Fast typing: keyboard layouts
I thought wpm would be the metric to determine the fastest keyboard layout. It’s not. What matters? RSI, Repetitive Stress Injury.
RSI, the silent crippler
Almost every serious programmer I interviewed painfully developed RSI in their 20s. I didn’t even know until I asked them! Me? I was 24 when it struck. No warning. Just pain. I took breaks, watching the clock until I could to get back to coding. I stretched. I went to physical therapy. I paced my typing, even if my ideas claimored to get into the code. All of this helped, a little. Only when I found the right keyboard layout (seriously) could I type somewhat normally. Following the advice of this post, we’ll see how to delay and mitigate this. Maybe you can’t put off RSI forever, but every day you’re not in pain is a faster day than one in pain.
RSI dominates typing speed in the long term
In the long term, the severity of your RSI dominates your typing speed. Severe RSI means no typing. Mild RSI can decrease your speed by 50%.