I disagree with her point to a certain extent. You memorize stuff you do constantly, naturally. Why bother memorizing something that you only use once in a while? Also, why is typing from memory faster than cut and paste from a cheat sheet. We are not talking about understanding (which any half interested coder is going to want as a starting place anyway) but simply getting stuff down and done.
When I start a library, I cut and paste an existing library into my new one without the methods and rename it. How can typing it out from scratch be faster? When I do a form validation I cut and paste the error delimiters, a rules line, the if validation runs line etc in one cut, paste, done operation, why would I type it out from scratch every time. I understand it, and on a new project I probably would type it out, but thereafter, cut and paste all the way. That is why editors have snippets.
And many of us are using different systems, languages, frameworks all the time. Why on earth would referring to the docs, a cheat sheet, previous code, or samples not be more proficient than trying to remember tons of stuff you use once in a while?
And the majority of my time is not spent coding in the actual typing out of stuff. It is in the design, thought process, problem solving, debugging, user testing, security enhancing, refactoring that time is spent.
Hence I think the idea is ridiculous as it currently stands, and I genuinely cannot see any point in using it.
And I am only saying any of this because you asked for feedback.
But obviously, I wish you all the best for your idea,
Paul.
PS A good example is PHP date formats, why memorise all those codes when I can just look them up when I need to. Since I only need them once in a while is someone that has memorised every one necessarily a better coder? Of course not.
PPS And code mastery is surely about learning new techniques, new approaches, new tools, better ways of doing things, learning by example, experience and problem solving, reading, listening, seeing how others have done things, not memorizing stuff. How does that help?
