How Long Will We Keep Typing? | Hacker News Reader

How Long Will We Keep Typing?

allenc.com

9 pointsallenc5 comments

In the past couple of years voice recognition has gotten good enough that developers who can't type for whatever reason have started using voice recognition:

http://ergoemacs.org/emacs/using_voice_to_code.html

Other advances like eye-tracking might help. OptiKey, for example, was released last month to help with with ALS use eye-tracking to use a computer: https://github.com/JuliusSweetland/OptiKey/wiki

John Siracusa used to write his 20,000 word Mac reviews with Dragon:

"Recognition is surprisingly good. I’m using Dragon Dictate for OS X to write these very words. It costs over a hundred dollars, but it earns its price with extensive customization features and a recognition engine trained specifically for my voice. Dragon has no problem transcribing sentences like, “Craig Federighi loves ice cream and OS X 10.9.”"

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/os-x-10-9/23/

So, it's probably possible to eliminate typing now, it's just a matter of finding the proper setup to make it more efficient than typing.

Perfect timing for my cubital tunnels to start to kick in.

Its about the more naturalistic interface between the computer and the user and the way they're making thoughts. You can much more easily correct words for non-fully-formed thoughts via typing and text than through speech - the "backspace" key of speech requires a lot more slowing down and then going back. In writing these sentences I've stared at a few of them, made some edits and decided they're better that way. You spend more time with your thoughts than with speech.

Maybe that's fine of course, but for such a fundamental change it will take a while for those who are used to text-based stream of consciousness to ever consider changing.

No one said that the solution has to be all speech. Throw in some small gestures and that'll be faster than reaching for a key.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0QNiZfSsPc0

Throw in eye-tracking and you can pick out any word quickly.

Totally right - I think however it will be a long time before things become so natural - especially with the concept or writing as a whole. I'm sure you'll be able to find specialists with any interface who can perform far faster than even experts on another interface. I'm not being cynical here, but I think the keyboard is an excellent interface right now. Neural feedback and direct thought transcription seems like the most likely thing to replace it, but it also might require far too much attunement. Take all the ways that humans communicate - writing and text have survived as long as they have for a reason.

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