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Using Python to Code by Voice

Using Python to Code by Voice

Next Day Video
12 HN recommenders · discussed 2013–2025
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About this video

Tavis Rudd describes how RSI forced him to program by voice, and shows the Python and Emacs Lisp system he built with voice recognition. A live demo creates and deploys a small system without touching the keyboard.

Why it appears in the archive

Recurs in threads about RSI, accessibility and voice coding as the go-to demo of a custom spoken command language.

AI-generated summary and labels from the source dataset; verify important details against the video. Source & credits.

From the Hacker News discussion

thomasjames · 2013-05 · strong rec

A similar project using Emacs and really clever use of Python and Dragon Naturally Speaking SDK was my favorite presentation at PyCon this past year. [VIDEO]

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monsieurbanana · 2020-08 · strong rec

Maybe lisp could shine here? While writing lisp code in classic editors, you already shouldn't be editing or navigating code with classic commands, instead you will be using structured editing. Of course it isn't limited to lisp, but languages with C-like syntax are harder to use for structured editing. I highly recommend watching this video, where the speaker uses voice commands to write both in emacs-lisp and in python. [VIDEO]

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arijun · 2020-08 · strong rec

I'm surprised that there seem to be no examples anywhere of anyone seriously using chorded typing for programming. After cheap chorded keyboards entered the market and the associated software became free, I assumed it would only be a matter of time before something like Travis Rudd's incredible demo of voice coding [1] came out. Perhaps that it hasn't speaks to how difficult it is to get real speed improvements with a chorded setup? [1] [VIDEO]

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pugio · 2025-04 · strong rec

> The second thing we need to figure out is how we can compress voice input to make it faster to transmit. What’s the voice equivalent of a thumbs-up or a keyboard shortcut? Can I prompt Claude faster with simple sounds and whistles? This reminds me of the amazing 2013 video of Travis Rudd coding python by voice: [VIDEO] The number of times in the last few years I've wanted that level of "verbal hotkeys"... The latencies of many coding llms are still a little bit too low to allow for my ideal level of flow (though admittedly I haven't tried one's hosted on services like groq), but I can clearly envision a time when I'm issuing tight commands to a coder model that's chatting with me and watching my program evolve on screen in real time. On a somewhat related note to conversational interfaces, the other day I wanted to study some first aid stuff - used Gemini to read the whole textbook and generate Anki flash cards, then copied and pasted the flashcards directly into chat GPT voice mode and had it quiz me. That was probably the most miraculous experience of voice interface I've had in a long time - I could do chores while being constantly quizzed on what I wanted to learn, and anytime I had a question or comment I could just ask it to explain or expound on a term or tangent.

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rjbwork · 2014-06 · rec

You might be interested in watching this talk: [VIDEO] Although, if I recall correctly, he uses Dragon Naturally Speaking, which is a commercial product.

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srik · 2015-04 · rec

[This talk by Tavis Rudd]( [VIDEO] ) about a system he used when his hands were afflicted with RSI is pretty interesting. Not entirely a no-hands approach, but I can't seem to remember the developer who made his first app in the hospital by typing with one/two fingers. He wrote a blogpost about his process that was really inspiring.

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beeworker · 2015-04 · rec

There was an interesting talk at PyCon 2013 about programming using only your voice: [VIDEO] Might be worth looking into for your case. It's worth mentioning that the guy did this for himself due to severe RSI in the hands, but there was another talk on using a stenographic keyboard to program and I remember this guy stood up and said he wished he'd known about it earlier as it's another approach for people who suffer from RSI since there's less typing.

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klibertp · 2017-05 · rec

See this: [VIDEO] > In a fast-paced live demo, I will create a small system using Python, plus a few other languages for good measure, and deploy it without touching the keyboard. The demo gods will make a scheduled appearance. I hope to convince you that voice recognition is no longer a crutch for the disabled or limited to plain prose. It's now a highly effective tool that could benefit all programmers. Turns out it's doable, you just need to invent your own language.

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