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This isn& #39;t just a dumb take - it& #39;s harmful, exclusionary, and exactly the opposite of what our community needs now. I& #39;d like to tell you why, and how it can be different... https://twitter.com/_oshell/status/1312206331277840384">https://twitter.com/_oshell/s...
We& #39;ve talked about a lack of diversity in software engineering, but only recently have we as an industry started to talk about the corresponding lack of diversity AND belonging.
It& #39;s judgmental nonsense like this mouse tweet that captures some of the barriers we have to diversity and belonging in our historically exclusionary field.
When you& #39;re looking at someone& #39;s code, or at the result of it running, you& #39;ll have no idea what editor they used, or much they used a pointing device versus using the keyboard.
Good, useful software can be written with many, many different tools.
Good, useful software can be written with many, many different tools.
So, when you judge the tools someone uses, or how they use them you - especially if you correlate that with their overall ability as a software engineer, aren& #39;t simply being an asshole...
You are erecting yet another barrier to building the most diverse and inclusive workforce we can have. And in doing that you are actively harming people.
(Let& #39;s put aside for the moment that tweet implies that "junior" is a negative, which... fuck that)
So what instead? Presumably this sentiment of "if you use a mouse, you are a junior" came from some lived experience you have. Maybe you& #39;re captain keybindings now because some asshole called you "a junior" and you didn& #39;t like like it.
So maybe you did the equivalent of a 1980s montage teaching yourself the the most sophisticated keyboard-only technique you could craft.
And maybe your tweet was an attempt to motivate people the way you were motivated.
And maybe your tweet was an attempt to motivate people the way you were motivated.
That shit needs to stop right now. Look, you can do whatever the hell you want, but if your strategy is shame people into being a certain type of developer, then expect to be dunked on for every shitty tweet you make.
(And watch your job opportunities dry up quick).
(And watch your job opportunities dry up quick).
Motivation by shame is bullshit, and it& #39;s not where our field needs to be. Software as a practice as grown faster than any field in history in part because we& #39;re also building a platform that allows to share an advance our own field.
So, if your take on the inefficiency of using a mouse comes from your own transformational experience of learning to use the keyboard, don& #39;t judge and exclude - bring people along with you.
What does that look like? Maybe something like this:
What does that look like? Maybe something like this:
"I used to use a mouse in my code editor, it was comfortable, but now I use the keyboard exclusively and I& #39;m much more productive. I know that it can be hard to make the switch, so here are some of the ways I learned to transition to keyboard only development..."
Or
"Here& #39;s a YouTube video I put together about how to make the most of your development environment."
"Here& #39;s a YouTube video I put together about how to make the most of your development environment."
Or whatever it sounds like in your own voice. But whatever it is, you& #39;ll do our profession, and your own reputation, a bunch of good if you choose to contribute back to the community instead of being an exclusionist asshole.
