I also have no autocomplete. I don't want the distractions/popups when writing code and getting into deep focus. When I want to autocomplete a long name, I trigger it by hand using Ctrl+p.
I used more or less a bare vim (not minimal, not neovim) config with no plugins and < 100 lines in my vimrc for about 5 years. Minimal syntax highlighting, zero popups or autocomplete, no jump to definition, etc.
It wasn't intentionally by choice, I remember getting frustrated with some interaction between a couple of plugins and resolved to start from a clean slate and carefully configure and curate my config. The clean slate happened but the subsequent configuration never did. I got used to it pretty quickly and it forced me to keep more of the code base in my mental RAM at any point in time.
That still resulted in quite a bit of hunting around, slower refactors but I was thinking about the code quite a bit more. I finally started using a much more feature rich environment and while I'm glad I did the long stretch without it, I even feel I benefited from it, I don't think I could go back.
For autocompletes specifically I do find the immediate suggestions annoying even when I can type right through them. I have no idea how people work when they have to pause their coding to actively dismiss suggestions either via the mouse or through a keyboard shortcut.
For the time being my autocomplete suggestion window is a key combination to even display for a single instance and no additional actions need to be taken unless I want to accept the suggestion (I can still type right through it). I'm sure everyone's mileage will vary but autocomplete feels significantly more intrusive to me than syntax highlighting.
Autocomplete is right on the verge of being a net drain on my productivity and I've turned it off out of pique more than once. It will "randomly"† replace words, and the box obscures text, which greatly pisses me off if I happen to be reading that text.
[†]: Obviously this isn't actually random, it's just hitting a key which tab-completes when I don't expect it to. But it feels random and takes me out of flow.
Syntax highlighting, on the other hand, I was memed into trying to code without it, and I hated it. I suspect, like many things, there are a minority of neurotypes for whom turning it off is better, and a majority who prefer it for good reason.
Oh, I imagine you are using some editor created by the kind of genius that invented autocompletion on space or on enter. Those are at their best when they decide that what you write is just a hint, to be match by proximity instead of literally.
Autocompletion doesn't need to be braindead. Unix terminals have had it for decades, and I have never seen anybody complain.
I disable autocomplete, brace matching, suggestions, hints, and every other feature which pops something up or moves the highlights or causes a flash in the editing pane, because I can't stand the distraction. Opening up a factory-configured installation of VSCode, with all of its automatic helpers turned on, feels about as disorienting and off-putting as browsing the web without an adblocker.
hellcow|1 year ago
pandemic_region|1 year ago
chrislan815|1 year ago
TrueDuality|1 year ago
It wasn't intentionally by choice, I remember getting frustrated with some interaction between a couple of plugins and resolved to start from a clean slate and carefully configure and curate my config. The clean slate happened but the subsequent configuration never did. I got used to it pretty quickly and it forced me to keep more of the code base in my mental RAM at any point in time.
That still resulted in quite a bit of hunting around, slower refactors but I was thinking about the code quite a bit more. I finally started using a much more feature rich environment and while I'm glad I did the long stretch without it, I even feel I benefited from it, I don't think I could go back.
For autocompletes specifically I do find the immediate suggestions annoying even when I can type right through them. I have no idea how people work when they have to pause their coding to actively dismiss suggestions either via the mouse or through a keyboard shortcut.
For the time being my autocomplete suggestion window is a key combination to even display for a single instance and no additional actions need to be taken unless I want to accept the suggestion (I can still type right through it). I'm sure everyone's mileage will vary but autocomplete feels significantly more intrusive to me than syntax highlighting.
samatman|1 year ago
[†]: Obviously this isn't actually random, it's just hitting a key which tab-completes when I don't expect it to. But it feels random and takes me out of flow.
Syntax highlighting, on the other hand, I was memed into trying to code without it, and I hated it. I suspect, like many things, there are a minority of neurotypes for whom turning it off is better, and a majority who prefer it for good reason.
marcosdumay|1 year ago
Autocompletion doesn't need to be braindead. Unix terminals have had it for decades, and I have never seen anybody complain.
marssaxman|1 year ago
JohnFen|1 year ago