The experiences and methods of programmers who avoid using autocomplete or language server features in their development workflow.

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### Summary of Programmer Experiences Many programmers express a preference for working without autocomplete and LSP features, citing several reasons and practices that contribute to their effectiveness. Here are key points: - **Environment Preference**: Many developers rely on the shell and basic terminal-based tools (like grep, fd, etc.) for navigating and managing code, feeling that this fosters a deeper understanding of the codebase compared to using IDEs with heavy auto-completion features. - **Learning and Familiarity**: By avoiding these tools, programmers emphasize the importance of actively reading documentation and understanding programming languages rather than relying on suggestions from IDEs. They argue that this approach hones their coding skills and enhances familiarity with the code. - **Focus and Minimalism**: The sentiment among these programmers is that IDE distractions slow down their thought processes. Many prefer a clean, distraction-free workspace to enhance focus, utilizing tools only when necessary. - **Efficient Searching**: Grep and similar tools are champions among these developers, offering them ways to search for functions, definitions, and usages efficiently. These tools outweigh the utility they perceive in IDE-based employees. - **Basic Setup**: Users often highlight a preference for simpler editors (like stock Vim) compared to elaborate IDEs, appreciating their speed, responsiveness, and the ability to adapt to any environment, cultivating reliance on memory for function parameters and usage. - **Type Checking & Compilers**: There’s a strong push for the importance of having fast compilers and good type checking, emphasizing that they prioritize accuracy in coding over graphical conveniences provided by IDEs. - **Freedom from Predictive Text**: A prevalent view is that autocomplete features often misinterpret user intent, leading to confusion and distrust in such functionalities. Some even argue that typing speed is never the primary barrier to productivity in coding.
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