34 karma · joined January 29, 2010
It's targeted for any REST/Json based api. (reading or writing)
Great article that actually simplifies and explains the things I've experienced myself!
However, I believe there is "muscle memory" that can be learned using the mouse. For example, playing a lot of first person shooter games in my day, one can learn and memorize the nuances of moving the mouse. Correlating the amount and direction of movement of the mouse with the response of the screen is, I believe, a skill that can be learned and is quite rewarding.
You can't just build something for the sake of competition. It has to be grown organically. People won't flock to your social network because it's better. People are like sheep, and they need to be herded like so.
Generally speaking though, this is a great move by Twitter in my opinion. I'm always a bit concerned when a 3rd party website asks for a username and password. In some cases I no longer provide credentials when I know a certain service provides oauth.
It might not be as easy for non-web based applications, but I'm sure things will improve in the long run.
First it starts with the setup. At work I have an external monitor and keyboard. I keep my MBP to the right so I can use the touch pad here and there when I can't use the keyboard for certain things.
Here are some tips/programs/plugins I use:
1) Vim (not macvim) and screen - This dynamic duo is the greatest invention. I recommend it to anyone who has the time to learn. Once you do, you'll never go back.
2) Vimperator - Firefox plugin - This one has changed my browsing experience for the better. Once you learn all the commands you'll be flying through pages.
3) Remap your CAPSLOCK key to ESC - Once you start using vim and vimperator, the esc key becomes more useful. I remapped my CASPLOCK key to ESC so its quicker to reach. I used the program called PCKeyboardHack.
4) Learn your keyboard shortcuts.
6) Try to replace programs you use often with console versions. For example I dont use any gui programs to access databases. Diffs/text search/file searches are all done through command line.
7) Spotlight - I don't use Dock, sometimes I forget its even there. I would disable it if I could.
8) pbcopy - command line program that you can use to copy to your gui clipboard. Try piping contents of a file to it. Becomes very handy.
Most of my day I spend using Vimperator and Terminal. So it's easier for me to not have to use a mouse.