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.
> Unix terminals have had it for decades, and I have never seen anybody complain.
Probably because you don't see the autocomplete there unless you specifically ask for it. This is a world apart from editors that automatically pop up autocomplete options. Those are an unwelcome distraction.
If Unix shells behaved like that, I'd strenuously object.
I wouldn't go so far as "brain-dead", but it is an annoyance, because I am looking at the screen when I am typing, and the lines below and lines above are context that I can easily retriever without needing to store them in my head.
When the autocomplete window pops up it obscures the context above and below the line I am on, and in turn my context switches instantly from (for example) "Use the results of the previous operation as a parameter to this function" to "what was the name of the variable that I used for 'results' on the previous line? I can no longer see the previous line".
For me, I think, an autocomplete would be best if displayed off to the side, in a consistent spot that never changes. Maybe reserve a small box on the right hand side of the editing window for things that constantly change on every keystroke.
This has the advantage of being able to ignore it, and only switch my gaze (and hence my context) when I actually want to read what it is displaying.
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.
People who are good at something you want to be good at. People who invented or popularised techniques you like. Many of them I've come across have published their emails, if nothing else as a "if you have feedback on this book, reach out to name@example.com".
You can build your own list (capture emails on a subscription
form on your website like I do), some people buy them from people who sell such things (although Im certainly not advocating for this, just answering your question), or use tools like LinkedIn sales navigator, etc.
I'm not advocating, or not advocating for any of these approaches. I'm just answering the commenter question.
Also, due to the downvote I suspect at least one person is focusing on the fact that yes, in some circumstances buying contact lists can be annoying and frowned upon.
In other cases, it's how business is done. I'll give a real world example from a guy I actually met. Say you're the head of sales for the largest independent lolly pop manufacturer in the US. How do you let all the corner stores in the US that they should sell your lollies? Buy a list, send them letters/email, whatever. People can be annoyed by it, but it's what keeps the post office in business and is half of what all marketing and sales folks do half the time.
Another example is in the insurance industry, it's common practice to sell your client list when you retire in many of those spaces.
Again, I'm not Advocating or not advocating for any of this, just answering someone's question.
