more often at K than J, type Y with left index finger rather than right index finger and so on.

Perhaps this is the effects of programming. We, programmers, use symbols as much as alphabets unlike usual typist so it's a bother to move your right hand a lot to type symbols. This is quite a bad habit of mine. Does every programmers experiencing this typing style ? or is it just me ???

[Disch]

I learned to type before I learned to program. So I never had this problem. My hands find themselves comfortably on the home row without me thinking.

[Duthomhas]

As you train yourself, your hands will learn where to go.
As you continue to train yourself, you will discover that you can easily switch between different key layouts (such as QWERTY vs Dvorak).

[Stewbond]

It took me a while to get used to Dvorak, but it took too much effort to maintain. When I run with tons of VMs and tons of remote desktop sessions/consoles I can't keep up with multiple configs. I've stuck with QWERTY.

Edit: My weakest finger is my right ring finger. I do great at touch-typing except I use my middle finger for my P L and backspace.

[Disch]

My dad insists on typing Dvorak. I think he's nuts. He doesn't type any faster than a proficient Qwerty typist and he fumbles on any computer that isn't configured to use Dvorak (read: all of them), and anyone else (read: everyone) fumbles when they try to use his computer to do anything.

[Stewbond]

So does he just memorize where the keys are, or did he actually move his keys around?

My worst experience was trying to remotely log into a site in France where they used Azerty. The username I used had all of the same characters as QWERTY. The password I used had an 'm' in it. But M key on an Azerty keyboard translates to ,. So my "hidden" password characters were completely wrong.

So frustrating!!!

[Disch]

He just memorized the keys.

[Cubbi]

@Stewbond The German kezboards are also fun to use!

[Mats]

Programmers use symbols more than an average typist is perhaps a true statement, but to say they use them a much as alphabet is not correct*!

To answer your question - I learned to touch type at roughly the same time as picking up programming (I figured being able to type fast was pretty much a necessity for a programmer), so I don't have these problems.

*Except in unusual circumstances

Edit: I didn't like the phrasing, so it got changed a little.

[rmxhaha]

for( int i = 0; i < arr.length(); ++ i ){
}

18 alphabets
1 number
13 symbols

yes you're right @Mats , we don't type alphabets as much as symbols.
I should rephrase it to "We, programmers, type a whole more symbols than average typists"

I know that variable isn't always that short it's sometimes 15 characters long but we all use auto complete and just 3 characters than the auto complete will do it's works.

so I assume that programmers type
alphabets : symbols = 3 : 2 ?

I never see any other keyboard layout beside QWERTY, though I have heard about DVORAK and tried German keyboard layout in google translate.

I wouldn't really say I am really bad at typing , is just that I envy people with really fast typing speed something like 150 WPM. It is really amazing when I look at them typing.
My average is 390 to 410 keystrokes per minute or 80 WPM
I am basing on ( http://10fastfingers.com/typing-test/english )

It's not really a problem when programming because I rarely type at max speed when programming.

What's is your average typing speed ?

[AkramIzzeldin]

I don't really get it why is typing fast important? anyway, I'm a slow typist (32 WPM 164 Keystrokes per minute!), and I don't have problem with that at all.

[DaBOSS]

I wouldn't even worry about typing speed unless yours is really really bad/inaccurate. Just type when you need to and continue as you do, and eventually from just typing and using your computer a lot it should speed up naturally from getting used to it. If you do look at your keyboard when you type though, looking away when you type will be a big key to success in fast typing.

[giblit]

I am basing on ( http://10fastfingers.com/typing-test/english )

according to this I type at 120 WPM. Though like many people here I learned how to type without looking at the keyboard at a very young age so never really had any problems when programming. I have the layout of the keyboard memorized and if I wanted to I could draw it out on a piece of paper and have no problems. One good practice you could use is to put a piece of paper over the keyboard to prevent you from looking at it when you learn how to type.

[admkrk]

Well ya'll got me beat(23 wpm according to that site). In my opinion tests like that only really mean anything if you are doing nothing but copying text from something else. I do have to look at the keyboard, but if what I'm typing is all coming from my head, what does it matter? I can still type much faster than I can write legibly.

Unlike most of you, I never touched a keyboard until I was in my late 30s at best though and it took me several years before I could use both hands. As slow as I am, I still spend more time thinking about I'm going to type than I do typing it.