---
title: "My Quest for Speed - Learning to Use My Computer the Fastest Way Possible"
description: "Discover how switching to terminal-based tools can boost your productivity 100x, with insights on reducing computer latency from 10 seconds to milliseconds for faster workflows."
categories: ["general"]
keywords: ["terminal productivity","command line tools","neovim","mutt email client","ripgrep search","computer latency","SaaS efficiency","workflow optimization"]
ai_summary: "Learn how terminal-based tools can drastically reduce computer latency and enhance productivity."
date: 2022-12-27
lastmod: 2026-07-31
canonical_url: https://www.tomtunguz.com/latency/
author: "Tomasz Tunguz"
---

Sometime in the winter of 2020, I read [Dan Luu's article on latency](https://danluu.com/input-lag/). 

> "I've had this nagging feeling that the computers I use today feel slower than the computers I used as a kid." 

So he measured different computers using a high-speed camera & he found a modern Macbook had about 3x the latency of an Apple 2e, a computer from 1983. 

Dan wrote a subsequent [post on terminal latency](https://danluu.com/term-latency/) : the fastest application on your computer is likely the terminal or the command prompt.

Those posts inspired me to learn how to use the terminal : [mutt](http://www.mutt.org/) for email, [neovim](https://neovim.io/) for taking notes, [ripgrep](https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep) for searching a computer; [sed](https://www.gnu.org/software/sed/manual/sed.html) for text replacement; there are thousands - maybe tens of thousands. 

Two years later, here's what I've learned :

First, it's true. The terminal leaves the browser gasping for breath. Terminal latency tops out in the tens of milliseconds compared to the typical web page, which [dawdles for 10 seconds to load the average web page - 100x slower.](https://backlinko.com/page-speed-stats) The computer waits for me, not the other way around. 


Second, many of the UI affordances of modern apps trace their lineage to the command line. Create a file with neovim, write the name of another file, type the letters gf with your cursor over the file & you'll be transported to it, just like that. No need for [a fancy notetaking app.](https://tomtunguz.com/modern-note-taking-zettlekasten/)

Third, I work faster now because I can do many things from a single screen. When I take notes during pitch meetings, I trigger actions with function keys (never used those before!). F2 opens the startup's website in a browser. F3 searches LinkedIn for the founder. F4 pastes a questions template. F5 shows me the list of employees who subscribe to this blog. 

Fourth, I can chain things together. I can save a to-do while writing an email without leaving my email. I pull up notes from a pitch meeting, create a new entry in a CRM, or do any of the things above while replying to a founder, without having to create a new tab or switch applications.


Instead, all those seconds saved I've spent soldiering up daunting learning curves & text-based manual pages - a trade I've been willing to make but an unappealing adventure for most.

Apple's visual operating system & the dawn of Netscape transmogrified the command line from a wall of text into a canvas so billions of people could use a computer without having to learn syntax. 

Even if visual UIs take a bit more time load, for most people, the experience is worth the wait.