How One Programmer Is Coding Faster By Voice Than Keyboard

mikejuk writes "Is it possible that we have been wasting our time typing programs. Could voice recognition, with a little help from an invented spoken language, be the solution we didn't know we needed? About two years ago Tavis Rudd, developed a bad case of RSI caused by typing lots of code using Emacs. It was so severe that he couldn't code. As he puts it: 'Desperate, I tried voice recognition'. The Dragon Naturally Speaking system used by Rudd supported standard language quite well, but it wasn't adapted to program editing commands. The solution was to use a Python speech extension, DragonFly, to program custom commands. OK, so far so good, but ... the commands weren't quite what you might have expected. Instead of English words for commands he used short vocalizations — you have to hear it to believe it. Now programming sounds like a conversation with R2D2. The advantage is that it is faster and the recognition is easier — it also sounds very cool and very techie. it is claimed that the system is faster than typing. So much so that it is still in use after the RSI cleared up."

Comments

Emacs

[captain_dope_pants]

Really ? He'd have been better off with VI - everyone knows it stands for Voice Input :p

Re:Emacs

[doti]

VI VI VI

the editor of the beast

Re: Probably not faster than auto complete

[alen]

Yeah, but Microsoft is evil and everyone knows you are dumb as door nails if you cheat with autocomplete and code suggestions in a modern IDE rather than type everything yourself

You can't win..

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

So how long until he gets laryngitis and has to start typing again?

Re:You can't win..

[Tablizer]

It's best to spread out the load: 1/3 with your fingers, 1/3 with your voice, and 1/3 with your dick.

Re:Try that with LISP

[Mitchell314]

"Open parenthetheeth liphth wun too theven clothe parenthetheeth wetun"

Huh, it actually works.

Re:Coding != Typing

[oodaloop]

I do not spend that much time ting, actually.

You don't say?

Re:He was doing it wrong

[Seumas]

I dunno. I think typing is a lot like a handjob -- all fingers work a lot better than just two.

Oompah Oompah Band

[Tablizer]

Pararenthesis parenthesis parenthesis. ... Was that one too much?

No, open "parenthesis" will be abbreviated "pah". And close parenthesis will be "ump".

Thus, coding will sound like, "Umpah lumpa, dipity doo, I have another puzzle for you..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw0zZttfUaw

New rapping fad

[Tablizer]

You: "Biff Niff Bobblewop, Mop Top, Flip Flop Dribble Nibble Bazzle Dazzle Ropple Popple Slip Dip..."

Boss: "Get to work, no more rapping!"

You: "I'm not rapping, I'm programming via voice commands. Actually, I'm doing both."

Boss: "Yeah, right. It's called Riff Raff."

Re:The secret is hot sauce

[PolygamousRanchKid]

So... what? Do you just chug it?

I believe it's intended to be administered as an enema . . .

You might be able to convince some frat boys into trying it . . . they're already doing it with alcohol.

Lisp programmers need foot pedals

[ebno-10db]

What Lisp programmers really need are two foot pedals - one for left parentheses and one for right parentheses. That should cover 90% of their input requirements.

Re:Writing is easy

[rrohbeck]

I'm not debugging *my* code :)

Re:Probably not faster than auto complete

[complete loony]

He's been in the local paper a few times as a human interest story during his life, but there's nothing available online that I can find. Though he has told me a fair number of anecdotes from work over the years.

Once he turned up to a job interview after being referred by an old colleague. The interviewer hastily excused himself to call the guy; "You didn't tell me he didn't have any hands". "I didn't think it was relevant to his ability".

After discovering that a Y2K compliance project was starting (ie using 4 digit dates everywhere), with an estimate of 8 people for 2 months. He came back after about 2 hours with all the changes checked in.