If you need to type that much, to where whether or not you can touch type matters . . . you are doing something wrong. Saying touch typing matters amounts to stating that programming is actually carried out ON THE SCREEN YOU ARE TYPING ON and I could not disagree with that more . . . programming takes place in the mind of the programmer, typing on the screen is a byproduct.
I can't wait to see how his argument holds up once we have brain to computer interfaces that allow us to skip typing altogether.
programming takes place in the mind of the programmer, typing on the screen is a byproduct
As he says in the article, the actual programming is not what requires much typing. It's communicating with others on IRC (or e-mail, whatever you kids use these days), typing documentation, writing blog posts, etc. that require typing skills.
I will agree with him on this. I don't type much when actually programming, but I do type a lot when talking with people on IRC (including co-workers, since we all work from home) and writing documentation. And writing HN comments :)
While typed communication IS a very big part of the work related to programming, it is not programming itself, which is what I believe to be important, and what I was referring to.
IRC, email, are secondary in importance.
Documentation and code comments should be concise.
I can't wait to see how his argument holds up once we have brain to computer interfaces that allow us to skip typing altogether.