I’d like to point out that I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect blog editor, and I’ve found it. It’s vi. I’m using it for virtually everything now, and I absolutely love it.
For those of you who don’t know, vi is a small simplistic text editor with gazillions of keyboard shortcuts. While I haven’t started using all the keyboard shortcuts properly, I have found it is great for writing code because it automatically detects the code type, auto indents and automatically colorizes. You can do just about anything with vim without ever touching the mouse.
I was actually a little worried a while back because I didn’t want to hurt my hand now that I’ve started coding a lot more. I spend nearly two hours writing code in python and php, and the fact that I don’t have to move my hands back and forth from the keyboard to the mouse has reduced the stress on my wrists tremondously and I’m hopefully going to avoid getting into trouble like the IT workers who get really bad cramps and other problems like carpal tunnel syndrome.
Also I have been studying from MIT opencourseware (search for it, I’m not linking right now). I’ve been meaning to do some computer science courses, and their course on artificial intelligence is amazing.
Endquote:
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, “Where have I gone wrong?” Then a voice says to me, “This is going to take more than one night.”
-Charles Schluz
I just started using vi for a programming class, and I have had the complete opposite reaction. I’m pretty frustrated with it. I prefer my mouse.
As for avoiding problems like carpal tunnel, etc, I have had issues with pain in my hands and shoulders before. They cropped up when I was working 8 hours a day at a computer. The key to avoiding this sort of problem is to make sure you take adequate breaks and do stretches during those breaks. Also, I bought some voice recognition software, which I occasionally use to write longer essays. I’ve never used my voice to write code, though.