Re:Ask HN: Which tools have made you a much better programmer?
by hashhar on Tuesday June 09, 2020 @06:36PM
(#23471736)
I can echo this! This is exactly how I feel too - the muscle memory around workspace management and the scratch windows (floating windows that you can toggle in/out of visibility based on a single keystroke) are the real boosters for me rather than splits. Splits are useful but the most common use I've seen myself do is to have a browser and a terminal / editor in splits.
Re:Ask HN: Which tools have made you a much better programmer?
by Bnshsysjab on Tuesday June 09, 2020 @07:12PM
(#23471994)
> T he scratch windows (floating windows that you can toggle in/out of visibility based on a single keystroke
Us the toggle an i3 concept? I’m interested in it, can you give me the function name so I can look up doco? :)
Re:Ask HN: Which tools have made you a much better programmer?
by OJFord on Tuesday June 09, 2020 @07:58PM
(#23472371)
Not GP but I think it's `scratchpad toggle` - scratchpad is the keyword to lookup anyway.
Re:Ask HN: Which tools have made you a much better programmer?
by Bnshsysjab on Friday June 12, 2020 @02:33AM
(#23496627)
Thanks, interesting concept that has some valid applications :)
I use i3 with polybar and have dedicated workspace icons (web browser, terminal, editor, to-do, email, music, etc) for quick navigation between different applications. Over time I’ve built up muscle memory (i.e $Mod+3 will bring me to my editor) that has significantly sped up my development process. While you could use another window manager for a similar purpose, I find the relatively minimalist approach of i3 + polybar in my case to be fast and highly configurable.