[Sublime + Python Setup] Don’t build “nag screen muscle memory”

Hey there,

Once I worked with a developer who refused to buy a registered copy of Sublime for months on end, even though he *loved* Sublime.

He used it as his main code editor every day and was very happy with it —

Except for that dang nag screen that would get him all worked up and angry because it "interrupted his work".

You might be familiar with this popup dialog in unlicensed copies of Sublime Text:

Image

Sublime’s free trial version has all the features of the paid version—but every couple of minutes it displays a nag screen as a reminder to upgrade to the full version.

That's a pretty fair model in my books (yes I grew up when “shareware” was still a thing).

Anyway, when I sat down for a pair programming session with this guy one day I was kind of dumbfounded by how he'd “tightly integrated” the nag screen with his coding workflow:

He’d made a habit out of typing some code, getting hit with the nag screen, groaning and letting out a curse under his breath, then smoothly dismissing the nag screen, and carrying on with this work.

And let me tell you, he’d gotten *good* at dismissing that popup… Watching him reminded me of a guitarist playing a well-rehearsed lick.

His precise and cat-like movements clearly showed that he had developed impeccable muscle memory for the task.

Now there would've been an easy fix to stop this distraction: Just shell out the $70 for a Sublime Text license and he'd been off to interruption-free programming bliss…But no, my coworker did not budge.

When I casually asked our CTO if we could get a team license for Sublime to stop this misery once and for all—he almost spat coffee all over his laptop.

Today I understand the complete look of astonishment on his face:

As an experienced developer, our CTO knew the toll those daily interruptions took on my colleague.

How they affected his creativity, his productivity… and how, by extension, they cost the company a lot of money. Much more than what a measly editor license key would cost.

We purchased a Sublime license the same afternoon.

In the end my colleague was happy to get a full version of Sublime without the nag screen. And for me a lightbulb went on and I witnessed my mindset shift…

Don't get me wrong—I *love* a frugal mindset, but sacrificing your own happiness by trying to save some money on a critical tool you use all day is always the wrong choice. Period.

Because, when you think about it, tools for developers are pretty cheap:

Other professions like architects or graphic designers have to put up with much higher software prices.

I just looked and AutoCAD costs $4,195 for a single-user license these days.

Adobe charges $899.88 for their Creative Suite per user—and that’s an annually recurring fee.

Most tools for software developers are ridiculously cheap by comparison…

And that makes them fantastic *investments*:

I found it always pays to invest in the tools that make you happy and more productive. These days I try to get the best tools I can afford to do my work.

And this strategy has served me well—both professionally and from a "developer happiness" perspective.

Remember how great it felt to automate away a task that got on your nerves for a month?

When you finally got rid of that roadblock or distraction in your workflow once and for all?

Every time I do that it feels awesome. I feel waves of joy and satisfaction rolling through my whole body. (Yes I know I’m a huge nerd.)

For Sublime Text there’s a quick way to get rid of kinks and roadblocks in your coding workflow —

You can turn it into a tool that’s going to make you smile every time you sit down at your computer to work. Get all the details in the link below:

>> Click here to make your Sublime Text experience even better

— Dan Bader

Older messages

[Sublime + Python Setup] why Atom can’t replace Sublime

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Hey there, "In a nutshell, Atom is a Sublime Text editor that just got better." When I read this quote I got so worked up I nearly fell off my chair. Because every time I've tried Atom or

[PythonistaCafe] Q&A

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Hey there, At this point you should have a pretty good idea of what PythonistaCafe is about and what makes it special. In this email I want to answer some common questions that I get asked about the

[PythonistaCafe] What's in PythonistaCafe for you?

Monday, October 4, 2021

Hey there, A couple of years ago I'd become quite interested in martial arts. Hours upon hours of watching "The Karate Kid" growing up must've taken their toll on me... And so, I

[Sublime + Python Setup] The Ctrl+s "Heisenbug"

Monday, October 4, 2021

"What the **** is going on?!" I heard Keith yell. Returning from my lunch break and in a helpful mood I grabbed my coffee mug and shuffled over to my coworker's desk. "What's

[PythonistaCafe] Why PythonistaCafe exists

Sunday, October 3, 2021

Hey there, In one of my last emails I talked about how some online communities in the tech space devolve over time and turn into cesspools of negativity. This relates directly to how and why I started

You Might Also Like

SWLW #592: Advice that I can't get out of my head, The Compass vs. Map method, and more

Friday, March 29, 2024

Weekly articles & videos about people, culture and leadership: everything you need to design the org that makes the product. A weekly newsletter by Oren Ellenbogen with the best content I found

ASP.NET Core News - 03/29/2024

Friday, March 29, 2024

View this email in your browser Get ready for this weeks best blog posts about ASP.NET Core! This newsletter is sponsored by elmah.io - the most advanced, yet so simple to set up, error logging and

New Linux Bug Could Lead to User Password Leaks and Clipboard Hijacking

Friday, March 29, 2024

THN Daily Updates Newsletter cover Refactoring in Java ($36.99 Value) FREE for a Limited Time Refactoring in Java serves as an indispensable guide to enhancing your codebase's quality and

Post from Syncfusion Blogs on 03/29/2024

Friday, March 29, 2024

New blogs from Syncfusion Introducing the New .NET MAUI Chat Control By Piruthiviraj Malaimelraj This blog explains the features of the new Syncfusion .NET MAUI Chat control added in the 2024 Volume 1

Re: Last Chance

Friday, March 29, 2024

Dear there, By this time tomorrow, your exclusive new subscriber discount will be gone and you'll have to pay twice as much to join Insider and master everything your iPhone has to offer. If, like

Hacker Newsletter #694

Friday, March 29, 2024

Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much. //Oscar Wilde hackernewsletter Issue #694 // 2024-03-29 // View in your browser Happy Easter if you celebrate it! Heads up - we're taking

Apple RCS 📱, SBF's 25 year sentence 👮, Linux Foundation's Redis fork 👨‍💻

Friday, March 29, 2024

RCS is coming to the iPhone in the fall of 2024 Sign Up|Advertise|View Online TLDR Together With Veracode TLDR 2024-03-29 Build fast, build secure (Sponsor) Software is drowning in security debt.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 540

Friday, March 29, 2024

Curated news, articles and jobs related to Data Science, AI, & Machine Learning ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

This Week in Rust #540

Friday, March 29, 2024

Email isn't displaying correctly? Read this e-mail on the Web This Week in Rust issue 540 — 27 MAR 2024 Hello and welcome to another issue of This Week in Rust! Rust is a programming language

The Value Of A Promise 🤞

Friday, March 29, 2024

How much is a promise from a tech company really worth, anyway? Here's a version for your browser. Hunting for the end of the long tail • March 28, 2024 The Value Of A Promise When you hear a