The unproductivity of Numpad

Since the first time I used my keyboard, everybody told me "Use the numpad for numbers", and so I just got used to the fast typing of numbers on the block. But now when I need to write code, and need to write it fast, every little bit of speed helps, and now the numpad is a horrible productivity killer. Maybe this is common sense, but everybody around me uses this damn thing. It's OK to type numbers with it, yeah, but the moment you have to mix these numbers with text, stay away from the numpad.

For example these two lines:

1: const int SCREEN_WIDTH = 640;
2: const int SCREEN_HEIGHT = 480;

Try to imagine, how somebody would write it with a numpad:

Fingers on keyboard -> one hand on numpad -> one hand back on keyboard -> one hand on numpad -> one hand back on keyboard.

This same procedure can be made with all fingers just on the keyboard. It's just a huge improvement in speed, and if you're working later on a notebook, trust me, the conversion will be much easier.

But that does not mean, that you shouldn't touch the numpad at all! It can be very handy, when entering large numbers, or when you are using a calculator. It simply just applies when you are writing text or code, that's it.

However, it can be very hard to switch over for anyone who used the numpad a long time, for example me, since the hand just automatically moves to the right. Heck, I even used the numpad for quick symbol access, because I didn't learn where the /*-+ symbols on the normal keyboard are...

Maybe this is just a small increase in productivity, but trust me, it works, and it's worth it!