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Re:Autocomplete as an Interface (2015) by lubujackson on Thursday January 16, 2020 @11:21AM (#22065969)
I agree, personally, but I am sure it is a minority perspective. I worry it might just be my unwillingness to change habits and workflow. If I am writing down functionality I usually want to complete my thought first, sometimes even in meta-code, then go back and make it proper. Like you say, autocomplete interrupts with several micro-decisions per line.

But I grew up coding in Notepad, so most editors feel like another part of the complexity stack I have to manage. Other devs seem to code with autocomplete almost like they are coding with a visual programming language. They use the mouse a lot more or keyboard combos if they are really efficient, but they anticipate autocomplete results and select variable names quickly, partly with a mental inventory of variable name options.

I think there are clear strengths to both methods. Pro-autocomplete devs seem to naturally follow the single responsibility principle (SRP) while I find that level of scaffolding obscuring at times.

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