As a developer, is it necessary to learn to touch type?

Answer 1

It is not necessary but it'd be a good thing to be able to do. You know, your fingers will learn where dem keys at with time if you don't already know how to touch type😃😃😃

Answer 2

I guess as a programmer you spend more time thinking than actually typing.

Although programs can become long, you'll probably not write as many lines every day as a fantasy novel author.

So probably not strictly required.

There are also people who can type incredibly quickly with two fingers.

Answer 3

I personally can touch type, and for me it's very helpful, but that's because I write a lot of actual non-code text.

I think typing blindly with two fingers will be rare.

One problem I personally see:

Most touch type systems are optimized for regular language. This means that punctuation is at the periphery of the keyboard.

Since in programming, you are using so many operators all the time, maybe touch typing doesn't even give you that much of a speed advantage, at least as long as you don't use a custom layout.

Answer 4

About the expectations part:

The important thing is that people get their work done properly and in the required time frame.

Everyone will make a profit-cost evaluation about what contributes to this and what not.

For example you could expect from a Python expert to know every module of the standard library, but I doubt this is the case - because you just don't need some things often enough.

Being an instrument player is a bit different, because playing notes in the quickest and most controlled way is at the *center* of their profession.

If touch-typing doubled the productivity of a coder, I'm sure everyone or the most would learn it.

Answer 5

touch typing is the ability to type without looking at he keyboard and not necessarily about how many fingers used.

Answer 6

youd expect an "expert" guitarist to be able to play without looking at the position of his/her fingers. Shouldn't the same be expected from a regular computer user in general, not just programmers.

Answer 7

I can say important

Answer 8

HonFu true, those keys are difficult to reach, but with practice you can learn to blind type them.

Answer 9

HonFu believe or not I worked with a two finger touch typist, when I highlighted the fact and mentioned touch typing she didn't even realise that it was a skill.