[pjc50]

Type inference saves typing on the keyboard.

Ironically the language which needed this most was C++, which took ages to get the "auto" keyword and can still have a bit of a problem with fully expanded template names in error messages.

[cardanome]

I don't think saving a few keyboard strokes is a worthwhile design goal for most languages. You have to keep the types in your head anyway so it just increases the mental burden when reading the code.

At least with dynamic typing you might be in a flow state and care more about the shape of data than the types so it might be valid. But in static type land, not so sure.

But yeah as I said, definitely infer trivial things like variable types based on initializing. I am more against inferring parameter and return types and the like. The auto keyword is super useful but also can be abused when overused.

[ndriscoll]

> You have to keep the types in your head anyway so it just increases the mental burden when reading the code.

It's the opposite! Type inference means you can rely on the compiler to check that everything is consistent while you just read what's in front of you. You don't need to think about types at all; the annotations would just be noise.

It simplifies reading (via not needing to care) and writing (via suggestions/auto-complete/jump-to-definition/better error messages).