5 ms·

hmmmm never have i thought about turning syntax off... do you also turn off autocomplete?

JohnFen 3y ago
I always have autocomplete turned off, because I find it gets in my way even more than syntax highlighting.
hellcow 3y ago
I also have no autocomplete. I don't want the distractions/popups when writing code and getting into deep focus. When I want to autocomplete a long name, I trigger it by hand using Ctrl+p.
- chrislan815 3y ago
  i like the idea of trigger it by hand.
- pandemic_region 3y ago
  Interesting, what language do you code?
  - hellcow 3y ago
    Go, Typescript, Zig, Python.
samatman 3y ago
Autocomplete is right on the verge of being a net drain on my productivity and I've turned it off out of pique more than once. It will "randomly"† replace words, and the box obscures text, which greatly pisses me off if I happen to be reading that text. [†]: Obviously this isn't actually random, it's just hitting a key which tab-completes when I don't expect it to. But it feels random and takes me out of flow. Syntax highlighting, on the other hand, I was memed into trying to code without it, and I hated it. I suspect, like many things, there are a minority of neurotypes for whom turning it off is better, and a majority who prefer it for good reason.
- marcosdumay 3y ago
  Oh, I imagine you are using some editor created by the kind of genius that invented autocompletion on space or on enter. Those are at their best when they decide that what you write is just a hint, to be match by proximity instead of literally. Autocompletion doesn't need to be braindead. Unix terminals have had it for decades, and I have never seen anybody complain.
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    > Unix terminals have had it for decades, and I have never seen anybody complain. Probably because you don't see the autocomplete there unless you specifically ask for it. This is a world apart from editors that automatically pop up autocomplete options. Those are an unwelcome distraction. If Unix shells behaved like that, I'd strenuously object.
  - lelanthran 3y ago
    > Autocompletion doesn't need to be braindead. I wouldn't go so far as "brain-dead", but it is an annoyance, because I am looking at the screen when I am typing, and the lines below and lines above are context that I can easily retriever without needing to store them in my head. When the autocomplete window pops up it obscures the context above and below the line I am on, and in turn my context switches instantly from (for example) "Use the results of the previous operation as a parameter to this function" to "what was the name of the variable that I used for 'results' on the previous line? I can no longer see the previous line". For me, I think, an autocomplete would be best if displayed off to the side, in a consistent spot that never changes. Maybe reserve a small box on the right hand side of the editing window for things that constantly change on every keystroke. This has the advantage of being able to ignore it, and only switch my gaze (and hence my context) when I actually want to read what it is displaying.
TrueDuality 3y ago
I used more or less a bare vim (not minimal, not neovim) config with no plugins and < 100 lines in my vimrc for about 5 years. Minimal syntax highlighting, zero popups or autocomplete, no jump to definition, etc. It wasn't intentionally by choice, I remember getting frustrated with some interaction between a couple of plugins and resolved to start from a clean slate and carefully configure and curate my config. The clean slate happened but the subsequent configuration never did. I got used to it pretty quickly and it forced me to keep more of the code base in my mental RAM at any point in time. That still resulted in quite a bit of hunting around, slower refactors but I was thinking about the code quite a bit more. I finally started using a much more feature rich environment and while I'm glad I did the long stretch without it, I even feel I benefited from it, I don't think I could go back. For autocompletes specifically I do find the immediate suggestions annoying even when I can type right through them. I have no idea how people work when they have to pause their coding to actively dismiss suggestions either via the mouse or through a keyboard shortcut. For the time being my autocomplete suggestion window is a key combination to even display for a single instance and no additional actions need to be taken unless I want to accept the suggestion (I can still type right through it). I'm sure everyone's mileage will vary but autocomplete feels significantly more intrusive to me than syntax highlighting.
marssaxman 3y ago
I disable autocomplete, brace matching, suggestions, hints, and every other feature which pops something up or moves the highlights or causes a flash in the editing pane, because I can't stand the distraction. Opening up a factory-configured installation of VSCode, with all of its automatic helpers turned on, feels about as disorienting and off-putting as browsing the web without an adblocker.

I always have autocomplete turned off, because I find it gets in my way even more than syntax highlighting.

I also have no autocomplete. I don't want the distractions/popups when writing code and getting into deep focus. When I want to autocomplete a long name, I trigger it by hand using Ctrl+p.

chrislan815 3y ago
i like the idea of trigger it by hand.
pandemic_region 3y ago
Interesting, what language do you code?
- hellcow 3y ago
  Go, Typescript, Zig, Python.

samatman 3y ago

Autocomplete is right on the verge of being a net drain on my productivity and I've turned it off out of pique more than once. It will "randomly"† replace words, and the box obscures text, which greatly pisses me off if I happen to be reading that text. [†]: Obviously this isn't actually random, it's just hitting a key which tab-completes when I don't expect it to. But it feels random and takes me out of flow. Syntax highlighting, on the other hand, I was memed into trying to code without it, and I hated it. I suspect, like many things, there are a minority of neurotypes for whom turning it off is better, and a majority who prefer it for good reason.

marcosdumay 3y ago
Oh, I imagine you are using some editor created by the kind of genius that invented autocompletion on space or on enter. Those are at their best when they decide that what you write is just a hint, to be match by proximity instead of literally. Autocompletion doesn't need to be braindead. Unix terminals have had it for decades, and I have never seen anybody complain.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > Unix terminals have had it for decades, and I have never seen anybody complain. Probably because you don't see the autocomplete there unless you specifically ask for it. This is a world apart from editors that automatically pop up autocomplete options. Those are an unwelcome distraction. If Unix shells behaved like that, I'd strenuously object.
- lelanthran 3y ago
  > Autocompletion doesn't need to be braindead. I wouldn't go so far as "brain-dead", but it is an annoyance, because I am looking at the screen when I am typing, and the lines below and lines above are context that I can easily retriever without needing to store them in my head. When the autocomplete window pops up it obscures the context above and below the line I am on, and in turn my context switches instantly from (for example) "Use the results of the previous operation as a parameter to this function" to "what was the name of the variable that I used for 'results' on the previous line? I can no longer see the previous line". For me, I think, an autocomplete would be best if displayed off to the side, in a consistent spot that never changes. Maybe reserve a small box on the right hand side of the editing window for things that constantly change on every keystroke. This has the advantage of being able to ignore it, and only switch my gaze (and hence my context) when I actually want to read what it is displaying.

TrueDuality 3y ago

I used more or less a bare vim (not minimal, not neovim) config with no plugins and < 100 lines in my vimrc for about 5 years. Minimal syntax highlighting, zero popups or autocomplete, no jump to definition, etc. It wasn't intentionally by choice, I remember getting frustrated with some interaction between a couple of plugins and resolved to start from a clean slate and carefully configure and curate my config. The clean slate happened but the subsequent configuration never did. I got used to it pretty quickly and it forced me to keep more of the code base in my mental RAM at any point in time. That still resulted in quite a bit of hunting around, slower refactors but I was thinking about the code quite a bit more. I finally started using a much more feature rich environment and while I'm glad I did the long stretch without it, I even feel I benefited from it, I don't think I could go back. For autocompletes specifically I do find the immediate suggestions annoying even when I can type right through them. I have no idea how people work when they have to pause their coding to actively dismiss suggestions either via the mouse or through a keyboard shortcut. For the time being my autocomplete suggestion window is a key combination to even display for a single instance and no additional actions need to be taken unless I want to accept the suggestion (I can still type right through it). I'm sure everyone's mileage will vary but autocomplete feels significantly more intrusive to me than syntax highlighting.

marssaxman 3y ago

I disable autocomplete, brace matching, suggestions, hints, and every other feature which pops something up or moves the highlights or causes a flash in the editing pane, because I can't stand the distraction. Opening up a factory-configured installation of VSCode, with all of its automatic helpers turned on, feels about as disorienting and off-putting as browsing the web without an adblocker.