Becoming a Power Computer User

A big part to maximising programming efficiency would be to understand and use custom (or often, premade) utilities on our devices.

Custom Utilities

Scott Hanselman’s Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List for windows highlights many very powerful tools such as WinDirStat and PowerToys which can be leveraged on to improve our workflow efficiency.

Learning to Google

This may seem like a basic skill, but many people don’t realize how powerful Google can be if you know how to use it correctly. You can refine your search queries by using refined searches, advanced operators and filters, which will help you get the information you need more quickly and accurately.

For example, adding querys such as site:stackoverflow.com to your search query would limit your results to be only from stackoverflow.

Regular Expressions

Regular Expressions (regex) is a powerful tool for working with text. It is often used to search, manipulate, and extract information from text in a way that is much more flexible and precise than other methods. Learning regex can take some time, but the payoff is significant as it will make many tasks much easier and faster.

Many tools are available to get started in learning regex and many of them have visualization tools and explanation to the input expression.

Computer & Operating System Basics

Having a basic understanding of how computers and operating systems work is essential for anyone who wants to be a power user. Learning about file systems, memory management, and basic system administration will help you troubleshoot problems and optimize your workflow.

Command-Line Basics

The Command-Line Interface (CLI) is a powerful tool that allows you to perform many tasks quickly and efficiently. Learning the basics of the command-line interface can help you navigate your computer, automate tasks, and work with powerful tools that are not available in graphical user interfaces. Explore: Your terminal can be much, MUCH more productive 💻 | by Code Slicer.

Text Editors

Using a Text Editor such as Visual Studio Code, Vims or other Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) effectively can save you a lot of time and effort. Vim and Visual Studio Code are popular choices, but there are many other options available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Keyboards

Mastering keyboard shortcuts is an essential skill that will save you time and make you much more efficient. Learning keyboard shortcuts for common tasks such as copying and pasting, navigating files, and working with text editors will make your workflow smoother and faster.