The Importance Of Having A Fast Computer For Coding
A fast computer is important for a coder. It may be obvious, although, some people think, “hey, I just code, I don’t do anything that is graphic intensive, I can code fast enough with my 486DX2-66 with 8MB of RAM”.
What they don’t realize is that although the computer is fine for coding once you have your IDE open, it is task switching that can add up to wasted time. Every second spent launching a program counts. For instance, if there is a slight delay in your browser and it takes 10 seconds to launch. You could be looking at 5 minutes or more of wasted time daily. I have an Intel Core 2 computer at work, and although at times
I push it to its limit and have to wait for it to catch up, I know that when my browser opens instantly I am saving time.
Input devices can have a similar impact. Specifically the MX revolution mice series. When I first used a regular scroll wheel mouse I thought, “nice, this is such a time saver”. I didn’t have to press page down or click on the scrollbar arrows anymore. Then recently I tried a revolution mouse. Wow, what a difference. This mouse flies through code or data, slices and dices noisy log files and can completely change gears when you need precision click-to-click control.
A new concept for navigating documents and folders, the MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel operates in two distinct modes. In free-spin mode, the familiar ratchet-scrolling mechanism retracts, allowing the wheel to spin for up to seven seconds, providing hyper-fast, nearly frictionless long-distance scrolling. In its normal click-to-click mode, the wheel allows users to navigate small distances with great precision, such as individual spreadsheet rows, or small vertical distances in a document or Web page. Switching between the two modes is either done manually or managed automatically by Logitech’s SmartShift technology.
The revolution really does revolutionize mousing making mouse use more enjoyable. Two notes about these mice and Logitech scroll wheels in general. One, be careful not to drop the mouse on the scroll wheel, it will break the tactile feedback on the middle click. I’ve tried to fix the issue but both times it seems like its missing some part. Two, don’t place a wireless router in between the mouse and the receiver. It will cause random pauses while you are moving the mouse. What are you using for coding? Are there any devices that save you time?