Programmmings Dirtiest Secret (2008)
steve-yegge.blogspot.comTo be contrarian, I'm a 3-5 finger typist on a good day, but I'm fast at it. Fast enough that when I used to teach LaTeX classes to math department secretaries back in the late 80s, they would be impressed with my typing speed. So, while I don't type properly, I type fluently. I suspect that most programmers type at some level of fluency, even if they don't employ proper technique. Failure to do things like participate in online discussions, etc. are not a result of bad typing, but of the programmer's personality.
I actually put in the effort of relearning to type better on a non-QWERTY layout. I can comfortably type over 70 wpm, but it hasn't changed my development experience. Even during the period of relearning to type on the new layout I realized that I don't actually have enough volume of typing to quickly learn and had to do typing exercises daily to speed up the process.
I'm still glad I made the switch--typing is certainly smoother and I never get any sort of cramps or pains in my hands or wrists anymore.
This take is garbage. Touch typing and hunt and peck are two extremes. You can be somewhere in the middle and be Ok.