The Once and Future Visual Programming Environment

Re:The Once and Future Visual Programming Environment by SoftwareMaven on Sunday May 27, 2012 @11:19PM (#4031786)

I, too, would be interested to hear more as I'm having difficulty picturing what you mean. My mental picture is "iPad with a mouse", but there is obviously something missing. I'm dubious of the ability to code at least as efficiently with no keyboard as with, but that may be my lack of imagination.

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Re:The Once and Future Visual Programming Environment by mkl on Monday May 28, 2012 @01:52AM (#4032145)

The thing about coding is there's lots of thinking. I can write code efficiently because after a point, raw typing speed is not very important. I'm much less efficient at, say, copying out prose that's already written (unless my prediction engine is familiar with it...).

My software is like an on-screen keyboard with context-sensitive prediction, more sensible orientation and layout, and lots of shortcuts overloaded on the buttons, operated by the other mouse buttons and the scroll-wheel. So, for example, moving a word/page at a time, selecting lines/files, unindenting, etc. are just done by scrolling in the right place, control-A is middle-clicking A, and so on (the program just sends the appropriate keystrokes to make things happen). Selecting and toolbars/menus are fast because you're already using the mouse, and copy and paste is just select and middle click on Linux.

RSI basically forced me to develop the system (I can't use a physical keyboard, and no existing software was or is good enough), and I have been using it for all my typing since 2003. I'm now working on making a commercial version aimed primarily at touch screens (gestures will replace different mouse buttons).

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Re:The Once and Future Visual Programming Environment by SoftwareMaven on Monday May 28, 2012 @10:13PM (#4035638)

Sounds interesting, and a step in the right direction for re-thinking the way people write software. I look forward to seeing something in the future.

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Re:The Once and Future Visual Programming Environment by arvidj on Monday May 28, 2012 @05:00AM (#4032551)

Screenshots and more information would be very nice!

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Re:The Once and Future Visual Programming Environment by mkl on Monday May 28, 2012 @08:11AM (#4032979)

As far as looks go it's as you'd expect, a grid of letter and symbol buttons, and a list of predictions. I don't think it's a good idea to disclose the few interesting features until I have something on sale (right now they're a competitive advantage), so sorry, no screenshots :-P

I'm not sure that there's much more to it than what I've already described. I think what it's got going for it is refinement driven by nine years of dogfooding day in day out, and that refinement isn't easy to describe as it's just many tiny little choices.

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